What Is a Costume Warehouse?

A costume warehouse is a space where costumes are designed, built and stored for a theater company or a production. The size of a costume shop can vary from one large room to a house with multiple floors. Costumes from past productions, fabric, jewelry and accessories are often stored in the space. Costume designers, builders and seamstresses work in the space. The Costume Shop is overseen by a Costume Shop Manager or Supervisor, who handles budgets and scheduling for the staff.

A Cutter or Draper creates patterns from actor measurements and the Costume Designer’s costume rendering for each built costume. A first hand is the cutter’s assistant and helps with cutting and patterning. The build process is carried out by the Stitchers, also known as Costume Technicians. The garments are fitted to the actors at each step, before and after construction. The Costume Designer is often present at each fitting, to ensure that the final costume matches the designer’s vision for the character.

Costume rental business is a unique and exciting endeavor, but it also comes with its challenges. Keeping up with the demands of customers is essential for the success of this type of business. A cloud based costume rental management system, like Stagecraft, can help with these demands. It automatically updates costume availability, which allows costumers to book the costumes they need without causing any conflicts with other bookings.

The Costume Collection warehouse at Goodspeed is a museum-like space that houses some of the most iconic costumes from Broadway shows and touring productions. It includes Glenn Close’s gown from Sunset Boulevard, a dress worn by the star of Annie and a suit that Alex Baldwin wore in The Drowsy Chaperone. Tours of the warehouse are offered to groups that attend a performance at the theatre, and the full collection is available for rent to other theater companies.