Prada and Axiom’s spacesuits are built to withstand the Moon’s extreme weather (which can go from 127°C to -173°C), and with a flair for fashion too.
Prada is no longer just a global luxury brand, but rather universal—quite literally. It’s not just because of its spring-summer 2025 collection that featured innovative superhero- and sci-fi-inspired ensembles, but more so its out-of-this-world collab with aerospace company Axiom Space.
We’re talking about the spacesuits that the Houston-based space contractor unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan last Oct. 16. This Axiom-Prada collaboration will be worn by astronauts during NASA’s Artemis III mission to the south pole of the Moon slated for 2026.
NASA and Axiom first gave a sneak peek of the suit, dubbed “Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU),” at the Johnson Space Center in Houston back in March 2023. At the time, a black cover layer was used to “conceal its propriety design,” Axiom said in a press release. Prada’s involvement in its development was likewise kept under wraps.
That was until last week when Axiom finally revealed the spacesuit’s design—in gleaming white, similar to the suits of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972—and announced that it teamed up with the Italian fashion powerhouse for its production.
Axiom’s partnership with the fashion giant was only fitting, with NASA awarding the aerospace company a $288-million contract to create the suits in 2022. At that time, Axiom was eyeing to collaborate with Esther Marquis, costume designer of the Apple TV series For All Mankind.
While Marquis was still not onboard, Prada reached out to Axiom and offered its services, not to mention expertise, as well. Russel Ralston, executive vice president of Axiom Extravehicular Activity, told The New York Times that a partnership with Prada “actually makes a lot of sense because a spacesuit is a unique thing.” According to Time Magazine, Ralston tasked the luxury brand with selecting the materials for the suit and working with Marquis on the design.
Prada is likewise honored to be part of the historic task as executive director Lorenzo Bertelli said, “Going beyond our limits is one of the company’s values that perfectly reflects the spirit of the Prada brand and my parents’ vision. I’m very proud of the result we’re showing today, which is just the first step in a long-term collaboration with Axiom Space. We’ve shared our expertise on high-performance materials, features, and sewing techniques, and we learned a lot. I’m sure we’ll continue to explore new challenges, broaden our horizons, and build new scenarios together.”
Prada considers working with Axiom a milestone, especially because designing spacesuits is starkly different from crafting ready-to-wear collections or even bold and eccentric pieces for fashion shows.
Related story: Superheroes, sci-fi, and the internet collide at Prada’s spring-summer 2025 collection
First off, the spacesuit must withstand the Moon’s extreme temperatures which, according to ScienceAlert, can peak at 121 degrees Celsius in the day and down to -133 degrees Celsius at night. Since NASA’s crew will land at the south lunar pole where there are permanently shadowed craters, they will also be subject to temperatures as low as -246 degrees Celsius.
The AxEMU suit was then built with a three-layer design, with the first layer comprising full-body long-johns with tubes that carry cool water from the neck to the toes to prevent the astronauts from overheating. The cooling garment is covered with an airtight pressure layer to keep the astronauts alive in the airless environment. Adding more protection is the heavy outer layer—an environmental protective garment (EPG)—which will protect the astronauts from the Moon’s jagged terrains.
Axiom said the suit is sort of a form-fitting spacecraft and one that is designed both for men and women. Unlike the spacesuits of the Apollo era, where each one had to be tailor-made to the astronauts, Ralston said the AxEMU suits have “plug and play adaptability,” with snap-in and snap-out limbs and torsos that accommodate all genders and body types.
Like previous lunar missions, though, the new spacesuit will still come in white which will reflect excessive sunlight and prevent the astronauts from overheating. It will also enable astronauts to brush away lunar dust that can damage zippers and joints.
In terms of aesthetics, the AxEMU suit does not have Prada’s triangular logo weaved into it as it is Axiom that is leading the project. The aerospace company’s “AX” logo is visible on the suit’s torso and its wordmark at the back. A red piping will meanwhile distinguish the commander from the rest of the crew. Gray patches are sewn in the knees and elbows to further protect astronauts from cuts and punctures.
“While the knee and elbow pads are designed to enable flexibility and decrease impact on the suit and astronaut, the color gray is an aesthetic design choice,” Ralston noted. “These pads will include added insulation and robustness against lunar dust.”
Axiom and Prada’s suit was run through several tests, including pressurized tests with NASA and SpaceX. It is now set for underwater testing at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).
NASA’s Artemis III mission is the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. It is also the first lunar mission to include a woman and a person of color in the crew.
