Upcoming Star Wars film The Force Awakens has inspired ten designers to create looks inspired by characters in the latest instalment of the sci-fi series. Disney Consumer Products and US department store Bloomingdales commissioned designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Giles Deacon, Opening Ceremony and Todd Synder for an event called Force 4 Fashion, which will benefit Child Mind Institute. For Synder, who is a long-time fan of the film franchise, the project was both fun.

"It was really exciting to do something, you know, I would always love to be a costume designer, I think they are some of the most talented people on the planet because there is a lot of work and a lot of creativity. And this is my one chance to actually be costume designer, so it was a lot of fun," said Synder, who took his cues from Chewbacca.

The exhibition was presented by Kay Jewelers, who also got in on the fun by creating a special high-end luxury BB-8 droid.

"This is a completely custom one-of-a-kind collector's item, BB-8. It is made out of 18 carat gold, 18 carats of diamonds. It took over 600 hours to create this, it was a true labour of love for us. There are over 860 diamonds on it. Everything was hand set, it's actually comprised of 42 parts to make it perfectly round," said Kim Kanary, vice president of public relations and social media for Kay Jewelers.

Halston creative director Marie Mazelis played with the multifaceted layers of the male villain Kylo Ren. "From the little that we know about the character, he's a very complex character, which is what inspired me. The duality of power verses vulnerability is what I tried to capture in this dress."

Other designers who participated in the event included Ovadia & Sons, Parker and Rag & Bone.

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