The first major study to explore the relationship between clothing made for survival in the most inhospitable environments on earth and beyond, and the high fashion it has inspired

The so-called ‘heroic era’ of polar exploration at the turn of the 20th century, as well as deep sea exploration, the space race and extreme mountain climbing, all in one way or another inspired a dazzling array of fashion designers – Gaultier, Yamamoto, Mizrahi, McQueen and Altuzarra among them. Yet the origins of the parkas, puffer coats and garments made of neoprene and Mylar we see on streets and runways today have rarely been acknowledged.

Expedition explores how garments made for the most inhospitable environments on earth and beyond have inspired more than sixty years of fantastical, otherworldly fashions. Expedition is lavishly illustrated throughout, and features runway shots and high-fashion magazine editorials by Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and others; museum objects from the permanent collections of the Museum at FIT and the American Museum of Natural History; and unpublished photographs of early expeditions in the archives of The Explorers Club in New York.

Patricia Mears is Deputy Director, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Lacey Flint is a Curator at the Explorers Club, New York.

Sarah Pickman is a doctoral candidate at Yale University.

Jonathan Faiers is a fashion scholar and writer.

Elizabeth Way is an Assistant Curator at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Ariele Elia is an Assistant Curator at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.