As part of a personal and wider research on space and fashion, I have written in the past multiple features about lunar landscapes, space discoveries, sci-fi and fashion, looking at cosmic and supermodern wardrobes; alien, astronaut and robotic inspirations in ready-to-wear and haute couture; dynamic rocket-shaped garments; the possibilities that water-cooled garments and spacesuits may offer to fashion designers; innovative and experimental textiles, futuristic architectures in fashion accessories and how specific sci-fi films inspired photo shoots, collections, shapes and silhouettes.
In my posts I often underlined how these designs were inspired by early space discoveries and by the utopian optimism instilled by space journeys, lunar landings and the opportunities offered by life on pioneering space stations.
Science and new discoveries granted a high tech future, providing also new synthetic materials used to create practical and functional designs.
Such optimism couldn’t really be replicated in later years marked by space incidents from the Apollo 13 explosion, the failed Soyuz 10 mission and the Challenger disasters in 1986 and 2003.
Though dystopian concerns replaced in a way the utopian hopes of the early days, space travelling and moon landings kept on fascinating designers: in some cases such as Armani Privé’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection, lunar inspirations also led to interesting experiments with shimmering iridescent fabrics.
There is a very interesting moon and art/fashion-related project currently on that moves from a basic concept, exploring the possibility that humans will live in space in the future.
The project, entitled Moon Life, actually involves, artists, architects and designers.
All of them were asked to create solutions for humans living in extreme conditions.
In a way Moon Life tries to regain that old optimism that characterised the early space discoveries.
In the last few years, many space researches were indeed linked with military/defence aspects, but Moon Life looks instead at space with peace and culture in mind, hoping to develop innovative and useful tools.
Established by the Moon Life Foundation (founded by internationally renowned artist Alicia Framis), the project is also linked to an exhibition and pop up store (the first one opened last December in Shanghai).
Travelling all over the world the store and exhibition will present the work of architects, artists, designers and musicians dividing it in different themes, from living solutions and urban planning to leisure activities and entertainment.
The online pop up store currently features living solutions such as Framis’ Helmet House, Atelier Van Lieshout’s biochemical suits, Dus Architects' "Worldmoon" (a project for a global cemetery on the moon) and United Nude’s flat-packed carbon fibre high-heel shoe with interchangeable uppers designed for indoor use in space (hopefully, more about it in a future post).
I’m embedding at the end of this post a booklet relating to the Moon Life project that will allow you to discover more about it and about space.
The booklet features facts, figures and anecdotes you may find interesting or inspiring, including notions about space travelling and craters, the connections between art and the moon, design projects on the Russian space station Mir, comparisons between space and surface architectures and less technical yet fun information about Velcro and André Courrèges.
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