Spacetex: Clothes Made for Space, the Fiber Behind Gravity

If you plan on going to Space anytime soon you have to make sure you pack accordingly. So you are probably asking yourself where do astronauts shop? First of all, clothing has a utilitarian purpose and we rely on it to keep us safe from the elements whether it be sun or rain.

Most outerwear plays the role of protecting its wearer and even astronauts need custom pieces. Space exploration is still fairly new to us and there is a need to develop more and more technical gear that can support it. Spacetex is the first textile that was created with space in mind.

The textile known as Spacetex was literally created to be worn in space. The biggest obstacle when it comes to Space fashion is gravity and the goal of the Spacetex study was to look at how this can impact body heat and sweat. The textile was developed with the goal to withstand the harsh environments of space and it will eventually be adapted for us earth walkers. Spacetex is meant to make exercise and movement easier in space, as it acts as an agent to remove sweat and heat from the body.

The multi-layer textile consists of three parts: absorption, insulation, and protection. The intent is that the textile can draw out and separate moisture from the body allowing for the wearer to go longer.

What the innovators of space fashion are doing is not unfamiliar to what we see in sportswear. Leading sports brands like Adidas have been playing the tech game for years. The Adidas Climachill has small aluminum dots woven into the textile in order to pull heat away from the body to create a cooling sensation. Techwear and athleisure wear often overlap as they both focus on the needs of the wearer.

Function is also a big keyword. Athletes require uniforms that will benefit their performance (just like spacewalkers). Fitness trackers are a common piece of tech wear that is used by the general public and more than 56% percent of Americans currently own one. Tech leader Google just recently purchased Fitbit for 2.1 billion dollars as they clearly see the value in the wearable tech industry. 

Have you ever gone to the bar in the dead of winter without a coat because you knew that the minute you got inside the last thing you wanted to do was carry around that coat all night?

A lot of the time with fashion we are forced to choose: do I want to look good or do I want to be practical? This internal dilemma of not being able to do both. Haley Pavone is the creator of the “Pashions” the first convertible high heel. Pavone is addressing this issue of having to choose between comfort and style, and for her, the solution is not having to choose.

The heel is easily detachable and allows the wearer to make the switch from heel to flat in an instant. The rise of technology like this in fashion is going to shift these ideologies because we are finally able to combine the two. Textiles that can adapt to the wearers and their external surroundings all while still being stylish are the future of fashion. 

When Cinna designed Katnisse’s famous Mockingjay outfit, he made sure that it was as practical as it was beautiful. He incorporated pieces of armour throughout the entire garment to ensure her safety. The Hunger Games trilogy really highlights the different forms of fashion that occur in Dystopian Worlds.

While those in the Capitol are known to flaunt their style with excessive outfits, the Districts are taught minimalism and practicality in dress. The two intersect when it comes to the competitors in the ring. Utility is at the forefront of the designs but the viewers still want something nice to look at.

Another example is Katniss’s famous wedding dress that was set to light with flames when she spun and extinguish when she stopped. Trish Summerville is the mastermind behind the costume design in the movie adaptation of Catching Fire and the wedding dress can be credited to Indonesian designer Tex Saverio. 

The rise of technology in fashion has opened the door to innovations that we have never seen before and textiles like Spacetex are only the beginning. Providing Techwear, Dystopian fashion, and Functional Fashion for consumers to dabble in, that could possibly benefit workers in different industries such as space, aviation, and more. That’s one small step for fashion, one giant leap for mankind.