NASA Astronauts Will Fly to the Moon in Prada

For their next mission to the Moon—the first in 50 years—NASA astronauts will wear a suit developed by Prada and Axiom Space. The suit is made from a special layer, the “Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment” (LCVG), whose primary function is body temperature regulation.

The partnership leverages Prada’s expertise in technical knitwear, as well as its mastery of high-performance materials.

“The future of space exploration will not be shaped by a single entity, and our partnership with Prada is proof of that,” said Dr. Jonathan Cirtain, CEO and President of Axiom Space.

Prada entered the space fashion market in 2024 with the goal of reaching an affluent clientele seeking to travel to space using Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin or Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the two leading players in space tourism.

For now, only sports brands such as Under Armour and Columbia Sportswear have also ventured into space fashion. The Italian house is therefore the only luxury fashion brand to have ventured into this territory, but it is possible that other houses, such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès, or Chanel, are already considering following the italian brand.

Luxury, however, already has a long history linked to the space race and journeys to the moon. In this regard, watchmaking can be considered a pioneer, equipping astronauts’ wrists for the most significant missions: the Speedmaster was officially certified by NASA on March 1, 1965, for manned flights, then worn during Gemini IV in June 1965 and, most notably, during Apollo 11, becoming the first watch worn on the Moon on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist in July 1969.

Rolex, for its part, made space history with Jack Swigert, who wore his personal Rolex GMT-Master during the Apollo 13 mission, from April 11 to 17, 1970.

Among other brands, Breitling claims a major milestone: Scott Carpenter’s Navitimer Cosmonaute, adapted with a 24-hour dial, became in 1962 the first Swiss wristwatch worn in space during the Mercury-Atlas 7 mission.

We must also mention Bulova, whose personal chronograph worn by David Scott during Apollo 15 was used on the Moon on August 2, 1971.

The latest brand to join the adventure, IWC Schaffhausen has become the “Official Timekeeper” of Vast, the American company developing Haven-1, touted as the future first commercial space station.

And recently, at the Watches and Wonders fair, the brand solidified this partnership by unveiling the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, a mechanical watch designed from the outset for manned spaceflight.