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 6 of a 9 part series – stay tuned for a full video of my panel 🙂
You can read the previous panel topic segments here.
Part 6: Designer apparel on the fashion runway
If fashion designers take inspiration from their lives and influences, it should come as no surprise to see Star Wars appearing on the fashion week runway. One of the most significant examples is the the London label Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, which created a full licensed Star Wars fashion collection for women in early 2014. Julia Roberts even bought two pieces from the range to wear at television appearances.
This particular brand has strong significance for me as the release coincided with the time when I was forming the idea for my Star Wars fashion website. I realised I could afford to buy an item or 2 from the collection, if I sold off other ‘non-Star Wars’ items in my wardrobe that I never really wore. While I already owned a lot of Star Wars apparel, this decision helped spark my journey to really transform my wardrobe, and start The Kessel Runway.
While this collection also came out at the same time as the beautiful Rodarte collection, the Preen collection was available to the public. The Rodarte collection was a concept collection not made for sale, and only a few celebrities like Bob Iger’s wife Willow Bay and actress Kirsten Dunst ever got to wear the gowns, to high profile red carpet events such as the Oscars and Met Gala.
Even after all this time the brand still gets a lot of attention for their collection, like after Kathleen Kennedy wore a preen shirt to ComiCon 2015 and selected designs were re-produced for sale in the US Disney Parks. This broadened the audience that could obtain these design items, at a lower price than the original collection, but still maintained the fashion designs that we saw on the runway.
Every fashionista wants to own something from a fashion week runway and it is a dream come true to be able to own a few pieces from this landmark collection. A true example that Star Wars fashion can be at any level, from pajamas and comfy T-shirts to designer labels worn by celebrities.
The collection used a central printed image of Darth Vader with scattered starships. One of their signature pieces is the white collared shirt, one of my favourites. I obtained 2 items from the original collection direct from Preen, and later picked up a sweatshirt on eBay, and one of the Disney Park reproductions just recently.
To be continued in Part 7: Everyday cosplay.
