Feel the force with adidas Originals Star Wars clothing

The streetwise sports label + the space saga = your new spring look.

You’d think that after 33 years, Star Wars might have worked every possible merchandising angle there is. With minted movie god, George Lucas owning the licensing rights to all things Star Wars (he traded it for his up-front fee as director – nice move, George!), he’s happily put the Star Wars stamp on all sorts of cool, quirky and bat-shit crazy stuff. From Darth Vader door knobs to Yoda dog costumes, Wing Commander hot dog roasters to R2-D2 Soy Sauce bottles, we thought we’d seen it all and that maybe, just maybe George was running out of new Star Wars ideas.

But oh how wrong we were (and we’re sorry for doubting you, oh fearless bearded one) as Star Wars has now teamed up with sporty label, adidas Originals to bring us a whole new collection of cool gear. It’s a really exciting collaboration and, like the Mark Ecko Star Wars clothing, gives the sci-fi saga a bit of a street edge. It’s a win-win situation for Star Wars, while the suits at adidas Originals are similarly psyched to be teaming with the world’s biggest film franchise.

“[It] has been an exciting process,” says Ben Pruess, the VP of Product Marketing at adidas Originals. “To work with Lucasfilm in bringing a timeless story to life on our products is great. Like adidas Originals, the Star Wars brand has a long and rich history of being a leader, leaving an indelible mark on pop culture. For fans of the films, sneaker heads or those that love fun and fresh designs, the collection gives you the chance to find the Force or join the dark side.”

We’re still undecided on which side to join (the Sith have red lightsabers which we all know are the best, but the Jedis hang with Yoda and get it on with Natalie Portman – tough call), yet there are no question marks over the range. Unleashed back in January as the Spring/ Summer collection (a Autumn/ Winter one is also promised) it’s made up of adidas Originals sneakers and “apparel silhouettes” (fancy sales blurb for tops) and some are limited edition just adding to its must-have factor.

The gear was separated into three packs on its release – characters (your faves from both sides of the Force), vehicles (including air and land-based) and direct (focuses on Vader and the Stormtroopers) – each working with the adidas Originals distinctive look to offer us a fun, fresh and fashionable Star Wars look for 2010. And already it’s starting to sell out big style, and being limited edition, it means that when it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

And there’s so much in the range. We didn’t want to ignore any items and so rather than just bring you a sample, we’re breaking it down and today we’re focussing on the clothing alone (though rest assured, we’ll cover the sneakers soon). And there’s plenty to choose from. For those of you hoping for summer sun, there are a number of tees; if that still feels far away, fight the freeze in hoodies or go for a more sporty style in track tops.

The most difficult part? Knowing where to start.