The Costumes For The Masked Men From “Squid Game” Were Almost Wildly Different According To The Show’s Director
Fans worldwide have been obsessed with Netflix‘s Squid Game. With its iconic imagery, the K-Drama continues to grow in popularity, with it having reached the top of Netflix’s most popular shows in its first week.
With October approaching, fans are starting to look to the show’s characters, specifically the masked men, for Halloween inspiration. However, this jumpsuit-clad look was not the original plan for the character.
While talking to Netflix Korea, director Hwang Dong Hyuk and art director Chae Kyung Sun shared the entire process as to how these brightly colored, faceless looks were made.
Hwang Dong Hyuk was the first to share his thoughts on the first design for costume and, in doing so, revealed a significant surprise.
At first, I wanted a boy scout-like outfit but it showed the men’s figures too well. It didn’t really make them look like ants in an ant colony. They needed to cover their entire body. And the best option to keep them anonymous was a jumpsuit. With a hoodie too, because they need to cover their faces.
— Hwang Dong Hyuk
While it’s hard to imagine some of the characters with the scariest job in the show dressed up like scouts, this was, in fact, Hwang Dong Hyuk’s initial plan. This could’ve played into the childlike theme of the series but was replaced by the bright colors of the costume instead. He explained, “Let’s make the color very childlike, so it doesn’t feel daunting or scary.”
This was when Chae Kyung Sun chimed in, adding that “The mask went through countless designs.” Hwang Dong Hyuk elaborated on this by saying, “We tried animals and some other weird stuff.”
Chae Kyung Sun then broke down the specific elements she had to think of when making the mask for the costume, including its inspirations.
It has to be easy to wear. it has to secure a good view. It has to express their class. So I was inspired by the Hahoe-tal [traditional Korean masks] and fencing masks.
— Chae Kyung Sun
The final detail they added to the mask was a request from the director. “I asked her to make it foldable,” he said. This added one of the neatest production details, as Chae Kyung Sun explained.
And it got more interesting. It got an added detail like an ant’s mouth.
— Chae Kyung Sun
With the goal of making the masked characters look like ants in a colony in mind, it’s safe to say they succeeded.
There is a version of Squid Game airing in an alternate world with the masked men wearing animal masks and donning boy-scout uniforms, but luckily that’s not our reality. What do you think of some of the original design choices? Let us know, and to see more from this interview, check out the article below:
