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Redefining Spacesuits: Lauren Sánchez Collaborates with Fashion House for Blue Origin Flight
What does one wear for their inaugural journey to space? For most, the answer is simply the standard spacesuit provided by the launching company. However, Lauren Sánchez, the multifaceted journalist, aviator, author, philanthropist, and fiancée of entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, adopted a different approach for her upcoming Blue Origin flight. Sánchez, embarking on a suborbital excursion with a crew of prominent women, chose to revolutionize the traditional spacesuit.
Challenging Conventional Spacesuit Design
“Typically, these suits are constructed for men,” Sánchez stated in a recent video conference. “They are subsequently adapted to fit women, often as an afterthought.” This inherent bias in design was highlighted in 2019 when a planned all-female spacewalk by NASA was canceled due to a lack of appropriately sized spacesuits for the female astronauts.
Sánchez’s upcoming mission marks a milestone as the first majority-female spaceflight since Valentina Tereshkova’s solo venture in 1963. Traveling aboard a Blue Origin spacecraft with figures including musician Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, scientists and activists Amanda Nguyen and Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn, Sánchez emphasized the importance of personal expression, even in space. “Feeling authentic makes you empowered,” she explained, arguing that space, historically a male-dominated domain, should not necessitate sacrificing individuality, even for space tourists.
Fashion Meets Functionality: The Monse Collaboration
Five months prior to the flight, Sánchez contacted Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, co-founders of the fashion label Monse and creative directors at Oscar de la Renta. Having previously collaborated with them for her 2024 Met Gala attire, she inquired about their interest in partnering with Blue Origin, Bezos’s space venture.
“I responded immediately with enthusiasm!” Garcia recounted during a Zoom interview.
Unveiling the Design: Elegance and Edge in Space
The culmination of this partnership was revealed on Monday, as Sánchez and her crew boarded the Blue Origin rocket in West Texas for their brief flight beyond the Kármán line into zero gravity.
“I believe the suits are refined,” Sánchez remarked, “while also injecting a touch of boldness into space travel.”
Gayle King, after trying on her suit, expressed admiration. She described the designs as “professional and feminine simultaneously,” a novel aesthetic in space travel attire. This blend of professionalism and femininity was, in King’s view, “unprecedented” in the realm of spacesuits.
Design Inspiration and Materials
The Monse-designed Blue Origin suits, manufactured by Creative Character Engineering, exhibit a fusion of styles, reminiscent of “Star Trek” aesthetics on the upper body and Elvis Presley’s Vegas-era jumpsuits in the lower portion. Constructed from flame-resistant stretch neoprene, they deviate from the shinier, looser-fitting polyester-like material of previous Blue Origin suits, such as those modeled by Bezos in 2021. (Sánchez was also involved in the design of those earlier suits.)
Garcia admitted the design process presented unique challenges. “We genuinely lacked a starting point,” he explained. “All existing references are based on men’s spacesuits.”
Prioritizing Comfort and Style
Given that Blue Origin passengers remain within the spacecraft and do not venture into open space, Garcia and Kim were not constrained by the life-support system requirements of traditional astronaut suits. However, adherence to technical specifications remained crucial.
“Simplicity, comfort, and fit were paramount,” Garcia noted. “But we also aspired to incorporate a hint of daring, akin to motocross or ski apparel – flattering and alluring.”
Kim added, “Personally, I desired an outfit that would impart a streamlined and tailored silhouette.”
The designers engaged in collaborative brainstorming sessions with Sánchez. “We even deliberated on Lauren’s undergarments selection,” Garcia disclosed.
“Skims!” Sánchez replied.
Features of the Monse Spacesuit
The resultant suit is a form-fitting jumpsuit featuring:
- A compression layer
- A subtle mandarin collar
- A dual-zip front, adjustable to create a plunging neckline
- A belt
- Calf zippers enabling wearers to customize the leg flare
“You can adjust the zippers to your preference,” Garcia explained. (King reportedly favored the bell-bottom effect.)
The suits incorporate a gradient ombre effect on the sides, creating a slimming visual illusion. Small arm pockets are included, while leg pockets were omitted due to bulkiness, according to Kim. Each crew member underwent 3D body scans to ensure precise, custom-tailored suits.
“I almost incorporated a corset into your suit, knowing you wouldn’t have objected,” Garcia told Sánchez.
Suit Functionality and Reactions
“I likely would have been agreeable,” she responded. However, she prioritized mobility in zero gravity. “We need to be able to move freely.” During her initial prototype fitting, Sánchez tested the suit’s flexibility: “I was stretching, doing backbends, ensuring it wouldn’t tear in space.”
Garcia’s reaction upon seeing Sánchez in the suit was enthusiastic: “You look incredible. You’re going to space looking stunning.”
Amanda Nguyen hailed the suits as “revolutionary.” She emphasized the role of clothing in identity and representation, stating that by allowing women to maintain their feminine aesthetic, the suits affirm “women’s rightful place in space.”
Fashion’s Expanding Role in Space Exploration
Blue Origin is not the sole private space company to seek fashion industry expertise in spacesuit design. Axiom Space is collaborating with Prada on the Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit intended for NASA astronauts during the Artemis III lunar mission in 2026. Similarly, Elon Musk enlisted costume designer Jose Fernandez, known for his work on films like “The Fantastic Four” and “The Avengers,” for SpaceX suit designs.
Democratizing Space Through Design
Addressing the growing trend of fashion designers in the aerospace sector, Garcia suggested, “If spacesuits appear approachable and relatable, space itself may seem less remote.” He speculated that the Monse Blue Origin design might inspire individuals to desire “that spacesuit for their gym attire.”
He then jokingly mentioned considering establishing a design office on Mars, before revealing, still in jest, that he and Kim were already involved in another Blue Origin project related to “the moon.” While Blue Origin has been selected by NASA to develop a human landing system for the Artemis V Moon mission, Sánchez remained coy about Monse’s potential involvement.
A New Era of Space Glamour
Nonetheless, Sánchez expressed excitement about injecting fresh style into space travel.
“This is unconventional, much like sending six women to space,” she stated. “Whether one prefers to embrace glamour or not is a matter of personal choice.” The overarching principle, she emphasized, is individual autonomy in self-expression.
She concluded by quoting Katy Perry’s playful observation: “We’re putting the ‘ass’ in astronaut,” she quipped.