All Opinions are My Own
Every season comes with a ton of design elements to plan–the music choices, the floor (if in winter), props, flags, weapons, color scheme, hair, makeup, and of course, costumes! There are a surprising amount companies who make costumes for colorguard land, and I’ve had experiences on all sides of the process with many of them.
So to save some time when figuring out what’s out there and deciding who to order from, I’ve ranked some of the most prominent companies below (and within those rankings, I’ve broken it down even more. You’re welcome).
Enjoy!
7. BandShoppe
Pricing
BandShoppe actually has some pretty incredible prices. You can get some basics and add-on pieces for as low as $30. Bandshoppe definitely will not break the bank.
Ease of Use
The website itself is easy to use. However, you can’t really sort by type of item, color, or any of those design-y elements. Only the basics from them.
Quality & Uniqueness
Don’t get me wrong, the quality of their fabric is perfectly fine. However, if you’re looking for something custom and fun, this is not the place to go. You can find some very traditional and basic styles here. It’s great if you’re looking for a tunic with your schools mascot on it with jazz pants. However, for an out-of-this-world costume, I’d go somewhere else.
6. American Band
Pricing
I’d say that these prices are still on the lower end–a bit higher than BandShoppe, and very close to Algy Team (if not the same). Another place to go to stay within your budget.
Ease of Use
Again, only basics when it comes to sorting online here. I’ve never actually ordered from here, but It looks like customizations are limited to colors.
Quality & Uniqueness
I honestly cannot speak to the quality–as mentioned before, I haven’t really ordered from here! But their selection is definitely more diverse than BandShoppe and less so than Algy Team.
5. Algy Team
Pricing
Prices here are a little higher than BandShoppe, but for good reason! The pricing is still very low (plenty of great finds below $150), but the selection is larger and more diverse.
Ease of Use
The website is a little more cluttered than BandShoppe’s, but sorting and finding what you need is a lot easier. You can find items based on type of item, season, and gender (reminder to consult your members on what costume they would like to wear since not everyone identifies with the sex that they were born with).
Quality & Uniqueness
While there are more unique styles than BandShoppe and customizations seems to be limited, I’ve had and heard of some quality issues with Algy Team. If ordering from here, make sure that the fabric and stitching is built to last.
4. Creative Costuming
Pricing
There’s a huge range of prices here. I think that the prices for their basics is fine ($65 for a unitard), but the custom ones are an investment for sure. The in-stock costume prices are mid-range.
Ease of Use
The website is fine. It’s relatively easy to navigate and there are plenty of filtering option. Plus, if you happen to already have a style number, you can easily directly search for that style.
Quality & Uniqueness
While you’ve got some pretty styles here and many top winterguards order from here, the quality isn’t always the best. I’ve had numerous problems with the quality of what I’ve ordered, and for the price, it’s honestly not worth it to me.
3. McCormick’s
Pricing
The prices here are actually a lot lower than I remember them. Individual pieces can start at $60, while dresses and unitards start in the $100 -110 range. Of course, custom costumes will be more expensive.
Ease of Use
The easiest-to-use website that we’ve seen on this list of far! You can click on the category of costume and filter from there. Also, shoutout tho their web design team because this website has a ton of info while remaining uncluttered.
Quality & Uniqueness
McCormick’s is known for their printed designs, and they are definitely the leader in their chosen niche. Honestly, if you want a printed flag, floor, or costume, just use McCormick’s. If you’re looking for another type of costume, you can also find plenty of options here. Also, contacting them to create a completely custom design is super easy.
2. FJM
Pricing
FJM is that girl who makes you call for prices–that’s how you know you might be paying a bit more. While FJM is not the most budget-friendly retailer, it’s worth it to take a look if you’ve got the cash. They have incredible designers, great customer service, and notable designs.
Ease of Use
It’s not a hard website to use…it’s just that if you want to order or find out almost anything about their designs, you’re gonna have to contact them.
Quality & Uniqueness
The quality is AMAZING and the uniqueness and unmatched. I mean, the top drum corps order from here. If their costumes can make it through a season of drum corps without any issues, I’m pretty sure that they can make it through anything. They don’t have in-stock costumes for colorguard, so you’ll definitely get what you want when you work directly with them.
1. AWCT Performance Wear
AWCT takes the number one spot for best place to order your costumes from, in my opinion. And here’s why:
Pricing
The pricing is a little more expensive than the basics, but it won’t break your budget (even with a 100% custom uniform). Plus they offer one-price sizing –no more paying extra for larger sizes!
Ease of Use
I’ve never found it hard to use their site–of course, I have my favorite designer on speed dial. But for those of you who are new to AWCT, you can filter by style, color, price, and size. Definitely the easiest website to narrow down your search on.
Quality & Uniqueness
AWCT costumes are great quality. They have more lining options than other retailers and have unisex styles. In regards to uniqueness, their in-stock costumes are more specific to me–they did start as just a dance competition costume retailer. However, their in-stock selection is huge and it’s very easy and cost effective to get a custom design (I got one one year for under $150/costume).
There you have it! My favorite colorguard costume retailers, ranked. Are your experiences with these companies different than mine? Let me know below!
