For the holiday season Bloomingdales and Disney are teaming up for a charity initiative named Force 4 Fashion. The long anticipated sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy will not hit theatres until December 18, but today the department store will unveil their The Force Awakens-themed windows at the store’s Third Avenue flagship. For two weeks they will display costumes and props from the upcoming film. On December 3, the windows will be revamped to include one-of-a-kind Star Wars-inspired creations from 10 fashion designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Cynthia Rowley, Timo Weiland, Halston, Giles Deacon, Opening Ceremony, Rag & Bone, Ovadia & Sons, Parker and Todd Snyder.
The pieces were each based on a Star Wars: The Force Awakens character, and feature a lineup of men and women’s eveningwear, casualwear and suiting. Designs will be auctioned off between December 2-18 on CharityBuzz. Proceeds from the auction will go to Child Mind Institute on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change, a charity that “aims to support the immense passion and goodwill of our fans and promote change through inspiration, stories and meaningful partnerships.”
“The release of the new Star Wars film is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Bloomingdale’s is continually mining for of-the-moment initiatives to surprise and delight our customers while also furthering our philanthropic outreach,” said Anne Keating, Bloomingdale’s senior vice president of public relations, special events and corporate philanthropy. Michael Kaplan, the movie’s costume designer, has also designed three limited-edition “little brown bags” exclusively for the department store which can purchased in-store throughout the season.
In the UK, Selfridges is also joining the movement by selling specially-made tops and sweatshirts from 10 London-based designers including JW Anderson, Peter Pilotto, Agi & Sam, Bobby Abley, Christopher Raeburn, Claire Barrow, Nasir Mazhar, Phoebe English, Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Thomas Tait starting November 19. They also created one-of-a-kind catwalk looks that will be unveiled on November 26 at the Star Wars: Fashion Finds The Force presentation. The looks will be available for auction at Star Wars Fashion, with proceeds supporting the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change.
