Feedback: Innovations
Dominique Peckett head of NPD, Smiffy’s “The use of EVA in the costume industry is an innovation which has seen the variety of accessories and masks on offer come on in leaps and Dominique Peckett bounds. EVA can be used to create soft-moulded masks, accessories such as swords and pieces of armour, and can even be incorporated into costumes in the place of latex to create moulded chest pieces and similar. It is the material of choice for many fancy dress manufacturers in terms of safety too, a subject hot on the lips of everyone in the party market at the moment. Sublimation printing has also become hugely popular in creating costumes and accessories with striking visual effect. It replaces the traditional (and not to mention expensive!) latex and is set to become a staple technique in the party and costume market in coming years. Our Realistic Muscle Top uses this cutting-edge technique, so consumers can fake a six pack without spending hours in the gym! Perhaps the most significant product development for Smiffy’s in recent years was the launch Above: Realistic Muscle Top, created with a cutting-edge of our Stand Out Suits in 2013. printing technique. They are perfect for those who love to stand out and want something a little more fashion-inspired than the typical fancy dress costume, and are available in a variety of colours and styles.
Carl Taylor sales director, Pam’s “Here at Pam’s we always make sure we keep an eye out for the most exciting developments right across the party market. It’s really interesting seeing Carl Taylor new developments come onto the scene and watching how the general public take them on board. People are definitely getting more adventurous! We have recently added the Paintglow range to our numerous fancy dress lines, as this innovative face and body paint is a perfect addition to our face painting offering. Many people love the glow and UV face and body paints, whether they are out clubbing or partying at festivals, making it an extremely versatile product within the market place. Paintglow has recently added to its glow glitter paint range which we jumped at the chance to stock. It is the very first of its kind and of course everyone knows how much the party market loves a bit of glitter!”
Right: Available in
a range of colours this UV glitter gel makes a great addition to fancy dress faces.
Anton Schygiol director of latex and foil balloons, Amscan UK “Having received a Licensing Award for Innovation Award Anton Schygiol in 2013 for our Spider-Man AirWalker foil balloon; we know the AirWalker format has played a vital part in driving innovation within the foil balloon market over recent years. Filled with air or helium and weights included that are attached to the balloon; they can move around freely themselves adding a whole new dimension and play factor to the experience. On the latex side exciting new innovations include the vibrant fourcolour print balloons featuring major Disney and Marvel properties. These bring the characters to life and offer a new perspective to enhance the overall party theme. Each pack can be used to create a fantastic balloon bouquet that makes a perfect visual statement.” Right: Storm Trooper AirWalker from Amscan.
Emma Angel, director Angels Fancy Dress “OppoSuits really are different to everything else on the market and their rise in popularity over the past few years hasn’t been surprising. Unlike your more traditional fancy Emma Angel dress costumes, these suits are cool and trendy but still ‘dressing up’, so the wearer manages to look stylish and to have made an effort – the holy grail of ‘cool’ fancy dress! With the introduction of the dramatic ‘Big Mouth tattoos’ range this year, which will add that extra flare to any Halloween look, we also expect the transfer movement to get bigger and better. With tattoos like these, the wearer is instantly transformed into a gory character while saving on the time, money and effort it would take to achieve the same effect with traditional make-up. The special effect tattoos include wounds and full-face designs and make it so much easier for the everyday person to create special effects at home. New transfers featuring metallic jewellery effects also work well with everyday clothing to add some stylish and unique glamour.” Above right: Dramatic Big Mouth tattoos are a new addition to the make-up market.
JULY/AUGUST 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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