Artist makes gorgeous Star Wars sculptures from vintage Louis Vuitton trunks

With every passing year, Star Wars fans seem to up the ante in honoring the franchise. This year, many bought tickets to “The Last Jedi” months in advance—and some even donned their best apparel from a galaxy far far away to attend screenings. We’re already planning a stay at the Star Wars hotel at Walt Disney World.

One lifelong fan has turned his passion into one-of-a-kind art. Indianapolis-based artist Gabriel Dishaw transforms vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases into Star Wars sculptures.

“I really enjoy taking two different ideas, or concepts that you wouldn’t normally consider together, and mashing them up,” Dishaw recently told Mental Floss.

Creative Spark

Star Wars and Louis Vuitton definitely fit the bill of ideas you wouldn’t think to combine. For Dishaw, it all started when he bought Louis Vuitton luggage from an antique store.

“A spark of creativity came over me,” Dishaw told Mental Floss. “I knew that I could use these somehow, and had to have them before I left. They didn’t come cheap, but as soon as I got home I started the painstaking process of taking them apart.”

He deconstructed the designer trunks to recreate iconic Star Wars costumes. The final pieces look spectacular. In fact, they even rival the original trunks in craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The upcycled sculptures are a labor of love for Dishaw. They take anywhere from 40 hours to 100 hours to create. Similarly, the Louis Vuitton bespoke trunks take as many as 150 hours for skilled artisans to assemble. Though the label’s smaller trunks take only 10 hours (a breeze, by comparison).

This sculpture, inspired by the Star Wars character Kylo Ren, features vintage Louis Vuitton luggage, braided wire, computer chips, wire, leather and other electronic materials. Dishaw dubbed it “Kylouis Vuitton.”

Darth Vader is green with envy, hence the piece’s name: “Darth Jader.”

Another sculpture depicts Darth Vader ready for battle. Of course, who needs a tank when you have the Force?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc6XX6SlDxp/?taken-by=gabrieljunkart

This C-3PO sculpture is made of vintage Louis Vuitton, piano parts, vacuum tubes and more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcnz0J2Fhm7/?taken-by=gabrieljunkart

Gift Shop

Several of Dishaw’s pieces are still available for sale on his website. You can opt for a few different variations of Darth Vader and one C-3PO, for a hefty price. They range from $1,600 to $4,000 apiece. You can also buy prints of the sculptures for as low as $25 each.

Intrigued by the junk-art genre, Dishaw started upcycling when he was in high school. One of his first upcycled sculptures won a local art contest.

“I received some really great feedback, and it was then that I knew I had found something that I both enjoyed and that allowed me to express my creative side along with a more mechanical approach,” he shared in a blog post.

Check out his entire Star Wars-inspired line on his website. The Force is strong with this artist.