Did you know that the clothing and costumes of Pixar’s Incredibles 2 costumes were custom created for the film? Learn all about the artistic process of dressing your favorite supers from the designers who created them.
If you are a Pixar fan you are going to want to read my post on A Look Behind The Scenes At The Pixar Campus or Pixar Fest at Disneyland Resort. Don’t forget to get your movie ticket to Incredibles 2!
Incredibles 2 Costumes
Character artist Deanna Marsigliese at Incredibles 2 Long Lead Press day, as seen on April 4, 2018 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
What was the inspiration for the costume designs in Incredibles 2?
The inspiration for the costume designs in Incredibles 2 is inspired by mid century design. Pay attention to not only the super hero costumes of the Incredibles but pay attention to the clothes of the background characters. Take note of the design of the ‘every day’ clothes that the Parr family wear in the film.
They were inspired by:
- mid century silhouetts
- Classic Butterick sewing patterns
- Simple lines
- Iconic, contemporary lines
The costumes were designed to support the story telling of Incredibles 2. The architecture of the buildings of the film have a mid century feel. The clothing and costumes were designed to compliment the over all feel of the movie. Each Pixar film has a unique set of costumes and colors that even the background characters will wear. It would feel awkward to have costumes from UP in the background of Incredibles 2. They would stick out and not be part of the story.
Who designed the clothing worn by the characters of Incredibles 2?
We had to privilege to interview a few of the incredible team that created the clothing worn by not only the Parr family but the iconic Edna as well as the new characters you will meet in Incredibles 2. We interviewed the women power house of
- Bryn Imagire, Shading Art Director
- Fran Kalal, Tailoring Lead
- Deanna Marsigliese, Character Artist
Each woman was full of creativity and I felt more inspired to create after I left the room. I designed and sewed my prom gowns in high school and these women opened my eyes to what my carer path could have been had I gone into fashion design instead of the culinary arts. Just because you don’t end up a high fashion designer, you could use your design skills to create iconic fashions at Pixar!
Fran Kalal is photographed on March 7, 2018 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
What is different about the super suits in Incredibles 2?
In Incredibles 1 the super suits were pained on the super. Think of them as one with the super instead of the super wearing the suit. In Incredibles 2 the suits were their own entity and had an actual weave, give and texture to the material. The team commissioned a custom embroidery logo to have for reference for stitch placement. It have them perspective on how the ratio of logo on the suit would be placed on each super suit.
Concept art by Bryn Imagire. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Who is Evelyn Expoloration?
Evelyn Expoloration is one of the new villains, or is she, in Incredibles 2. She is a self made woman. She makes, and spends, her own money and wants the finest of the finest when it comes to her wardrobe. She is bohemian and relaxed and looks like she stepped out of a 1960s Vogue. She is also eco conscious in her fashion and all of her fur is faux.
Concept art by Bryn Imagire. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
The Fashions of Edna
Edna is known for declaring, No capes! In Incredibles 2 we see several new outfits worn by the iconic Edna. She has a dress that is inspired by origami and made of neoprene fabric. If you know how neoprene behaves on the body, you will appreciate how the design team has NAILED interpreting neoprene for Edna.
Edna will be donning a terry cloth robe in Incredibles 2. Know that the animation team has little hairs on loops of the terrycloth fabric. It is not a flat fabric, there is life and technical details in the fabric.
New hair technology was created for Incredibles 2 and you will see it in full action with the bounce of Edna’s hair. No helmet hair for this daaahling!
Tailoring Lead Fran Kalal at Incredibles 2 Long Lead Press day, as seen on April 4, 2018 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
How are the costumes of the background characters designed?
This was probably the thing that blew my mind the most about our interview. The design team created 12 garments for the men and boys who were the background characters. Those 12 garments were then adjusted to fit 6 different body types. The pants were adjusted to include a break in the crease, tailored jackets for larger shoulders, long jackets , waist jackets and all fit to the color pallet of Incredibles 2. They ended up with 72 different background characters with mid century designed clothing.
They did the same thing with the women background characters. But they created 20 different garments for 7 different body types. They even designed the jewelry, watches, glasses, purses and shoes. NOTHING was stock images for the film.
