It seems only yesterday (though it was quite a few years ago...) that we mentioned on this site the possibilities and inspirations that space suits or details such as liquid-cool undergarments could lend to designers. In a way it was only natural to make the connection since space missions have constantly provided ideas for cosmic wardrobes.
At the moment, though, it looks like science and technology are being inspired by fashion. An example is yesterday's event entitled "Couture in Orbit" organised by the Science Museum in London in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The event - organised to mark ESA's five missions to the International Space Station made between 2014 and 2016 - consisted in a collective catwalk show with fashion design students from schools located in the five home cities of the European Space Agency's astronauts.
Students from the Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Téchniques de la Mode in Paris and Berlin were inspired by the mission of Thomas Pesquet, climate change, satellite images of the earth and Alexander Gerst's mission.
Ravensbourne College in London worked around the exploration of hostile environments, the future colonisation of other worlds and Tim Peake's mission.
At Milan's Politecnico physical and mental wellness in space and the mission of Samantha Cristoforetti were among the main inspirations, and Copenhagen’s Fashion Design Akademiet presented designs revolving around the theme of everyday commuting in space and the mission of Andreas Mogensen.
Some of the outfits were a bit costumy and outandish and at times this detracted from the more practical aspects of the garments, but there were a few intriguing ideas including embedded sensors, internal heating mechanisms and super-absorbent textiles.
Accessory-wise all the models on stage wore the Speedmaster skywalker X-33, invented by astronaut Jean-François Clervoy, patented by ESA, and made by Omega (Alex Gerst was the first astronaut to wear the Skywalker during a space mission in 2014; each ESA astronaut is equipped with the Skywalker).
The most interesting aspect of this project was the fact that it generated new collaborations with prominent sponsors since ESA provided space-certified materials (fabrics and technology) for the students to use in their projects.
Among the other sponsors included in the event there were Bionic Yarn (manufacturing fabric from recycled plastic waste gathered from ocean shorelines in the developing world); 37.5® Technology (the only fabric technology that captures and releases moisture vapor using your body's infrared energy to dynamically optimise your microclimate); iNanoEnergy (develops custom-made flexible generators that convert energy into electricity); JOHAN technology (tracking system for professional and semi-professional field sports); LEAP Technology (specialised in soft body-friendly sensors used to measure biomechanical activities of the human body); Sympatex (high-tech functional materials in clothing, footwear, accessories and technical fields of application); Technical Absorbents Limited (producing absorbent material used in a wide range of applications from advanced wound care dressings and non-woven filtration media, to agrotextiles and fabrics for performance apparel), and Xsens (leader in 3D-motion-tracking technology and products, with sensorfusion technologies enabling seamless interaction between the physical and the digital world, used in both in consumer devices and professional applications).
Though the event may have been improved maybe inviting some astronauts or giving the best students an award or a scholarship to research further specific themes, it was intriguing since it reminded people that the space and fashion industries often influence each other: ESA innovations were recently used in thermal underwear for the manufacturer Björn Borg, while motorcycle-clothing manufacturer Dainese created ESA's Skinsuit to alleviate astronaut back problems.
There are no immediate plans at the moment to repeat the show - even though it wouldn't be such a bad idea, considering that it was sold out at the Science Museum in London. Yet there are some good news: "Couture in Orbit" may indeed be turned into a travelling exhibition and, if it ever happens, it will hopefully feature a variety of space suits and garments wore by real astronauts such as Cristoforetti and further collections inspired by them.
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