Messi
and Neymar ’s magical skills, Pelé and Maradona ’s dexterity, Zidane ’s kicking power and strategy, along with six other ace players of a dream team made of latex wait to make their way into world stadiums from a mask factory in Mexico.
Diego Esponda
is head executive of Grupo Rev , one of the companies responsible for creating and producing this mask collection that includes 12 famous players, some of which are active, and others that have become part of the history of soccer. The masks’ realistic features are surprising to the viewer.
“Many people who are going to the World Cup come here asking for masks,” Esponda says with enthusiasm from the design workshop of the factory located in the state of Morelos .
“Us Mexicans are known for being the life and soul of the party wherever we go, and we believe masks to be a head-turning accessory,” he adds.
Like in every worldwide soccer tournament, the selection process was tough. Esponda tells that they had to make their own “playoffs” between 20 or so candidates to be immortalized in rubber, keeping only the best known and most popular players. The workers at the factory participated in the selection process, but also the friends and family of the company’s creative team.
“ Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are most in demand. And El Chicharito (Javier Hernández) is highly sought after in Mexico,” adds Esponda in regard to the mask sales, which have a retail value of around 13 dollars.
For the star players of Barcelona F.C. and Real Madrid , the company produced a first batch of 1000 masks each , which is already about to run out. As for the other players, the batches were of between 200 and 500 masks each, making a total of 6000 .
The manufacturing process is essentially handcrafted, starting with the sculpture design, first on plasticine, then on plaster, and later comes the paint job, final touches, and wrapping.
“The machinery needed for the process is minimal, I’d say less than 15% of the overall operation,” Esponda points out.
Although the football edition is destined for Mexico’s black market , the company has received orders from Spain, France, and the USA , besides a few enthusiasts from Switzerland who reached out through social media.
dm