The yearly mecca of all Comic Cons – San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) – has come and gone but as has become standard I am here to give a little taste of everything I saw during this four day show. One of the things I really enjoyed from my round-up coverage of New York Comic Con (NYCC) and even SDCC in 2023 was taking a step back from what I normally cover (collectibles and panels) and start to broaden into a bit of other areas. This is what started getting me to cover things I have not covered in the past whether it is offsite events, after hour events, and even different offering from the exhibit floor such as for lack of a better term Geek Culture Clothing and accessories.
This trend has been growing over the last few years with some companies offering high quality clothing, bags, and accessories that can fit in both on a convention floor but also in everyday life while others are offering more flamboyant offerings that can still fit into a more casual day in the office. In some cases the companies are producing curated lines with shirts, jackets, hats, and accessories that all follow a theme throughout the run.
For SDCC I was very focused and only looked at three brands but hopefully in future rounds-ups I will begin to cover others especially the likes of Her Universe the Ashley Eckstein created clothing brand that is geared more towards Women’s fashion.
Heroes & Villains
https://heroesvillains.com/
Heroes & Villains provides creates and curates premium apparel, bags, and accessories from many iconic properties including Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Dungeons & Dragons, and more. Their goal is to present a authentic approach to what they coin wearable lifestyle gear for fans that expect more.
At NYCC in 2023 I was fortunate to cover Heroes & Villains where they debuted their X-Men Academy line and speak to Doug Johnson, Creative Director at Bioworld Merchandising, about that line. For SDCC Heroes & Villains was situated in The Lucasfilm Pavilion, which for those unfamiliar is a dedicated space on the show floor that is focused solely on Star Wars products. As you can image the curated line this time around was therefore focused on Star Wars I was again given a look at the inner working of Heroes & Villains and again spoke to Doug about this new collection with the theme being iconic starships and symbols of the beloved saga and specifically as it is the 25th anniversary of the Phantom Menace a focus on the pod race scene as well as an expanded look at other iconic ships the X-Wing and Tie Fighter. The line features an assortment of clothing including t-shirts, sweaters, moto jackets, and included accessories such as hats, backpacks, and wristlets but also expanded into home wall décor with some flags.
ML: We spoke a bit at this past NYCC where you debuted your X-Men line. You mentioned at the time you were partial to Star Wars and had just did a Sabine Wren and Ahsoka collection and pivoted to X-Men for NYCC. So how excited are you to be working on Star Wars again?
DJ: I am super excited and it’s been a lot of fun. Heros and Villains kind of started with Star Wars. It is I would have to say probably my favorite franchise and IP to work on and we’ve had a lot of fun doing it over the years. When we come to San Diego Comic-Con we always present within The Lucas Pavilion so it is Star Wars but I enjoy that. I also enjoy the fact that we’re in the pavilion because it specifically draws Star Wars fans to your booth. So I was super excited to get back and show the newest products. We have this is a full debut collection, products you’ve never seen before.
ML: I actually got a sneak peek of it before the convention and I really saw, in my opinion, three really standout items in the jackets in this collection and was very impressed with them!
DJ: Yeah, I’m super proud of them they turned out amazing and it was really fun because you know this year’s the 25th Anniversary of Episode One so that pod racing event within the film is so epic; to build out a jacket that speaks to that that was just a lot of fun so that Moss Espa Race Circuit race jacket was the first step in the development of this entire collection because I knew if we had that stand out showpiece everything else would fall in line.
ML: I noticed you also leaned a lot into the Tosche Station. I noticed that a bit all over the place.
DJ: Yes! So after we built out the Episode One bit I wanted to offer the fans more like classic Star Wars nostalgia versus specifically Episode One so we were like it would be awesome to build out an X-Wing verse Tie Fighter race idea; so that’s where the moto jackets came into play and we wanted instead of just specifically rebel and Star Wars we wanted to dig into what would it really look like if you were really in a moto jacket that was sponsored by real Star Wars in world ideas. So the Tosche Station falls right in line with that right there. That’s where you go to pick up your power converters and get your repair needs so you’ll see that on the X-Wing moto jacket we have a Tosche Station patch on the side. Beyond that we dug into the manufacturers of the starships and utilized those as a sponsorship for the race pieces as well.
ML: You previously mentioned how you try to stay at an elevated level, so what went into the designs this time around to stay there?
DJ: Yeah we’re very focused on quality of goods because we’ve built an expectation with the fans of what our quality is. There’s so many techniques built in to these products from embroidery, screen print, HD prints, to just little woven patch details. So we are always focused on that but also the cuts on the jackets, the quilting; we did an X-Wing hoodie that is not just a hoodie it has quilted sleeves and it has a cut and sew front; we did a tie fighter crew neck and it is cut and sew and it has quilted elbow pads on it. We never really want to just stay in the basic shape. We want to add a little something, a little detail to everything we do
ML: I also remember you said love bags…
DJ: I do love bags!
ML: So what do you think of the bags this time around?
DJ: We took a different approach this time for sure and we brought some new silhouettes; the two mini messenger bags we brought to tie in with the X-Wing and Tie Fighter collection. Very cool bags and very practical day use. I would say they’re great for a convention because they carry your water bottle, phone, and wallet. They have padded tablet sleeve so they’re not massive bags but they’re great essentials. Then for the Episode One collection we wanted to be a little more sporty so we did this really awesome duffle bag, kind of like a gym bag, at higher capacity than what the small little messengers are but a really awesome daily use bag as well.
ML: I also see your other products, shirts, hats, and accessories but all fitting in that theme and staying in line with the story of this collection.
DJ: That’s one of our main focuses to broaden the story through product development and that’s really what we’re trying to do and to offer the small accessories is a great way to allow a customer an entry point into the brand as well because if we were only carrying the $160 moto jackets we would limit the amount of fans we would be able to engage with.
ML: When you are building the collection and you are taking something like the X-Wing and Tie Fighter and so many other companies already have that kind of product so then you have to looking at how you’re not mimicking something that someone else has previously done and especially with Star Wars it must be difficult.
DJ: It is. Star Wars is one of the most commoditized I guess; it’s been around forever and there’s been so many iterations to what people have done but we have an incredibly talented team of designers and illustrators and we’re all nerds and we love it. We love the lore, we love all of it. So we really have to dig into those stories to be able to broaden that that conversation with the fan. That’s probably the best part of the job is finding a new solution and not doing what somebody else did.
ML: What do you think is in the future for your Star Wars or other collections?
DJ: Well one big thing we did this convention is a set of flags and that all kind of stemmed from how cool would it be to do Anakin’s flag from the race in Episode One and so we did Anakin’s flag and then we did the Tie Fighter and the X-Wing. So that’s a new category that’s exciting for us and that I see as being more of a home wall décor versus the everyday apparel and accessories that we have traditionally done; so that’s an exciting piece and I think we’re going to explore that further and get more into home goods type of ideas.
That being said there are some really exciting things coming in the travel arena. So we do a lot of great bags, really utilitarian bags that are great for traveling, flying, and convention attendees but we’re going to push that a little further. I’m not going to tell you everything there but we’ve got some great travel things coming. As far as Star Wars specifically this year we have we have some other really cool Episode One pieces coming that that aren’t specifically focused on pod racing.
ML: Last question and one I will ask any time we end up chatting. What’s your favorite piece in the collection?
DJ: I think I’d have to go with the Moss Espa race jacket just because as I mentioned earlier it was the initiating piece to the collection and it’s just amazing. It’s all the intricacy and all the story telling involved. It is where we started and then everything else grew from there.
Rebel X-Wing Moto Racer Jacket Thoughts
After that amazing interview into the process of creating the line and seeing the products in person I couldn’t leave San Diego Comic-Con empty handed. Having been given a sneak peak of the product line there was immediately one piece that struck a chord with me. Beyond the shirts, hats, bags, accessories, the X-Wing themed moto racer jacket struck a chord and I knew I had to leave the convention with one. To be fair all three jacket designs are immediately eye catching in their style, use of fabric, and cut and as Doug mentioned the Moss Espa jacket was one of the first items built into the line but the X-Wing Moto Racer Jacket was a clear stand out to me.
Pictures however can be deceiving and I was not sure what the in hand product would feel like or how it would fit once I was in front of it. One of the first things I noticed when I tried any of the jackets on is the weight of the jacket; these are not flimsy jackets they all have a weight to them. Another aspect of the jackets that I really enjoy is the meshing of materials and cuts that make-up the entire jacket from the faux leather and canvas bits to the embroidered Rebel emblem on the back, and the racing patches on the sleeves. The entire moto jacket just comes together. Finally the fit of the coat is what you would want from a moto jacket, something that is a bit tight in the right places and hugs where you want it to. Check it out over here:
https://heroesvillains.com/products/star-wars-rebel-x-wing-racer-moto-jacket?variant=43151452143802
X-Wing Wall Décor
Speaking of the new line of home products the idea that started the flag was to build on Anakin’s flag from the pod race in the Phantom menace. The X-Wing flag builds from that and fits in the aesthetic ofthe collection. The design is pressed on a canvas fabric which also has eyelets to help hang the piece either on a pole, from a window, or just have hanging in a room.
Atsuko
https://atsuko.com/
After talking with Doug he also alerted me to Atsuko. Atsko does for anime fans what Heros & Villains is doing for Star Wars, Marvel, DC. Atsuko carries officially licensed Anime apparel and accessories from the biggest names in anime including Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon Ball Z, Hunter x Hunter, Berserk, Evangelion, and many more. The store is run by our namesake herself, Atsuko, and her fuzzy little companion, Nuki. They’re here to make sure you feel welcome and find everything you’re looking for.
RSVLTS
https://www.rsvlts.com/
RSVLTS [rose-uh-velts] are an apparel brand bringing officially licensed unique and daring designs from a span of movies, shows, artists, and sports. Their signature KUNUFLEX™ button down shirts are lightweight, soft, and stretchy; the shirts rarely wrinkle and don’t shrink in the wash. RSVLTS has been expanding rapidly and If you have gone to a convention in recent years are likely familiar with the brand and their products. They have embraced the collectors market by attending many conventions, offering exclusives, engaging heavily with their fans, and hosting insider events. At SDCC RSVLTS actually had three booths one located in the Lucasfilm Pavilion which offered only Star Wars themed shirts which included a daily shirt one of which was an amazing beach shirt which I missed and another which featured Matt Ferguson’s Phantom Menace artwork. Their other two booths were on the show floor; one focused on their Breakfast Balls line of polos and the other was their main booth which included convention exclusives of their Floral City variant, a Disney themed shirt (which I bought), and a Deadpool and Wolverine shirt along with a few hard to come by retail shirts. This year RSVLTS also changed things up by handing out timed tickets to return to the booth rather than having a massive line at the booth, which was an extremely welcome relief.
