Burbank, California-based Miziker Entertainment has years of experience designing successful shows and entertainment. The company’s CEO Charlotte Huggins and senior costume designer Mirena Rada contributed the below guidelines for costume design.
- Built-in breathability: Make use of heat-dissipating fabrics like mesh. For hard costume pieces such as mascot headpieces, add strategically placed perforations for air flow.
- Lightweight design: For large-scale costume overlays, construct them out of the lightest possible materials. Engineer them to place an ergonomically light load on the performer that won’t encumber movement. This will also reduce stress—and a heightened heartbeat—in performers.
- Footwear: The right footwear is crucial in giving the performer protection from the elements while still complementing the costume. Miziker recommends breathable footwear to match the costume.
- Costume fading: This is a major issue for daytime costumes in full sunlight in hot weather. Miziker uses custom-printed fabrics to mitigate this issue.
- Cooling elements: Incorporate cold packs and mini fans into costume design.
“By following these guidelines, costumes designed for hot weather events need not be compromised in terms of visual impact and can be adapted to give the maximum effect,” Rada notes.