The family behind 60 years of handmade costumes in Colorado Springs
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Eva Saunders, 68, is ready for almost anything.
If she’s tapped for a mission to the moon, she’s got a spacesuit; if a fleet of leather aliens invade, she’ll fit right in; and if she’s re-enacting stomping on Yokohama while battling an enormous moth, she’s made the giant lizard suit to fill the role.
“Making costumes, it’s an odd thing,” said Saunders, the second generation of costume makers from Saunders Costumes, the costume business her family has run on and off for about 60 years.
“It’s not something that you need every day, but when you need it, it’s nice to know that it’s here,” she said.
Saunders maintains approximately 10,000 of the hand-made costumes that she and her mother handcrafted and rented out to partygoers, all from her home. She was forced to move after her retail business faced increasing pressures — namely rising rent and a slowing customer-base — from the mass-manufactured, prepackaged costumes found at big box stores.
“It’s important that people feel that there is care in creating the look that they want,” said Saunders “Real, historical-looking costumes rather than packaged costumes.”
Celebrating Halloween as a whole has become increasingly expensive, and Halloween apparel was up as much as 5.5% in 2022, according to Newsweek. The magazine reported that the increase in cost was due in part to higher “‘sewing machines, fabric and supplies’” costs.
Consumers are projected to spend about $11.6 billion on Halloween in 2024, and $3.8 billion on costumes alone.
Halloween spending is followed by Halloween disposal, particularly when it comes to packaged costumes. The Washington Post reported that this year’s nearly $12 billion dollars worth of costumes will contribute to an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste.
Saunders said that renting and re-using costumes offers a more sustainable solution to fast-fashion costuming.
Now retired, Saunders and her husband, John, only occasionally make and rent suits, renting at the same $25 per day, per costume rate they’ve offered for over a decade.
Prices vary for custom suits. Today, they still produce original pieces for local middle and high school plays and for performances at the annual Renaissance Fair in Larkspur, Colorado.
Saunders’ mother, Evelyn, first dipped a sewing needle into the costuming world in 1956 when she made bear suits for her cub-scout sons.
Inspired by her creations, Evelyn Saunders went into business by using her spending money to buy just enough fabric to make 25 costumes out of a costume book, including clown suits, animal suits and pioneer dresses.
She spent the rest on an advertisement about her services in The Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, now The Gazette.
“My father went out hunting that morning, and by the time he returned, she was in business,” said Eva Saunders.
Evelyn Saunders gradually moved out of the pattern books and began creating original costumes. She also took commissions. She made uniforms for employees at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs’ luxury resort hotel, and a life-size falcon for the U.S. Air Force Academy.
After running the business for nearly 20 years and building her inventory to around 1,500 hand-made costumes, Evelyn Saunders closed shop in 1974 to spend more time with her family.
It would be another two decades before “Saunders Costumes” reopened, now under the leadership of Evelyn’s daughter, Eva, who got back in business ahead of Halloween in 1996.
Eva Saunders had first learned to sew as a child “on her mother’s lap” using scrap fabric to make clothes for her dolls.
Inspired by her mother, Saunders went to a fashion design school in Sacramento, California after graduating from high school.
“But the second year at school, they were making costumes and I had been making costumes for 18 years on my own,” said Saunders. “So I left.”
Eva returned and opened the new Saunders Costumes in front of the Ace Loans Pawn Shop. They experienced quick success, soon upgrading to the Maizeland Moors Shopping Center, which significantly increased her costume storage and costume production.
Saunders began forming relationships with local middle schools and high schools to create costumes for school plays, and she connected with a couple getting married at the Larkspur Renaissance Fair who requested 135 costumes for their ceremony.
Since setting up shop, Saunders’ creations have appeared in seven movies, including the unreleased feature “Emancipation,” and she regularly works with civil war reenactments, murder mystery events and themed parties.
As word spread about Saunders’ unique offerings and abilities, costume-seekers with more abstract requests began arriving at her door.
She once used Walmart bedding to assemble a Godzilla costume for a 6’9” man headed to Tokyo for a college class reunion.
“He wanted to walk through Tokyo in a Godzilla costume, but he couldn’t find costumes in his size,” Saunders said. “We did it in just a week, in time for him to leave.”
“I hope he was successful.”
While she never heard back from Godzilla, Saunders said that she regularly enjoys compliments from customers. On a number of occasions, renters have returned her costumes after a Halloween party where they won first place in a costume contest.
“One time, someone said, ‘We lost to this other costume,’ and I knew that was another one of my costumes,” said Saunders.
At its peak, Saunders Costumes rented anywhere from 200 to 400 costumes a weekend during the Halloween season.
However, rising rent prices caught up with Saunders, worsened by the increased competition from large online and pre-packaged costume dealers including Amazon, Walmart and Spirit Halloween.
Saunders closed the storefront around 2019. She was forced to move the entire inventory into her garage and a storage container located on her driveway, where they all remain today.
Saunders estimates the collection to be about 10,000 in total.
Today, Saunders still makes and rents costumes. She made 33 for a Renaissance Fair wedding this past summer, and she’s currently making dresses for a junior high school’s “space princess wars” play.
Saunders hopes to preserve the craft and artistry associated with costume making, as well as the sentimental value that comes from having a personally designed, hand-made suit.
“What else am I going to do with all these costumes?” Saunders said.
“Besides, people say that they’ll need you next time.”
