From the Archives: When Space Exploration Met Style

From the release of “Project Hail Mary,” the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 story starring Ryan Gosling, to the announcement of Artemis II, space is back in the spotlight. The arrival of the first moon happened more than 50 years ago, coinciding with the emergence of fashion trends that have changed the way we dress. However in this journey, a 10-day wave around the moon carrying four American astronauts and “Rise,” a small active zero-gravity indicator, feels urgent, this moment will arouse the interest of fashion.

Space – and all things technology – has been influencing fashion for decades. Researching the archives of Women’s Wear Daily revealed that the first true balance between space exploration and fashion was perfectly aligned with the Youthquake movement, a time when political upheaval and social myths created a new cheitgeist. In 1967, as anticipation built for NASA’s Apollo 1 mission, which was tragically lost, WWD’s “Space Invaders” provided an exciting first look at how designers envisioned the event. Two years later, with the success of Apollo 11, it was clear that fashion had started its desire to create fabrics and fashion silhouette.

The notable designers who chased the era – André Courrèges, Paco Rabanne, Rudi Gernreich and Pierre Cardin (who also tried to wear the uniform of scientists in 1969) – were champions of material design. Their use of man-made fibers including polyester, nylon, plastic, metallics and stretch knits (Lycra), combined with multiple zippers, minimal closures, and wearable, otherworldly silhouettes, reflected the Space Age style. Their visions promoted minimalism and futurism, turning them into icons of fashion. This change was important and changed fashion forever, although today’s consumer perception for many of these textile styles has changed.

Fashion welcomed and celebrated the arrival of “super knits” – fabrics that could stretch, shrink, be thrown in the washing machine, and still retain their shape. It was not just a revolution. Flash forward to today, and the same fabrics have made dressing easier and more efficient than ever before. Who would have thought that Velcro, originally designed for functionality, would eventually find its way into fashion?

Meanwhile, moisture-wicking, sun-damaging, and dry-in-seconds fibers continue to define the performance capabilities of everyday style. Proof that advanced science and technology has pushed fashion beyond previously imagined limits. The possibilities are endless.

WWD continues to report on technological advances that shape fashion, including the evolution of space clothing since the 1969 lunar mission. While NASA astronaut uniforms have changed, they still feature jumpsuits that are popular with fashionistas. Astronauts’ clothing has changed over time, and photos of them in casual attire such as rugby shirts and shorts add to the human-related concern of life in space – such as Gosling’s character in “Project Hail Mary.”

Here, from WWD and the Fairchild Archive, look at the designers who brought Space Age inspiration to the runway, changing the future of fashion.