Today marks the fifth anniversary of my blog The Kessel Runway. As we often do at the start of a new year, anniversaries inspire a moment of reflection on the past, and looking forward to the future. A new resolution, renewed enthusiasm, and the bringer of change.
As life would have it, the same day my blog turned five, we celebrated our daughter finishing high school. This really cemented the feeling of starting a new chapter (and feeling slightly old…). So after this time of reflection, what conclusions did I come to?
When I started this blog, I had a simple idea – blog about my Star Wars fashion finds. Over the years, that concept has changed back and forth. Is it a personal blog? A news website? Both? The world of Star Wars fashion itself has changed so much over these past five years as well. It was much harder to find back then – so I had sense of purpose, hunting down new items and sharing them. Now, Star Wars fashion is everywhere, for everyone – almost an overwhelming amount. My wallet can’t keep up!
Hitting a milestone is often a tempting reason for an overhaul, a refresh – a new logo, layout, or a change in approach. I’ve thought long and hard about what my blog is to me, and what I want it to be going forward. And you know what? I love it just the way it is – with perhaps a few additions.
When I started, I decided to focus on women’s Star Wars fashion, as it is what I buy for myself, and it was harder to find. But… I found myself avoiding ‘unisex’ collections that didn’t include specific women’s styles. I was torn – featuring designs modeled by men felt like it would go against my goal to promote women’s Star Wars fashion, but at the same time I was excluding important and unique collections.
I don’t want to reinforce binary gender stereotypes – a complicated aspect of fashion, as clothing is often designed and marketed for particular body types. Female Star Wars fans in particular have fought hard for representation in this fandom, and I never want to stop celebrating the role women play in the Star Wars galaxy. But it’s not my place to define how anyone identifies themselves on the gender spectrum, so I want to expand my coverage. Still predominately women’s Star Wars fashion, but including notable unisex, men’s, and children’s collections.
“If you don’t have passion for something, you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”
~ Alexander McQueen.
I also want to bring back a bit of myself to my blog. I’m a shy person, and I tend to hide behind my computer most of the time – then again, I’ve also presented two Star Wars Celebration panels about fashion in front of hundreds of people! It’s a complicated balance – but I wouldn’t have started this blog if I didn’t have a desire to connect with other Star Wars fans.
Original Logo Sketch 
TKR Logo Version 1.0
“I don’t want to do a cocktail party, I’d rather people left my shows and vomited. I prefer extreme reactions.”
~ Alexander McQueen
I’ve always believed that art should evoke a reaction, an emotion. We know deep down if we love something or loathe it, even if it’s just abstract colours on a canvas or a plain white t-shirt with a simple graphic print. Fashion is such an integral part of our lives, a part of who we are – we should all have strong convictions about what we like and don’t like to wear. Star Wars fashion is my passion, and I want to share more of my personal favourite items and brands, from my own collection – to celebrate the items that ‘spark joy’.
If you’ve just found my blog, or have been here since the beginning – thank you so very much. This past year has thrown some particularly hard and trying times my way, as life does from time to time for all of us. This milestone has been one of celebration, reflecting on all the positives of my journey here. My passion for Star Wars fashion has literally taken me across the world, and I can’t wait to see where my journey takes me in the future.
~ May The Force Be With You ~
