Fabrics
The original costume design of Star Wars uses wools, raw silks, and a variety of other high-quality woven fabrics for Jedi and Sith that provide texture and depth to costumes on screen. Our costumes should strive to create the illusion of screen accuracy, to provide an immersive Star Wars experience for our audience.
- Fabrics must be opaque either on their own or with lining.
- Fabrics must be textured and/or be matte in appearance.
- Fabrics cannot have high pile (be fuzzy) like towels, polar fleece, or faux fur.
- Fabrics cannot have a high gloss or shine, such as with formal wear fabrics.
- Fabrics cannot appear plastic. Vinyl is meant to look leather-like.
The guides below are meant to assist you in picking fabrics for non-face characters, but is not a guarantee of approval. This list is not comprehensive and fabric names may vary depending upon country. Have your LCC check with the GCCs if there are questions
Common
The following fabrics are usually approvable with some exceptions and caveats.
Recommended Materials |
Weave/Type |
Linen and Linen Blends |
Hopsack, Suiting, Twill, Muslin, Upholstery-Weight (no vinyl backing) |
Silk |
Tusseh, Noile |
Cotton and Cotton Blends |
Canvas, Duck, Suiting, Osnaburg, Crinkle Gauze[1], Twill, Tapestry [2], Monkscloth [2] ,Upholstery-Weight (no vinyl backing) |
Hemp and Hemp Blends |
Muslin, Canvas |
Wool |
Twill, Suiting |
Microfiber/Polyester |
Suiting, Microsuede, Upholstery Weight, Twill |
Leather |
Suede [2][3], Garment-weight [2][3] |
Pleather/Synthetic Leather |
Not glossy. Must appear like leather. [2][3] |
[1] This must generally be lined in order to be used
[2] This is generally only approved for tabards and obi
[3] This can only be approved for an obi if it matches the tabards, and must not have animal embossing/print
Uncommon
The following fabrics have occasionally been approved, but should be checked with the GCCs before being used.
Possible Materials |
Weave/Type |
Linen and Linen Blends |
Sheeting |
Silk |
Velveteen |
Cotton and Cotton Blends |
Muslin, Corduroy, Heavy Broadcloth, Bubble Gauze |
Polyester and other Synthetics |
Microsuede, Suiting, Twill, Pleather, Corduroy, Velveteen |
Not Recommended
The following fabrics should be avoided due to known issues with the finish or do not fit with the Star Wars aesthetic.
Not Recommended |
Reasoning |
Broadcloth/Quilting Cotton |
Too Thin and usually see-through |
Taffeta/Tulle/Lining Polyester |
Too shiny and too thin |
Lycra/Spandex/Performance Poly |
Too shiny and too thin |
Sweater Knits |
No cozy sweaters for Jedi/Sith |
Satin/Sateen |
Rejected for Shine |
Please note that any fabric that looks thin and/or shiny, such as light broadcloth or thin polyesters (like those used for mass produced bagged costumes for Halloween) will be rejected. Consistently rejected fabrics include vinyl that does not look like leather, quilter’s cotton, kona cotton, flannel, light broadcloth, taffeta, velvet, sateen, dupioni, polyester poplin, and satin.
Please consults with the Global Costume Consulars on any fabric questions prior to construction or purchase.
Leather / Pleather Tabard Examples