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Behind the scenes with Y-3's flight suits for Virgin Galactic

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Be honest, who amongst us hasn't gazed longingly up at the stars at one point and wondered what it would look like if the roles were reversed and we were given license to gaze at our world from the vast emptiness of space? When Virgin Galactic finally launches, we won't have to worry about taking to the skies and beyond whilst looking like rejects from a 1950's B-movie, because the commercial spacecraft company has collaborated with the sports clothing brand's Y-3 division on the design of clothing for pilots, crew and passengers.

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Lawrence Midwood: Left,  Adam Wells: Right

Y-3 is a collaboration between Adidas and fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. The brand tie-up with Virgin Galactic was announced over the weekend with a prototype flight suit and boot design, which will be worn by astronauts and pilots at Spaceport America in New Mexico, where the craft is being tested. Y-3’s Senior Director of Design, Lawrence Midwood, worked alongside Virgin Galactic’s Head of Design, Adam Wells, to turn out a two-piece collection.

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The remit for the team was to create something that was fit for the rigours of space travel with a look and feel that was progressive, directional and accessible. Tests with the Virgin Galactic pilot corps have informed the design of the pilot suit, which supports a natural seating and flying position. The one-piece jumpsuit has been constructed with fire retardant Nomex Meta Aramid materials through a 3D engineered pattern, with a flight boot containing leather and Nomex materials featuring advanced structural details for tailored functionally. This includes an outsole with Traxion lugs for ultimate grip, and an adiprene heel insert for comfort and shock absorption. Pilots will be trialling the suits during test flights and their feedback will be used to inform any further developments.

Shaping the Future of Space Access

Midwood said of the design process: “It was very hard to get over the fact that for the first time you are actually designing something that professional pilots (and many professional pilots with 30-35 years of experience, very very serious people, very professional people) were going to use on a daily basis to do an extremely pioneering and mind-blowing thing. We started to research and Adidas has an innovation department which is called the Futures Department. They are responsible for creating new technologies and conceptually looking at garments and construction and we found a body of research that they had done into NASCAR and they had pages and pages of research about the best way to create a pattern and the best way to create a garment, and an all-in-one suit for sitting, which is obviously quite rare piece of information. The designer was ultimately inspired by classical aviation suits with in injection of signature Y-3 futurism, an outfit that he admits would look heroic. It’s not every day that you get asked to design a spacesuit and something that will change how we view life on this planet.”

The initial prototypes will go on to be fine-tuned in testing with Virgin Galactic pilots like Dave Mackay

The initial prototypes will go on to be fine-tuned in testing with Virgin Galactic pilots like Chief Pilot Dave Mackay, who was among the first to wear the gear. Mackay said: “The must-haves for our flight suit and kit are that it should be functional. Everything has got to earn its place so we don’t want any ancillary, unnecessary pieces on our flight suit, or boots or helmets or whatever. So it’s a simple, functional piece of equipment; lightweight, efficient, as well as protective; and again if it looks the part, and looks like a recognisable flight-suit, then that’s good!” Virgin Galactic head of design Adam Wells, added: “Our evolution into a fully-functioning space line presents unprecedented opportunities to create original designs in support of our unique customer experience. Together with Y-3, we will explore the potential to create innovative apparel and accessories (both for our staff and for our pioneering customers) that is appropriately functional and fit-for-purpose, is thoughtfully and elegantly crafted, and is fulfilling and fun to wear and use.”

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In case you were wondering by the way, tickets for a trip on the Spaceship Two are currently set at a quarter of a million dollars (£174,000), and flights are rumoured to begin at the end of 2017. The first passengers are expected to range from thrill-seeking billionaires like Virgin’s own Richard Branson to Leonardo DiCaprio, all of whom have forked over the necessary outlay for their seats aboard the rocket/airplane hybrid. Personally it sounds like a steal to me.

The Reveal

Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK who would much rather spend 200 grand on a space flight than a Lamborghini. But then he doesn't drive.

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