Hallensteins clothing stores around the country are gearing up this week for their now-iconic annual sale of Willy Moon costumes.

The costumes, which are usually prohibitively expensive for those on a tight budget, are sold for as low as $100 during the sale, which attracts thousands of buyers every year.

“You might not think it,” said Hallensteins spokesman Graeme Popplewell, “but our customers are absolutely crazy about Willy Moon costumes.

“It’s a strange phenomenon, but men of all shapes and sizes, different backgrounds, they all want to dress up as Willy Moon for this or that formal occasion, so we do what we can to offer them the best price possible for their hobby.”

Ted Jordan, Hallensteins store manager at Westfield Queensgate in Lower Hutt, said it would be “hard to keep up with stock” once the sale began next week.

“They just go so fast,” he said. “You get people literally queuing up to get their Willy Moon.”

Jordan said that the “traditional” grey Willy Moon costume was the most popular, but that it wasn’t uncommon for stores to run out of any variant.

“A lot of people go for the black Willy Moon, which is sort of, closer to what he wears on X Factor, but then you’ve got the Willy Moon in white, or even the Willy Moon in red is starting to take off.”

But not all were enthusiastic about the sale.

25-year-old Christchurch resident Tim McLeod said that, while he was in the market for a Willy Moon costume, he intended to buy something a little bit more “premium” and “authentic” than those on offer at Hallensteins.

“The way I look at it is, we’re not here to fuck spiders,” he said. “Next week, everybody’s going to be dressed as Willy Moon, so if you’ve got the money, you may as well be the most true-to-life Willy Moon.”

He described Hallensteins Willy Moon costumes as “cheap knock offs” and said he’d be visiting “high end tailories” to get a “Willy Moon like the real Willy Moon wears.”

“It’s either that, or dress as somebody else, but I think we all know that’s not really an option.”