'Men in Blue': What Went into Making of Gaganyaan Astronauts’ Suits?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently revealed the names and faces of four astronauts who will be onboard India’s maiden human spaceflight programme – Gaganyaan. The four IAF test pilots looked dapper in the dark and light blue ground suit with asymmetry as the theme. The suits were designed by Bengaluru’s National Institute of Fashion Technology.

A NIFT team worked on them for nearly a year, which included discussions with ISRO and feedback from the shortlisted astronauts, designing other visual elements, and deciding on the fabric. The team was led by two professors – Dr Jonalee Bajpai and Dr Mohan Kumar V – and three students who have graduated now – Lamia Anees, Samarpan Pradhan and Tuliya D. They were guided by the then NIFT director Susan Thomas. The suits were delivered in 2022.

“So one of the challenges was, this Ganganyaan has the potential to inspire 140 crore Indians. And the design should be a loud announcement of India’s entry to the elite club of nations where human space flight is possible, and based on that, we came out with this design principle called asymmetry. Asymmetry is very dynamic, unlike symmetry, which is very static. Asymmetry is very youthful and energetic and has a lot more visual information than symmetry. And also asymmetry goes very well with ISRO because ISRO is known for its unconventional approach to space programmes. We achieved asymmetry by having vertical panels in the garment. We applied a golden ratio there and we also tamed that contrast with the opposite colour stripes to create a merging feel to it,” said Dr Mohan Kumar.

The team churned out 20 designs with 70 different colour variations to give better visualisation to ISRO. The selected astronauts too had their specifications and choices. “We had worked with a lot of designs. They wanted to look stylish and they wanted to be inspirational to the next generation to come forward and be a part of the space programme. The wings talk about preparedness. It talks about aspirations; it talks about galore. It talks about abundance. Wings always symbolise positivity. We also had the Ashoka Chakra there, which talks about India. The presence of India, the announcement that we have arrived,” said Dr Johnalee.

NIFT opted to go with cotton and a portion of man-made fibre along with a bit of elastomeric yarn to make it stretchable for comfort level and functionality. The kind of seam and fabric suitable for that was carefully selected. NIFT sees the project opening global opportunities for it.

“The initial mandate of NIFT was to help the children get into the business and then support the business. But right now, the mandate is to collectively cater to the rest of the world. It is not just business houses within India, it is outside India as well. We’re also looking at nations as clients. We can support different countries who want this kind of support. We are trying to open up as much as possible,” said Dr Yatindra Lakkanna, director, NIFT Bengaluru.