When a full-body costume is designed for a movie such as The Dark Knight, it's designed only to last for a few hours and the special effects department will stamp out hundreds of them as Christian Bale and his stunt doubles rip through twenty to thirty of them in the course of a single day of shooting. So when it comes to promoting the film later on, where the studios now need to have actors dressed as Batman to appear at conventions, promotional screenings, and other major events, they call Universal Designs in Richmond Hill, Ontario to design a replica that will last for weeks if not a full year. The Canadian costumers use silicone to create a durable, yet detailed shell along with accurate accessories, including boots, gloves, capes, and helmets. As Hollywood has expanded to include comic books and now video games, so too have Universal Designs. Montreal-based video game studio Ubi Soft commissioned them last year to create a costume for the video game Haze, which was used to promote the game at conventions, including the E3 video games summit in Los Angeles.

At this weekend's Fan Expo here in Toronto, the company showcased samples of their fantasy work, but founder David Pea tells me that they are currently working on a series of mascots for the Maple Leafs. Their favorite contracts involve those were a company approaches them with an original character design, one that has yet to be realized in outside of the page, leaving them to figure out how to bring the creation to life. Unfortunately, they restrict their business only to corporations and professional clients as they are not in a position to create costumes for private collectors. The licensing issues alone make that a closed issue.For a look at more of their costumes, you can visit their website at UniversalDesigns.ca

A futuristic soldier from the video game Haze

The Lord of Darkness, from the movie Legend

Batman

Spawn