This garment is part of the Couture in Orbit collection, a project launched by the European Space Agency in 2016 that involved the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano to design a capsule collection of clothes to be worn on Earth by integrating innovative materials and technologies derived from space research, with the support of ESA’s Technology Transfer Program (TTP). For the first time, a space agency is communicating to the general public its role in generating innovation through the language of design and fashion, celebrating the exploration and use of space research and making visible its impact on many areas of our lives.

The results were presented during the Taking Technology and Fashion to Higher Levels event at the Science Museum in London, which included an exhibition of the study models and materials and a fashion show of the prototypes, cascading strong media interest. Cooling Arabesque is inspired by the space cooling technology used in astronauts’ extravehicular activity suits in order to maintain a constant temperature thanks to water flowing through a system of tubes sewn onto the garment’s inner fabric. The idea behind the project is centred on the study of physiotherapy essences acting on the possibility of stimulating mind and body by restoring biochemical balance. The essences are embedded in a tubular plastic structure knitted into the garment to gradually release substances through steam.

Sculptural and organic volumes define clothes that invite the wearer to experience an intra-body transformation in which the sense of smell plays the main role in activating emotions.

Making technology visible through an arabesque of tubes with a strong visual impact is an example of how design can generate innovation by combining science and beauty.