When you need a quality mascot costume that can endure any difficult environment, it’s incredibly important that you invest in a high quality costume. But with so many mascot companies available to you, how do you ensure that you’re getting the highest quality design and construction? Sometimes it doesn’t just come down to price like purchases in other industries do. In the mascot industry, identifying a quality mascot should come down to the following considerations:
Materials Available
A high quality mascot designer should have a large selection of materials in-house for you to choose from, and give you the option to have a material ordered in should you request it. Depending on the type of mascot you are going with, be it an animal, plant, cartoon or otherwise, the costume may need a number of different materials to create the best look. If a mascot company only has a few material and colour types, there’s a good chance that their designs won’t look the way you want them to.
Timeline
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a high quality mascot can’t be either. Mascots take time to properly design, build, sew and perfect to ensure lasting quality. If your mascot designer can guarantee you a mascot from start to finish in a few days, the quality is likely to suffer in the process.
Previews
For the best idea of the quality of work you can expect from a mascot designer, ask if you can see samples of their work on other mascots, or any costumes they have in store currently. When you’re able to look at their work in person, you can get the best idea of how their finished products will look. Better yet, if you’re already in their workshop ask to see mascots they’re working on currently; this will give you an idea of what your mascot will look like at every step of the process. Quality mascot designers who are proud of their work will be more than willing to show off what they’ve accomplished, and give you a sense of excitement knowing that your mascot will be finished with the same high quality.
Stitching
If you’re able to take a tour of the mascot designer’s workshop, or at least see examples of other work they’ve done in the past, take a look at the details of the stitching done on the fabric itself. High quality sewers know exactly what they’re doing, and their skills shine in detail-orientated stitching that is flawless. If the stitching is knotted, tangled, or the same stich is repeated back and forth in the same place multiple times, these are signs of serious error. High quality stitching keeps your mascot together, and is the foundation of a costume that will last you and your company a long time.
When you need a high quality mascot costume, just picking the lowest price or the first designer you come into contact with is not a strong choice. Quality mascot costumes that will last for years come from designers with passion, sewers with skill, and a company that has a history of high quality work. The better the mascot, the better the performance will be and the better the reactions. For top of the line mascots, contact us at Hogtown Mascots and talk to a representative about how we can begin your custom order today!