Behind the seams of 'The Masked Singer SA'

For the past two decades, singing competitions have been the favourite for audiences around the globe. However, for close to 10 seasons The Masked Singer has changed the game by introducing a fun element to a TV genre we are familiar with.

The singing competition pits several celebrities against each other who perform in mascot-style outfits. Each week, the stars battle to keep their masks on as the eliminated stars' identities are revealed. From politicians to sports stars, audiences have been left aghast at the entertaining sensations that hid behind their masks.

From June 3, South Africa introduced its spin-off of the franchise where personalities vie for the coveted crown. While it's intriguing to see who lurks behind the mask, the unsung hero of the show is the costume designer of the series.

We take a break from the onstage glamour to find out just how Heidi du Toit of Hollywood Costumes brought the star-studded cast to life.

How did you join the crew of The Masked Singer South Africa as costume director?

My daughter is also in the film industry and Paul Buys (co-founder of The Masked Singer SA production company Rose and Oaks) asked if I was interested to be part of it. I was wowed and agreed immediately.

Who came up with the concept of each contestant's look?

What Frankie [du Toit], Paul and Anele [Mdoda] did was tell me they want a tree or a rhino for a certain person because it tells a little bit about their character. When that person came in they would show them the pictures by Jonathan Done and they would choose which one they liked.

After that, my team would choose what would or wouldn't work and then we started with the artwork and manufactured the pieces. My team includes amazing graphic and virtual designers who help bring our ideas to life. I also have sculptors to create the costumes. It was quite the journey. 

Virtual design. Tell us more about that...

This is part of 3D printing which my grandson does. For example, we do the artwork on a computer and then we print them. The virtual design helps us include the add-ons that go onto the final costume. 

While the producers helped the singers pick their outfits, how did the fittings go?

Anele Mdoda is a wonderful person. We had to go to her house every time because none of the celebrities are supposed to know who the other singers are. We had to take their measurements at her house and we would meet them at the studio, where they would do their first fittings. And we only had one fitting with them. For Lion, he was overseas so we couldn't get his measurements but it still came out amazing. 

What were the masked singers like to work with?

Everyone was so nice and I think it was a journey for them too. There were a lot of people I got to know better so I got to see how amazing each of them are. Even though they are so well known in their fields, you could see that like a normal person, they get nervous. Whenever they got voted out I wanted to cry because I wish all of them could win.

The costumes look huge and heavy to navigate. Surely the stars sweat so much that they need laundering. How did you maintain them?

Inside the costume it was hot and when you go on a stage like that with all of the lights, it's worse. To make it easier, we put fans inside to cool them off. Some of them had four of five but some just needed one depending on the costume.

The costumes get wet from sweat so we take them home every night, wash them, and bring them back. We also took the black hooded things they use to hide themselves. We have a kit with us with pieces if something like buttons break or come off. Whenever they tear we sow them immediately because they must look perfect when they get back on stage.

Did any of the singers struggle with the costumes?

Two. They felt claustrophobic. We had to put Zebra in and out of the mask to talk them through it so that they could feel OK. It was hard for Sunflower because they found it scary and we would even help by looking in the mirror to see how beautiful they looked in it. By the time they did the show, they were stars who were used to it.

The Masked Singer SA is on SABC3 every Saturday at 6.30pm and repeats on SABC 1 on Thursday at 9pm.