Behind the scenes: Designing dazzling costumes for The Masked Singer with Artec 3D scanning

By Paul Hanaphy

3D Scanners

Artec Spider II

Challenge: Making the beautifully detailed costumes featured in hit TV show The Masked Singer faster, less expensively, and with a better fit for the celebrities underneath.

Solution: Artec Space Spider, Artec Studio, ZBrush, Clo3D

Result: Stunningly lifelike 3D models of tailor-made costumes worn in the last three seasons of The Masked Singer, including the incredible ‘Geishamurai,’ which featured in Season 6.

Why Artec 3D?: Artec’s Spider 3D scanners are ultra-high resolution, allowing users to capture the tiniest of features when creating 3D models. They’re also versatile, lightweight, and up to 0.05 mm accuracy, ensuring that digital twins are a true 1:1 copy. Artec Studio also makes it easy to export files for further editing in ZBrush, pattern making in Clo3D, and 3D printing.

Martian Agency co-founders Marine Arnoul & James Whittall. Image courtesy of the Martian Agency

Over the last ten years, The Masked Singer franchise has exploded in popularity, going from a fun TV show in South Korea to a global phenomenon with spin-offs around the world.

The concept of the show is simple: singers compete in a song contest dressed head-to-toe in elaborate costumes. Voters then decide who will be eliminated each week, with the loser being forced to remove their disguise and reveal their identity. Costume novelty and the show’s glamorous image are absolutely essential to its ongoing success and popularity.

However, until fairly recently, the show’s costumes and masks were still tailor-made using slow, expensive, traditional methods – which remain popular in the wider industry. Making silicone molds relies on imprecise manual measurements, leaves fragile parts vulnerable to breakage during transportation, and extends the lead times of on-set props.

The Geishamurai mask created for Season 6 of The Masked Singer. Image courtesy of the Martian Agency

In an effort to save time, improve precision, and reduce logistical restraints, without losing any of the artisanal flair that makes its designs so special, the Martian Agency has modernized its tailoring process with Artec 3D scanning in a way that’s already paying dividends on-screen.

From traditional sewing to millimeter precision

Based in the French commune of Chatou, the Martian Agency is a multidisciplinary fashion and costume agency, founded by fashion school graduate Marine Arnoul and 3D specialist James Whittall in 2023. Together, the design duo custom-make costumes and masks, combining artisanal know-how and technological innovations – in the shape of Artec 3D scanning.

Marine Arnoul & James Whittall were introduced to the technology by 3D NUM. Recognizing their need for a high-speed, precision 3D capture solution, the Artec Ambassador set them up with an Artec Space Spider. Designed to capture complex shapes and fine details with an accuracy of 0.05 mm, the device is ideal for scanning faces and creating perfectly tailored parts.

In just a short couple of years, the agency has already worked with prestigious names such as TF1, Netflix, Sony Music, Eurovision, and the Cannes Film Festival. Adding to its impressive CV, the company has also been asked to create costumes for the last three series of The Masked Singer, including the ‘Geishamurai’ worn by musician and singer-songwriter Florent Mothe.

The Geishamurai costume on-set during The Masked Singer. Image courtesy of the Martian Agency

Thanks to Space Spider, they were able to create two masks for the costume: one classic and the other perfectly tailored to the artist’s features. Despite the micro-movements of the human face, the device proved capable of capturing incredibly fine details, right down to individual skin pores, allowing for previously impossible levels of customization.

“The accuracy of the scan to within a tenth of a millimeter and the quality of the model have proven the effectiveness of this technology. We have halved our lead times, as well as achieving savings amounting to thousands of euros,” explains Marine Arnoul. According to James Whittall, “this technology is essential for pieces cut to order. Our technique requires half as many fittings with the artists as our colleagues’ for a similar result.”

New perspectives beyond entertainment

Since adopting Artec 3D scanning, the Martian Agency has been able to drastically reduce lead times and make more precise adjustments. Fewer fittings has also made the process more comfortable for artists, while unlocking the possibility of local 3D printing using STL files – effectively removing the risk traditionally associated with transporting fragile parts.

Now convinced of 3D scanning’s benefits, the Martian Agency is beginning to expand its expertise into other fields, such as art and advertising. “3D technologies are another way of seeing art. 3D scanning saves entire days of work,” concluded Marine Arnoul. The agency is already considering acquiring a second Artec 3D scanner to meet the needs of increasingly diverse and ambitious projects – and the brand new Artec Spider II could be perfect for the task.

The Geishamurai mid-performance on The Masked Singer. Image courtesy of the Martian Agency

Featuring a broader field of view, Spider II captures more data than its predecessor in a single pass, making it much faster and easier to use (due to greater tracking stability). Upgrades to Artec Studio also continue to add new features for the device, including Autopilot, Live Scan Decimation, Variable Gain, enhanced Real-time Fusion, and more.

Find out more about Spider II’s latest enhancements here. Or check out Season 8 of The Masked Singer on TF1 – which began on September 12, 2025. Martian Agency’s newest costume will be revealed during the series to audiences around the world.