The Superman Super Site recently had the opportunity to speak with David Pea from UD Replicas (Universal Designs, LTD) who are widely known for their amazing, screen accurate replicas of famous costumes from various comic book and sci-fi movies.

In the following interview, Pea talks about about UD Replica's amazing products and their upcoming line of replica costumes & items for "Man of Steel", the highly anticipated reboot of the Superman film franchise.

SuperSite: UD Replicas is renowned for their highly detailed and officially licensed movie replica products. What first inspired you to launch the company and start making these wonderful products?
Pea: As a kid growing up with movies like Superman, Star Wars and the TV Show Batman...a lot of those childhood emotions related to the excitement these movies and characters generated, are still to this day wonderful emotions to relive as an adult, not to mention...FUN! Chances are that anyone who felt that emotional connection to these larger than life characters years ago 'still' holds those feelings true today, even though now we're all grown up.

With my passion for Superhero's and Sci Fi aside....in the 90's I moved to Italy and worked in the clothing industry for approx 8 years. I quickly began to specialize in clothing design and complex garment construction, then in 2001 I moved back to Toronto/Canada and started Universal Designs...originally a costume making company. For years we produced corporate costumes for everyone from the NHL to Ubisoft...but traditional costumes are meant to be worn and used for exactly what they are....meaning costumes, and as cool as that was I continued to fantasize about themed clothing and what that could be like if made available to the general public. In other words you really can't put on a Batman costume and go to work...but, how cool would it be to put on a leather jacket designed as a visual replica of what Batman wears and still be an everyday wearable 'functional' garment? That's really how this all started to fall into place. Then if you consider my experience in costume making, together with a heavy background in clothing design...and a huge connection to the Superhero Universe, that's why this all seemed like such a natural fit to me and in 2008 UD REPLICAS - the licensed division of Universal Designs Ltd was born. So in a nut shell, that's how it all started. :)

SuperSite: Your products range from such films as "Star Wars", "TRON Legacy", and "The Dark Knight Rises." What has been your favorite product to work on thus far and why?
Pea: Not to sound cliché but they're all my favorites. :) My desire with UD Replicas is work with characters and franchises that I can connect with. It's more than just copying a character or a costume design and making it into a jacket or suit. These goods of ours are functional, and most of the time are replicas of some film costume that was either ABS plastic or foam latex. Those stellar movie designs have to somehow be reinterpreted, and in some cases totally re-imagined into fully functional, every day wearable motorcycle suits. If I'm drawn to the source material then this transition in design comes naturally, and if it's not forced then there's a good chance that the end result will be visually appealing to the fans...and serve the purpose of everyday outerwear too. They're all my favorites because I'm building a company around brands and franchises that I myself can connect with...and if you love your job 'working' comes that much easier!

SuperSite: Your company gives fans the opportunity to dress up as their favorite comic book/sci-fi characters in everyday life, as well as at various conventions and shows. What would you say has been the most popular and best selling product among the fans?
Pea: I'm often asked that question and while our Batman line continues to be a strong draw, let's not forget the influence current pop culture has on us all. Fortunately these characters are timeless...so from Star Wars to Batman...the truth is we've got the coolest customers on the planet because all of our lines do very well.

SuperSite: You recently unveiled a drawing for a yet-to-be confirmed jacket based on the redesigned Superman costume from "Man of Steel." What are some details you can reveal about this amazing new jacket?
Pea: You mean besides the attached teaser image of the jacket being assembled? :) I can tell you that we're constantly thinking outside of the box with how to raise the bar beyond whatever it was we just did last. Our Batman Begins NOMEX suit is extremely complex and littered with 'Impact Absorbing Gel Packs' designed as the shapes of the costume themselves and a lot of that technology went into our Man of Steel jacket. Yes, the pants and boots are also in the works but for now I hope you can enjoy this most recent look at the jacket. It's really quite remarkable even by our standards and absolutely unlike anything else we've ever done before.

SuperSite: Other costumes from "Man of Steel", such as those for Jor-El and Zod, will have a completely new look over what was established in the original 1978 Superman movie. Will UD Replicas also be producing replica items based off these costumes as well?
Pea: Definitely yes. Zod's all black version of the Kryptonian bodysuit - like Superman's - but with the Zod crest is a sure bet as well as others...but we also plan to have a simple MOS branded line with more commercial garments present. Hopefully something for everyone if they're fans of the Superman Universe.

SuperSite: Hollywood is currently obsessed with producing films based off superheroes and comic books. In addition to "Man of Steel", what are some other upcoming films UD Replicas will be producing products for?
Pea: I wish I could answer that. I really do...all I can say is we now have 9 studio licenses with only 4 present on the website. There is so much more coming, and some very popular requests that have been coming in from our loyal customers over the years are finally going to happen. I really wish I could say more...;)

SuperSite: Thank you for taking the time to participate in our interview. It has been an honor and a pleasure speaking with you!
Pea: The pleasure is all mine, and I'm grateful to you for your time and the chance to get to address your readers. With MOS opening a few days from now, let's face it...we're all pretty excited by what this movie will bring to fans the world over.

View UD Replicas complete line of amazing products at www.UDReplicas.com.