Ad Astra
How the cosmic frontier reshaped art, design and fashion — and the pieces it inspired.
Shop the Orbit“Sic itur ad astra.” Virgil, the Aeneid · 19 BC
In his epic masterpiece, the Aeneid, Virgil penned “sic itur ad astra” — “thus one journeys to the stars,” spoken by the god Apollo to encourage a young hero. He also wrote “opta ardua pennis astra sequi”: desire to pursue the high stars on wings.
Ever since Sputnik 1 beeped its way into orbit in 1957, humanity has been obsessed with what lies beyond our atmosphere. But the Space Race didn’t just fuel a geopolitical rivalry or accelerate scientific breakthroughs. It triggered a massive, gravity-defying shift across the cultural landscape.
cgk.ink believes that fine art, design, and fashion are permanently intertwined. The legacy of space exploration is the ultimate validation: a historic movement where functional aerospace engineering collided with avant-garde creativity to alter the visual DNA of everyday life.
From the Space Age to the Runway
Long before Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, designers were already translating the cosmos into clothing. The 1960s gave birth to “Space Age Fashion” — a radical movement that rejected strict 1950s tailoring in favor of modular, futuristic silhouettes.
French couturiers André Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, and Paco Rabanne revolutionized the runway. Courrèges’s iconic 1964 “Moon Girl” collection introduced vinyl boots, structural miniskirts, and helmet-style hats. Rabanne ditched traditional fabrics altogether, building dresses from hammered metal and plastic discs.
The new cosmic era: the dialogue hasn’t stopped. Luxury house Prada partnered with Axiom Space to design the spacesuits for the Artemis III lunar mission — high fashion and high performance, merging on the launchpad.
Sleek Lines & Material Magic
The structural demands of space exploration forced industrial designers and architects to completely rethink form and material.
The “Futura” aesthetic. Mid-century interiors and products embraced the “Atomic” and “Space Age” styles. Spherical shapes, pod-like chairs (like Eero Aarnio’s famous Ball Chair), and gleaming white plastics dominated homes, mimicking the sterile, utopian interiors of imagined starships.
Design does not exist in a vacuum
Space exploration taught us that design does not exist in a vacuum — even when it’s built for one. The textures, materials, and philosophies born from our journey into the stars continue to ripple through the garments we wear and the spaces we inhabit.
At cgk.ink, we’re continually inspired by how a single grand idea can break down boundaries, blending art, utility, and fashion into a singular vision for the future.
Shop the Orbit
34 pieces inspired by the space age — from astronomical art to aviation barware and travel gear.
Étienne Trouvelot
Nineteenth-century astronomical art: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Orion Nebula, the Great Comet of 1881 and more.
Mixing Glasses
16oz vintage aviation and Cold War graphics: Concorde, Swissair, Air France, Deep Space Atomic Clock.
Luggage Covers
Tour Mars, dive Europa, ride the tides on Titan, or take JPL’s Grand Tour.
Graphic Tees
Ad Astra per Aspera, Galactic Flight, The Future is Supersonic, PEW! PEW! and Space Cadet.
Luggage Tag
The Future is Supersonic.
ESA Baseball Cap
European Space Agency low-profile cap.
Urbanic Pillow Case
All-over print, 22x22.
LUNA Rubber Clogs
Lunar-inspired everyday clogs.