Anurita Chandola: Clothing humanity beyond Earth

From the Himalayas to Mars, Anurita Chandola’s journey is anything but conventional. Born in India and now based in the United Kingdom, she stands at a rare and powerful intersection: art, textile innovation, sustainability, and space science. A Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, her work challenges traditional boundaries between disciplines, reimagining what humanity might one day wear beyond Earth.

At SKYCR, we are committed to expanding the conversation around space exploration beyond propulsion systems and planetary mechanics. Chandola represents precisely that expansion. Through her research-driven textile practice, she invites us to consider clothing not merely as fashion, but as survival infrastructure for extraterrestrial futures.

Speaking to us from the UK, she reflects on heritage, sustainability, microgravity, and the profound human dimension of designing for Mars.

Homer Dávila: Could you tell us a bit about your background and where you grew up? How did your early environment shape your curiosity or creative instincts?

Anurita Chandola:
I was born and raised in India and later moved to the UK. My family is originally from the Himalayas, a place that is incredibly rich in nature and beauty, yet where resources are limited and deeply valued. That way of living shaped me without me even realising it at the time.

In our home, nothing was wasted. Clothes were passed down for generations. They were mended, altered, patched and given new life again and again. A garment was never just a garment; it carried memory, labour and care.

Growing up in that environment taught me to respect materials and to think creatively with what is available. It also gave me a deep awareness that we are part of nature, not separate from it. That thinking now sits at the heart of my work, whether I am designing for Earth or imagining life on Mars.

Was your path toward art and creativity always clear, or did it involve moments of doubt or redirection?

Creativity was always part of me. As a child I was constantly drawing, making things, building little worlds with my hands. I went on to study design and then entered the fashion industry, working with international brands. At the time, it felt like I had achieved what I had worked towards.

But slowly I began to see the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry. I realised how much harm just one industry alone can do to this planet. That was a very difficult moment for me. Fashion was the only thing I knew, but I felt I could no longer be part of a system that was so wasteful.

“Nothing was wasted. Clothes were passed down for generations. They were mended, altered, patched and given new life again and again. A garment was never just a garment, it carried memory, labour and care.”

Then I received an offer to study at the Royal College of Art, and that changed everything. That was where I began designing sustainable clothes that humans might one day wear on Mars. It felt like my two passions, fashion and space, finally came together with purpose.

At what point did space and science begin to play a meaningful role in your work?

I have been fascinated with space since I was very young. All I watched were space films and I read space books, but for a long time it stayed as a fascination in the background.

There was one moment that really stayed with me. I had just received my offer from the Royal College of Art. I was crossing the street wearing a flowing skirt and a breeze caught it, making the fabric move so beautifully. I suddenly looked up and thought, how would this skirt behave in microgravity? That simple thought changed everything.

From then on, I began to look at clothing not only as fashion, but as something that has to respond to environments, gravity, resources and survival.

Looking back, was there a decisive moment when you realised your work could bridge art, science, and space?

Yes, it was that moment with the moving skirt, but also when I began researching what life on Mars could actually look like. On Mars and during the journey there, we cannot waste anything. We cannot carry lots of clothes. We cannot wash them easily. Every gram matters.

When I learned how current astronaut clothing is limited and often disposed of, I realised this is where art, science and sustainability must meet. Textiles are not just aesthetic; they become part of life support.

“There is not one single path into space.”

My Mars Parachute Dress is a good example of this bridge. It is made from the exact parachute fabric that carried NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Mars. This fabric is already draping the beautiful planet Mars and one day when humans are going to land on Mars, they will have to get creative to make something out of it. On Mars every resource is going to be very valuable, so we will have to make use of everything we have.

This fabric was kindly given to me by Heathcoat Fabrics, and I combined that high-performance space material with traditional Lucknowi Chikankari hand embroidery. It holds memory of Earth, heritage, craft and also the story of planetary exploration. It is both deeply human and connected to another world.

Your work sits at the intersection of art, textiles, and space science. How do you personally define that intersection?

For me, that intersection is about rethinking how we live. Art allows me to ask emotional and cultural questions. Science gives me the realities and constraints of space environments. Textiles sit in between, close to the body, yet deeply technical.

A garment that is sustainable, adapts to different uses, lasts for years, and still carries identity and beauty. I see my work as designing for extreme futures in a way that is still human, gentle and thoughtful.

How do you approach scientific accuracy in your work?

My work is rooted in research. I look at space missions, astronaut living conditions, life support systems, and the challenges of long-duration travel. I worked on Britain’s first Martian Habitat project, Building a Martian House, where we explored how humans might actually live on Mars using limited resources.

I translate these scientific realities into textile solutions. How do we reduce washing, reduce waste, make garments multifunctional, and safe for closed environments? These are not just design questions; they are survival questions.

Textiles are traditionally associated with the human and the terrestrial. What does working with fabric allow you to express about space?

“Your creativity is not separate from science, it can be part of it.”

It is fascinating because textiles have been a part of space exploration since its very beginning. From the early days of NASA, sewing and soft goods have played a critical role. Skilled stitchers created thermal blankets, protective layers, storage systems, and even emergency solutions like replacement heat shields.

Today, advanced suits such as the new exploration suits rely on highly engineered seams, specialised fabrics, and precise construction to protect astronauts from extreme environments. Inflatable habitats, spacecraft interiors, and even simple cargo bags depend on textile knowledge. Sewing and space exploration have been connected from the very beginning.

For me, that makes textiles not something separate from space, but already part of its history. Fabric brings humanity into space. Space can feel distant, technical and cold, but textiles and embroidery carry warmth, memory and identity. They help create a sense of home, even in an alien environment.

Cloth also tells stories about resources. A repair, a patch, a reused material speaks about care and responsibility. Through textiles, I can talk about space in a way that is emotional as well as scientific.

In your experience, can art act as a gateway for people who might otherwise feel distant from science or astronomy?

Yes, absolutely. When people see a garment, they immediately relate to it through their own lives. From there, it becomes easier to talk about Mars, microgravity or sustainability.

Through my workshops with children, designing Martian spacesuits becomes a way to talk about science, the environment and the future. Art makes space feel closer and more accessible.

What message would you share with young people, especially girls, who feel drawn to science or space but don’t yet see a clear path?

There is not one single path into space. We need artists, designers, storytellers and thinkers alongside scientists and engineers. Your creativity is not separate from science; it can be part of it.

“Through textiles, I can talk about space in a way that is emotional as well as scientific.”

Be curious, follow what excites you, and do not be afraid if your journey looks different from others. The future will need new kinds of minds.

Are there current or upcoming projects where space science will play an even stronger role?

My work continues to grow. I am developing textiles and garments that we might one day wear on Mars, focusing on multifunctional clothing that can change, adapt and last for years, because in space and on Mars nothing can be wasted. These projects explore how garments can become long-term companions, designed for extreme environments while still holding beauty, identity and care.

I have upcoming exhibitions where this research is being shared with wider audiences, allowing conversations about space, sustainability and the future of living to move beyond laboratories and into cultural spaces. It is important to me that this work does not sit only within design or science circles, but reaches people in a human and accessible way.

Alongside this, I continue to work with children and young people around the world through workshops and educational projects. Through the intersection of space, science and art, I encourage them to imagine futures where creativity and curiosity can shape new worlds. Inspiring them to see that their dreams, whether in science, art or both, have a place in the story of space exploration is a big part of my practice.

Editorial Reflection

By Homer Dávila

At SKYCR, we believe that space exploration is not only about propulsion systems, orbital mechanics, or planetary geology. It is also about culture, identity, sustainability, and the human condition. Our mission has always been to expand the conversation around astronomy and astrophysics so that it includes the voices shaping the future in unexpected ways.

Anurita Chandola represents precisely that expansion. As a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, she stands within a tradition of scientific excellence. Yet her contribution reminds us that the future of space will not be built by engineers and scientists alone. It will require artists, textile innovators, cultural thinkers, and sustainability advocates — minds capable of imagining how humanity will live, adapt, and carry its stories beyond Earth.

Her work challenges us to reconsider something as intimate and familiar as clothing, transforming it into infrastructure for survival on Mars. In doing so, she bridges heritage and high technology, embroidery and aerospace materials, Earth’s memory and extraterrestrial futures.

Conversations like this reaffirm why SKYCR exists: to connect science with society, to inspire young minds across Latin America and beyond, and to show that the story of space exploration is larger, more diverse, and more human than we often imagine.

The future of space is not only engineered. It is designed, imagined, and felt.