The story behind George Kittle's viral Halloween costume
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - When George Kittle decided he wanted to be the Mandalorian for Halloween, he knew exactly who to call: Alex Tran.
Tran and Kittle met during Kittle's rookie year and bonded over cosplay and Star Wars.
"It's not everyday George Kittle reaches out to you and says I need a Mandalorian costume," Tran said. "I said let's get right to it and we made it happen."
Tran was the right guy to get the Hollywood ready, custom-designed costumes that typically take 36 weeks, done in eight days.
It was a team effort, and Tran was the quarterback. He reached out to his network and found a person for each part of the costume; armor, leather, flight suit, and the famed helmet.
Mike Quinones, of specialty-clothing company The Darkside Closet, who created the flight suit, was stressed about getting the costume done in time because they sourced portions of the costume from the U.K.
"It was very, very short notice and with how intricate this costume is, it takes a while to come together, especially with everything is custom made," Quinones said.
The group, which spanned from from Califonria to Texas, wanted to ensure that a short deadline didn't compromise quality.
A flightsuit that would have normally taken weeks to produce got done in a matter of day. Kittle's armor was also done in record time.
"I didn't see anyone, I didn't go anywhere," said Jason, of Jsinprops, who custom-built Kittle's armor. "I just stuck to the project and finished it just in time."
The costume was not cheap. Tran estimates it was likely more than $5,000.
"I think George will always go bigger if the chance is bigger I don't think this is the last of what George wants to do with costumes," Tran said. "If ever he needs another one I'd love to take it a step further and see if we can top what we did this year."
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