It’s no secret that Star Wars is already gearing up to be the greatest cinematic hit the world has ever seen. It’s already broken records: this week it’s surpassed $100 million in advanced sales tickets alone and is estimated to earn well over $2 billion to become one of the highest-grossing movie of all time. That’s pretty amazing for a movie that came out yesterday. But die-hard fanboys aren’t the only ones lining up to see what Luke, Han and Leia have in store for us. The fashion industry is just as devoted to that galaxy far, far away and has proved it season after season as designers send Jedi-inspired suits or Darth Vader-emblazoned dresses down the catwalk. Here are seven collections that used the Force to create wearable pieces for fashionable Star Wars fans. These are the designs we’re looking for.
Rodarte
Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte can create some seriously out of this world looks (just check out their brow piercing accessories for Spring 2015), but none were as interstellar as their Star Wars pieces from the Fall/Winter 2014 collection. The sisters presented a series of evening gowns for their runway finale that were printed with large images of Yoda, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Luke Skywalker. Each character was printed on a matching color backdrop to make the fabric look like a scene from the movie. Critics were on the fence about it at first, suggesting it was nothing more than Instagram fodder, but it soon became one of the brand’s most popular collections.
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi
The same season, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi came out with his own Star Wars collection, a lineup of shirts and dresses inspired by the Dark Side. Like the Rodarte show, only a few pieces were given a sci-fi touch, but they made an impact. A Darth Vader head was printed on the front of several designs and they were paired so beautifully that were it not for the large black mask, they would have blended seamlessly with the rest of the collection. While the Empire-inspired line was released a few years ago, it’s clear Bregazzi is a die-hard fan of the franchise—the brand’s Instagram is currently filled with nothing but snaps from The Force Awakens premiere.
Heich Es Heich
For Spring 2016, Korean brand Heich Es Heich released a Star Wars capsule collection that includes everything from sweatshirts to gym shorts. Designer Sanghyuk Han is known for his street-ready menswear for so an oversized Darth Vader jersey just makes sense. He presented the collection during Seoul Fashion Week where he also had two, fully-garbed Stormtroopers and the Sith Lord himself take to the runway with the models.
Bobby Abley
British menswear designer Bobby Abley presented a space-inspired Spring 2016 collection earlier this year that was rife with star-prints, space ships and astronaut teddy bears. But in the middle of that madness he also presented some interesting Star Wars designs. Darth Vader halter tops, C3PO tank tops and a Bobba Fett sweatshirt were some of the collection’s stand out pieces. One animated, fuzz-covered Chewbacca tank top was particularly terrifying, but then again what eight-foot tall Wookie isn’t?
Posted by Triton on Thursday, November 6, 2014
Triton
Triton’s Fall/Winter 2015 collection, presented during São Paulo Fashion Week, took a different approach when it came to replicating the look of the Empire. Rather than cutting and pasting the movie imagery onto a top or skirt, they used the costumes from the film as inspiration and created a more fashionable look for the characters. Stormtroopers were a particular favorite and a number of designs were outfitted with Imperial armor and uniforms.
Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman is usually known for summer dresses and bold colors, but her Fall 2015 collection went in a completely different direction last year, and the first half of her show was done in dusty colors and loose silhouettes inspired by the fashion on Tatooine. The backdrop of her NYFW show was even painted to look like the planet’s desert. "When I was putting the palette together with all of these creams, whites, and camels, I thought, 'This is completely Luke Skywalker,'" Hoffman told Vogue. "I fell in love with the landscapes on his planet, Tatooine, and I wanted to modernize and feminize the 1977 film."
Posted by ALVARNO on Sunday, September 27, 2015
Alvarno
Stormtroopers and Darth Vader took over the Alvarno runway at Madrid Fashion Week in September. The collection plays off of the idea of good versus evil, light versus darkness, but focuses most of its energy on the Sith Lord, featuring his face on several of the pieces. The designers, big Star Wars fans themselves, told Vogue España that back in 2014 that they wanted to work with Disney to create a capsule collection and “make something trendy.” Looks like they've done it. The lineup includes a six-piece capsule collection that features a Swarovski-studded Darth Vader mask on bags, vests, tops and sweaters.
