Artist Transforms Old Louis Vuitton Bags Into Stunning Star Wars Sculptures

Jedis are known for their fighting skills, not their fashion sense. But when artist Gabriel Dishaw discovered a treasure trove of designer suitcases while thrifting, the Star Wars fan couldn’t resist the urge to use them as the basis for a series of artworks inspired by the franchise.

“I was in northern Michigan on vacation and came across a stack of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage from the 1970s at a small antique store,” Dishaw tells Mental Floss. “A spark of creativity came over me. 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.”

While dissembling the suitcases, Dishaw became inspired to create upcycled homages to his favorite film. “I really enjoy taking two different ideas, or concepts that you wouldn’t normally consider together, and mashing them up,” he says.

Dishaw spends his days working in corporate retail, and devotes ”every waking moment outside of work” to his art, he says. Each work in his Star Wars series took a different amount of time to complete, but Dishaw says that a Darth Vader bust typically takes more than 40 hours, while an Imperial Walker requires around 100 hours of work.

Check out some of Dishaw’s Louis Vuitton Star Wars sculptures below, or visit his website to check out more artworks made from upcycled materials, e-waste, and found objects.