For fans who were not able to attend my Celebration Orlando panel in person, I will be posting the full slideshow and transcript online. Today’s post is part 3 of a 9 part series – stay tuned for a full video of my panel 🙂
You can read Part 2: The history of women’s Star Wars fashion here, and Part 1: Collecting apparel and accessories as a hobby here.
Part 3: The rise of Star Wars fashion brands
It has been very exciting to follow the rise of Star Wars fashion brands over the last few years. Even since I launched my website over two years ago there has been a small explosion in the range that is now available. There have been smaller companies joining in, all the way up to major international brands like Vans shoes.
While Vans shoes are not specifically made for women – they are more unisex – I of course had to pick up a pair for my own collection. These Journey’s exclusive Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader versions were my favourites from the collection due to the purple tones. This was technically a limited run but they were widely available, so many fans could grab their favourite designs.
One of my current wardrobe staples are many jewelry items from Body Vibe. Originally a company that focused largely on body piercing jewelry, their Star Wars license is now one of their most profitable ranges. The initial collection featured mostly unisex Star Wars rings and necklaces but it has really diversified since then. The range now includes designs like hoop earrings, charm bracelets, dangle earrings and more feminine necklace styles like velvet chokers. One of my personal favourites from the range is their bead charm range – I as you can see I have a little bit of a bead addiction. These fit the major standard charm bracelet brands like Pandora so you can add one or many to existing bracelet.
First released at Celebration Anaheim two years ago, the Californian rock ‘n’ roll jewelry company Han Cholo released a limited collection of Star Wars jewelry. The first collection was released in sterling silver and gold, with a stainless steel range being released a few months later. The necklaces are mainly a chunky chain style with heavy sculpted pendants, but the range also includes very subtle stylish slender stud earrings, and a lightsaber bracelet and a lightsaber ring which are specifically for women. Sadly Han Cholo seem to have finished up their Star Wars collection but the items are still floating around from sellers like Amazon and Entertainment Earth.
I love coming across new brands that I’ve never heard of previously. One of my favourite random finds was the company SG@NYC. Their collection has a strong rhinestone focus with a bling statement style. I found these pieces at Home Shopping Network but their items are also occasionally sold at Torrid and Hot Topic.
Another new and very popular jewelry company to produce Star Wars items is the New York-based Love and Madness. This all-woman company really designs with the fan girl in mind. From slender necklaces to chunky long-chain door knockers, hairclips, midi rings, and of course their famous ‘Madness wrap’ bracelet, which features the entire opening crawl text from A New Hope. I absolutely love their range and hope to be able to add a lot more to my collection – if you hadn’t noticed already, I can’t get enough fabulous Star Wars jewelry!
German-based company Musterbrand has recently joined the Star Wars fashion world with a passion. Their company is strongly focused on providing stylish inspired garments for both men and women. For me personally, their Jyn Erso jacket is the best Rogue One apparel item that I’ve seen. They take costume inspiration and create a garment that blends seamlessly into your every day wardrobe without immediately drawing attention to its Star Wars connection. They are fans themselves, and it really shows in their fantastic range. Be sure to check out their booth for an amazing new look at some upcoming footwear! Seriously, I gasped! (*update* check out photos here).
Musterbrand are also a rare example of a company making women’s Star Wars swimwear. Their Space Battle bikini features artwork by John Berkey and it is another great example of fairly subtle Star Wars fashion. The scale of the print has an abstract effect which means that you can wear this, with most people not even guessing that it is Star Wars. I realize that for many fans they won’t have too much need for swimwear but my country is almost entirely coastland, so swimwear is a big part of our lives. I really like to see fashion companies thinking about not just t-shirts but the full range of possible apparel items.
Bioworld has been making Star Wars accessories for many years and they are a convention staple. While they primarily make items like jewelry and handbags they also make scarves and other accessories. I am particularly fond of their envelope chain purses – they are perfect for an evening out. Over the years I have collected a lot of their jewelry – their line is always affordable and cute. Much of the range is available at stores like Hot Topic and Superherostuff.
First launching their Star Wars collection with the now-iconic R2-D2 dome handbag back in early late 2014, Loungefly is now known the world over for their Star Wars handbags. This is another brand which I have a ‘slight’ collecting addiction for. I love the range and am always picking out more to add to my wishlist. A particular favourite is their original mini dome bags. While these aren’t as subtle as some other designs they are such a cute addition to any Star Wars themed outfit.
Another highlight from recent years are the Irregular Choice x Star Wars footwear collections. The first collection released included 14 unique styles, such as these Death Star boots.
The collection was first teased at Celebration Anaheim with the collection launching online later that year. It was a very anxious wait to finally be able to get my hands on these and it was very hard trying to narrow down a shopping list! One of my particularly favorite aspects of the designs is the sculpted heel, which is a trademark element of the Irregular Choice design style.
These Skywalker heels even featured lightsaber heels that light up when you walk and sounds in the heels which can be played by pressing a hidden button. So fun – like kids shoes, but for women!
The first collection was so popular and sold out so quickly that Irregular Choice soon released a second collection. Some of new range featured reworked versions from the original collection, including a new version of the R2-D2 heel and even some new styles like sneakers. Some of the most common and most popular designs are the flats – my favorites are the R2-D2’s from the second collection and the I Love You/I Know flats from the first collection.
We Love Fine have been releasing Star Wars fashion for many years and have recently been really branching out in their design styles. A recent collaboration with Goldie produced one of my favorite items – the Galaxy cape, which is reversible. The outside is black while the inside reveals a full printed space battle art work lining so you can choose which side to show. Star Wars is full of great capes – now I can wear one too! You can grab our yourself at the con, check out their booth.
Here are a couple of other examples from the We Love Fine range over the years. This is a jacket featuring John Berkey’s Death Star battle artwork. I love the artwork and this version really highlights the vibrancy of the colors. We Love Fine has also done some garment styles that not many other companies have, including this stretch body con pencil skirt and this storm trooper printed sleeveless shirt. I love the shirt – it is perfect for a little bit of a subtle Star Wars, right down to the Imperial logo buttons. I wish more companies would do button down printed shirts like this for women.
We Love Fine really stays on trend with this Dark Side patch jacket. It is perfect for customizing with your own patches and pins. I have loved the style of denim jacket since I was young so as soon as I saw a Star Wars version I had to have it.
To be continued in Part 4: Fashion as a form of self-expression.
