There are still six months until Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker lands in theaters, but it’s already making an impact at the Milan menswear collections. Etro is the latest fashion brand to feel the force; the label is set to debut its collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures’ Lucasfilm during its Spring 2020 menswear show this Sunday. A unisex 10-piece capsule with hoodies, crewnecks, and T-shirts dedicated to characters from the original trilogy, it features an array of retro prints and logos that will be familiar to longtime fans, combined with details that speak to Etro’s DNA.
Focused exclusively on the light side of the force—sorry Kylo Ren, no villains here—the Kean Etro-designed pieces feature old school heroes Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo, with a touch of the signature Etro paisley for good measure. The balance between the sci-fi references and house tradition is what keeps things interesting, but designers can’t resist leaning into the source material’s nerd factor. In the past, brands like Vetements, Rodarte, and Preen have all had fun playing with the series’ iconography, taking Darth Vader masks or Imperial crests and adding them to highly stylized womenswear. By eschewing the bad guys and focusing on staples, Etro’s collection offers something different – an accessible take on Star Wars that can be worn by just about anyone.
Set to hit Etro.com on July 1st, the collection should tide fans over until that December release date, but its designer hopes it gets them excited for more than a movie. “May the GREEN force be with you,” he said via email from Milan, nodding to the house’s continued sustainability push. “Green like Yoda, my favorite Star Wars character. Green like my biggest commitment: for nature and for our planet.”
Source: The Force is With Etro’s New Star Wars Collection – Vogue