Ray Swing Dress (Photo : Her Universe)
Women cosplayers now have more female clothing and accessory choices if they opt to dress in a "Star War"-motif attire. Big fashion brands, such as Uniqlo and Diane von Furstenberg, have jumped into the bandwagon and started selling items such as R2-D2 pumps and Dark Side mascara.
This contrast to five years ago when the only "Star Wars" clothing that women could wear was a T-shirt. Now, the choice ranges from lightsaber skirts to Darth Vader dressed, courtesy of Her Universe, an apparel company. The founder of Her Universe is Ashley Eckstein, a voice actress for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," reports Mashable.
She shares, "Half of all Star Wars fans are women, and the reality is that these items are being made because fans want them."
Irregular Choice, a British shoe brand, also recently made available pumps and ballet slippers inspired by the sci-fi movie franchise. Dan Sullivan, founder of the company, acknowledges that the "Star Wars" merchandise were previously marketed to a male fan base. Its offer of a female line is an admission that women also love "Star Wars" items.
A fashion blogger, Nina Penalosa, notes that previous "Star Wars" women's merchandise were limited and in "pink" color only. She thanks Eckstein's Her Universe for offering a wider range of products beyond T-shirts such as dresses, skirts and jackets.
Her Universe caters basically to the mid-price consumers. On the higher-end, designers such as Rodarte, Preen and Bobby Abley created clothes modeled on the catwalk that features attire for "Star Wars" characters such as Darth Vader, C-3PO and Yoda.
Bloomberg estimates that "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" would break the record of "Avatar" add earn over $2.8 billion total box-office revenue. The figure excludes earnings from related sales, including merchandise such as clothes, video games, toys, and TV-licensing deals.
