Out of Space – Dress like an Astronaut with Betabrand

A week doesn’t go by without some fantabulous media story about space travel becoming Sooooooooo accessible in the very near future and how we’ll all be holidaying in Orbit and on the Moon rather then San Antonio or Bodrum. But it isn’t happening, is it ? Although Sir Richard of Branston keeps on banging on about his Virgin Galactic project and saps with far too much money like Lance Bass are already sign up for its inaugural mission, when will that actually be, supposedly next year, but yeah, yeah, yeah we’ll see.

In the mean while you mightn’t be able to blast off, just yet, but designer Steven B.Wheeler has been busy beavering away on a prototype Astronaut jacket which isn’t just restricted to a space walk. The self confessed Space Geek, explained his inspiration,

“I designed this jacket as a tribute to the continuing legacy of American spaceflight. I wanted it to embody everything I loved about the space program, and to eventually serve as an actual flight jacket for present-day astronauts on missions to the ISS (International Space Station). There are other “replica” flight jackets made for space enthusiasts, but I decided to come up with something boldly different, yet also completely wearable and well-suited for space.”

Space fans have flocked to the jacket, crowd-funding it in 24 hours.  Betabrandunveils imaginative prototypes each week and allows its customers to shape the future of its fashions.

The white, non-woven Tyvek shell of the jacket calls to mind the EVA (extra-vehicular activity) suits worn by astronauts during spacewalks. The inside lining is a silvered nylon taffeta, chosen not only because it visually references the “foil” MLI (multi-layer insulation) used on the exterior of satellites, but also because it helps retain radiant body heat, I almost sound as though I know what the hell I’m talking about !