Feel the Force: Kenneth Cobonpue unveils Star Wars furniture

Previews of furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue's furniture designs for his tie up with Star Wars. (Screenshots from his Facebook page)

Renowned furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue has released the designs for his much-awaited Star Wars-themed furniture collection.

The award-winning designer and manufacturer revealed in a Facebook post the designs included in the collection.

Among the first he revealed was an easy chair inspired by the helmet of cinema’s favorite villain, Darth Vader.

This other Sith-inspired armchair meanwhile is inspired by the fearsome visage of Darth Vader’s master, Emperor Palpatine a.k.a Darth Sidious.

 

Cobonpue also reserved something for the good guys: a lamp made from tiny lightsaber-wielding Jedi knights. The lights, based on the previews, will be stored in the tiny lightsabers.

The designs have been warmly received so far.

Cobonpue, a product of the renowned  Pratt Institute in New York and the Export-Akademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany, transformed his family’s furniture business into a luxury brand by combining Filipino tradition with tastes and trends from different cultures.

His designs have won him numerous accolades, including five awards from the Japan Good Design Awards, the grand prize at the Singapore International Design Competition and the French Coup de Coeur award.

Among his most popular celebrity clients are Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Cobonpue first announced the tie-up with Disney at the Manila Asia Pop Comicon in July 2018.

The prices of the pieces in the collection, expected to be at a hefty sum, have not yet been publicly disclosed.

He revealed during a recent interview with ANC that the products will be exclusive for purchase in the Philippines for the meantime.

“Our license is only for the Philippines. Right now we have a lot of people from all over the world who want to see it, so they have to get it through a Filipino,” Conbonpue reportedly said.

He revealed that Disney asked him to interpret Star Wars “through the lens of a Filipino designer.” He added that it will be the first Star Wars co-branded furniture product in Southeast Asia.

The Star Wars franchise has become one of the most valuable movie franchises in the pop culture industry, having produced numerous sequels, cartoon shows, clothing lines, toy lines, video games, novels and comic books since the original movie trilogy concluded in 1980.

Disney has rapidly expanded the beloved franchise since it acquired the rights from its creator George Lucas for more than $4 billion in cash and stocks.

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