Columbia Sportswear debuts Star Wars-inspired capsule

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Dec 6, 2017

Columbia Sportswear has announced an outerwear capsule inspired by classic film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Pieces include Leia and Luke Skywalker jackets, a Han Solo parka, and a Harrison Ford hand-signed coat.

The limited-edition jackets are officially licensed and numbered by Lucasfilm. Each style is available in a limited edition of 1,980 pieces, echoing the original release date of the movie in May of 1980.

The pieces in the collection are all part of Columbia Sportswear's (Columbia) Echo Base Collection, named after the Rebel Alliance's base on the ice planet of Hoth in the film. In a statement, Columbia explains that the collection "delivers the brand’s... technologies to ensure that they stand up to the freezing conditions on planet Hoth, or other galaxies closer to home."

The designs are inspired by the characters' costumes during their visit to the ice planet in the film. Designers at Columbia worked in tandem with Lucasfilm archivists to capture the essence of the characters and incorporate minute details in their costumes into the capsule.

In addition to the three-piece capsule, Columbia has also produced a limited-edition Han Solo Archive Edition Parka, collaborating with Harrison Ford who hand signed each piece.

Columbia has been making changes to keep the brand alive: in addition to a recent collaboration with Opening Ceremony, the company recently appointed new leaders in legal, finance and manufacturing.

Melissa Dugan has been appointed VP, Chief Accounting Officer and Jennifer Warner was named VP of Legal. Columbia also promoted David Soriano to become the new VP of Footwear Manufacturing.

Columbia will launch the Star Wars capsule online on December 8. Each of the Echo Base pieces are $400, with the Harrison Ford-signed piece priced at $1,980. The collection will also be available at select Columbia stores in the US, Canada, Europe, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.

Columbia's Seattle, New York City and Chicago stores will host Stormtrooper character appearances to help activate for the launch. The Portland flagship will also host a Chewbacca character appearance on the launch day.