Why would you ever send your performer out with a costume that looks like it was stuffed in a body bag – and smelled even worse? Unfortunately, we see this happening consistently, and not just with our Fur Rehab work. If you don’t care about your costume, people won’t care about your character. So, here are the top five costume care and repair best practices that will help you protect and keep your character branding initiatives powerful.

Care

Your mascot costume is valuable and, in most cases, required investing $8,000 or more! That investment needs to protected. If you CARE you would put a plan in place and take the necessary steps to protect your character’s value. Your mascot costume is no different and if you first care about its appearance, well-being and value then everyone else involved in your program will do the same.

Process

You must create your own customized costume care process. Dedicated storage space, costume and prop inventory are part of that process. You will need to create a portable costume repair kit for each costume and list the “dos and don’ts” for performers who handle them. Finally, you need to create a written care and repair manual that is required reading for any performer before they ever have access to your costume.

Consistency

An effective costume care strategy requires daily attention. Costumes should always be hung in the storage area and in should never be stored in a box or carry bag. After every performance the costumes should be hung to air dry and shoes should be wiped clean of all debris and dirt including the soles. Notes should be taken for any problem areas or stains.

Full Fur Bath

All costumes regular washing head to toe! That doesn’t mean after every performance. Washing costumes actually wears fabrics out. With that in mind every costume will need to be put on a regular washing schedule. Consult your costume’s manufacturer and you will want to clean your costume before it starts to present any odors. Once your costume is allowed to smell badly then it will always smell badly.

Consult the Experts

Remember – your performers, in many cases, are not experts in costume care, repair or maintenance. Just because the performer you have hired has four years of high school or college performance experience does NOT insure they are capable of caring for your costume properly. You must consult character costume experts. If you don’t follow costume care and repair guidelines provided by the manufacture your costume warranty could be voided.

Does your mascot costume look shabby and smell even worse? Are you worried that your costume is about to fall apart? Try our Fur Rehab offering. Fur Rehab is affordable and will get your mascot costume back into shape in only two weeks! We clean it, make minor sewing repairs and give you a “state of the fur” report. Call The Mascot Doctor at 302-731-2000 to whip your costume into shape today!