Couture in Orbit

The Couture in Orbit project is bringing space back to Earth through designs from some of Europe’s brightest fashion minds – tasked to develop desirable and practical clothing, incorporating technology to make life better. Fashion schools in Paris, London, Milan, Copenhagen and Berlin are each assigned a theme linked to ESA’s ethos of sustainability, climate protection and recycling. These themes include technology, environment, innovation, health and sport. At the same time, all designs must be practical for daily use.

The schools are taking inspiration for their designs from the mission experiences of ESA astronauts from their own country. Whenever possible, they have talked directly with their national ESA astronaut to learn more about topics such as Earth observation, climate monitoring, health and nutrition – as well as details of everyday life in the void beyond our homeworld.

Each school has its own sponsors to supply state-of-the-art technology and textiles for the new garments. From tracking the wearer’s movement and generating usable electricity, to regulating their temperature and transpiration, each school will design and create clothes that integrate these technologies.

The project will culminate in a full-scale fashion show at London’s Science Museum in the UK, where the final designs from the five participating design schools will be modelled on catwalks.