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The merTailor
Interview by MacKensie Gibson / Photos by Andrew Delozie
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hen 22-year-old Crystal River native Eric Ducharme was in middle school, his art teacher chastised him for centering all of his projects on mermaids. “She got fed up with me and said ‘You’re not always going to be able to just do mermaids, you have to branch out!’ And look at me now,” says Eric.
“My grandparents lived in Hernando Beach, and they brought me to a show at Weeki Wachee when I was 3 or 4,” says Eric. “The shiny fabric on the tail and the hair flowing in the water; it was a magical experience.” When he was about 8 years old, he started attending the mermaid/merman camps at Weeki
i was so excited. the back was open, so i patched it up. i could wear it and swim in the pool and pretend i was a fish. Also known as The Mertailor, Eric has turned his passion for mermaids into a highly successful, full-time job creating elaborately detailed, fully swimmable and completely customized mermaid tails for many clients, including celebrities like Lady GaGa and T.I. and TV shows The Glades, Saturday Night Live, and more. Eric started his business at age 15, creating a far simpler product than is available today made of Spandex and various fabrics.
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Wachee that taught children about being performers in the show. “I was so mesmerized by the concept. I started wrapping my legs up with garbage bags and ropes and jumped in the pool to see if I could swim around like that,” he says. Not only did he get scuba certified and started performing with the air hose before the required age of 18, but he also started bugging the seamstress on the grounds for any scrap
tail material he could work with to make his own. Eventually Barbara Wynns, a former performer with Weeki Wachee, hooked him up with a gold lame tail she found in the garbage. “I was so excited,” says Eric. “The back was open, so I patched it up. I could wear it and swim in the pool and pretend I was a fish.” At this point, his purpose was clear. He only performed with Weeki Wachee for six months before leaving to work full time with his rapidly expanding business, which has doubled every year since he started seven years ago. Now, instead of working with spandex and lame, he has created a whole intricate process, which takes place in his garageturned-workshop with his two Dobermans, Triton and Serena. He has 10 different fiberglass molds for the bottom halves of the tails, oil-based clay for customizable gills, fins, scales and more, and uses a completely waterproof and durable material called Dragon
Skin Silicone, which is used for special effects in movies. These tails can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000, but he also offers less intricate tails that are cheaper, as well as customized shell, octopus and sea-inspired tops. Eric never formally studied costume design or art in college, but he is dedicated to creating the best product possible, and every one of his tails is a truly unique reflection of him and his masterful artistic style.
Want To See More? Visit mertailor.com to check out some of Eric’s awesome styles.