Prada's Latest Design Isn't a Handbag-It's a Spacesuit Headed for a Mission to the Moon
When people think of Prada, they usually picture luxury handbags on the runway at Milan Fashion Week-not astronauts preparing to walk on the Moon. But the iconic Italian fashion house is continuing its unlikely journey into space exploration.
This week, Prada and Houston-based aerospace company Axiom Space unveiled the latest piece of gear that future NASA astronauts will wear during lunar missions: a futuristic-looking Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment (LCVG), the high-tech inner layer worn beneath a spacesuit.
"When we unveiled the [Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) on October 4, 2023], we announced that the collaboration between Prada and Axiom Space would continue beyond that first milestone," Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sustainability, said in a press release. "Today, we are proud to present a new achievement born from the unique combination of Axiom Space's pioneering expertise and Prada's know-how in design, patternmaking, and advanced materials, ahead of humanity's return to the lunar surface."
The reveal marks the latest milestone in a partnership that has turned one of the world's biggest luxury brands into a key contributor to NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Prada and Axiom first unveiled the exterior design of their lunar spacesuit in 2024. Now, they've offered the public a closer look at what astronauts will actually wear closest to their bodies during future Moon walks.
The "Invisible" Part of the Spacesuit May Be the Most Important
While the sleek white outer spacesuit unveiled in 2024 grabbed headlines, the newly revealed inner layer plays a critical role in astronaut survival.
According to Axiom Space, the garment is designed to regulate body temperature and airflow while astronauts work in some of the harshest environments imaginable. Embedded tubing circulates cooling liquid throughout the suit, while separate ventilation channels help deliver oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.
The technology is especially important because astronauts exploring the Moon's south pole could encounter temperature swings of hundreds of degrees between sunlit and shadowed regions. The garment helps keep astronauts comfortable and safe during long periods of activity on the lunar surface.
The design also bears subtle Prada signatures. The form-fitting garment includes details such as thumbhole sleeves, stirrup-style pant legs, and Prada's recognizable red-line accent.
"It's not oftentimes that astrophysics [and] aeronautics develop things that are aesthetically pleasing," Axiom Space CEO and President Jonathan Cirtain said during a press event at Prada on June 7, according to Space.com. He also added that, "while aesthetically pleasing, this is a safety suit ... it's a really remarkable piece of technology."
During the unveiling, Axiom and Prada emphasized Prada's engineering and materials teams have worked alongside aerospace specialists to develop advanced textiles and manufacturing techniques capable of performing in extreme lunar conditions.
"By bringing together the best in both aerospace engineering as well as luxury craftmanship and advanced product development, we have developed a garment that neither company could have created independently, and that is exactly the kind of cross-industry thinking that will define the next era of human spaceflight," Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, Axiom Space CEO and President, said in the aforementioned press release.
Why NASA Turned to a Luxury Fashion House
At first glance, a luxury fashion brand helping build Moon suits may seem surprising. But experts say Prada brings valuable expertise in advanced materials, garment construction, and human-centered design.
The collaboration began in 2023 when Axiom Space announced that Prada engineers would help develop components of the AxEMU spacesuit system. The resulting suit was designed to provide greater flexibility, mobility, and protection than previous lunar suits while accommodating a wider range of body types.
The outer suit revealed in 2024 was built to withstand the demanding conditions astronauts will face during future Artemis missions, including extreme temperatures and abrasive lunar dust. The newly unveiled cooling garment serves as the foundation layer that makes extended Moon walks possible.
Bertelli has previously described the collaboration as an opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation beyond fashion. Meanwhile, Axiom executives have repeatedly stressed that every design decision is driven by astronaut performance and safety.
"Every minute astronauts spend outside their vehicle, the LCVG is working to keep them safe," Russell Ralston, Axiom Space Senior Vice President of Spacecraft Development, said in the press release. "It manages their thermal environment, supports their breathing, and does it all while they're pushing their bodies to the limit. The work we have done with Prada has taken that capability to a level we could not have achieved alone."
If all goes according to plan, future Artemis astronauts may become the first people in history to wear Prada on the Moon.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 12:13 AM.