Oh, the places this robe will go! One simple but iconic piece of clothing from Star Wars traveled from a galaxy far, far away to a store in England and all the way in Egypt to an ancient mummy. Just how did this mishap come to be?
The item in question is the brown, acetic robe worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The character memorably lowers his hood to rejuvenate Luke Skywalker’s morale when the future seems most doomed. But the robe ended up very unwittingly making some surprising treks around the world that saw it ultimately lost to anonymity, despite its cultural significance.
For a time, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s robe was lost in stores, storage, and in the background of ‘The Mummy’
The year was 1977 and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope had blasted onto movie screens across the country, kicking off the galactic space opera with an entry that would be the fourth in the Skywalker Saga. But the team behind Star Wars did not have the gift of foresight and so did not know just what a cultural touchstone this film – let alone the franchise it launched – became.
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So, Obi-Wan’s robe was treated as any other movie prop for films that may come and go. It ended up quietly sold to the U.K.-based costume store Angels and Bermans, known now as Angels Costumes, an establishment that had been around since 1840.
The store received the robe immediately after the crew finished filming Star Wars and before it had even been released. So, explained Chairman Tim Angel, “It didn’t get any special treatment because at that point Star Wars was just another sci-fi film. No one knew how big it would become.”
Lost to the sands of time
Angels Costumes held a historical piece of inventory that just about any collector would salivate over, yet because Star Wars had not established itself as a timeless juggernaut when they got it, the store rented it out to “customers wanting to hire a monk’s outfit for a fancy dress party.” In 1999, it ended up seeing use in The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser, though it wasn’t even Fraser who wore the now iconic robe – it was an extra. So, an eagle eye may spot a bit of Star Wars in The Mummy!
But where is it now? Well, once again, this elusive robe remains hard to pinpoint. Eventually, a staff member at Angels Costumes noticed the robe and tried it on. A manager saw and exclaimed, “Oh my God, it’s Alec Guinness’s cloak from Star Wars.”
In 2005, Master Kenobi’s robe stood on display at Harrods as part of a British film costume exhibition. Then, it went to auction house Bonhams, who sold it for around $65,538. But the bidder had participated over the phone – and to this day remains anonymous. Perhaps, like the old Jedi himself, this mystery buyer will one day emerge when the world is in need of a New Hope.
On August 5th 2000, Sir Alec Guiness, AKA Obi-Wan Kenobi, died of liver cancer at 86. Was born in 1914. During World War II, he served in the Royal Navy. In March of 2007, his Jedi robe was sold in auction for $104,000. Always Remembered. RIP. #StarWars #GeekMaster #AlecGuiness pic.twitter.com/ri0U6BiBAP
— GeekMaster (@GeekMaster16) August 5, 2020
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