House of the Dragonthey are the ones. Emily in Paristhem again. Dunesalways them… In a few years, the Spaniards of Peris Costumes have carved out a place for themselves in cinema and in the series thanks to their huge wardrobe, praised by producers all over the world.
Armor of knights, uniforms of sailors, chasubles of monks or frock coats…”Here we find everything“, says Javier Toledo, CEO of this Madrid group, in front of the shelves full of costumes and accessories that this tailor keeps in Algete, a town of 20,000 inhabitants located about thirty kilometers from the Spanish capital.
Around him, models dressed in 18th century dresses stand alongside posters of films the company has worked on in recent years. “There are starting to be a lot“, recognizes in a gravelly voice this entrepreneur of 63 years, neat beard and white hair.
At the head of the group since 2012, he has made this family business, founded in Valence in 1856 by tailors specializing in theater clothes, one of the world leaders in the rental of costumes for the film industry. A “success story” closely linked to the rise of video on demand platforms, such as Netflix, Disney + or HBO. “We have accompanied the changes that have occurred in the audiovisual market, with the boom in series“, explains Javier Toledo.
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When he bought the company ten years ago, Peris costumes had only ten employees, all based in Madrid. Today, the group employs 250 people and has offices or workshops in 15 capitals, including Budapest, Berlin, Paris or Mexico City.
“During the first semester, we participated in nearly 600 productions. And over the whole year, we hope to reach 1,000 projects“, says Myriam Wais, marketing director of the group.
cruella, The Rings of Power, The Crown, The Ladies Game… Among the films and series that have chosen the Madrid company are many blockbusters, which are very demanding in period or fantasy costumes. Clothes they prefer to rent rather than make.
“Start from nothing“to establish a wardrobe”has now become almost impossible, due to the costs and delays that this entails“, emphasizes Javier Toledo. In addition, having clothes “already worn and aged by time“is often appreciated”producers“, he specifies.
To expand its catalog, Peris Costumes has bought several million dresses, shoes, hats or uniforms in recent years from major film studios, such as Warner Bros. Enough to complete the collections made in-house in the costume designer’s workshops.
“In total we have 10 million“clothing and accessories, either”the most important wardrobe in the world“, underlines Myriam Wais, by carrying out an inventory of the most requested styles and eras.
In an adjoining room, a group of four seamstresses work on pieces of leather, mallet and pliers in hand. “At the moment, we are working for our stocks. But there are also commands“, specifies Myriam Wais.
The jewelry store, a little further on, has its own room. Nearly 20,000 pieces are kept there, including jewelry worn by Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963) and crosses used by Jude Law in the series The Young Pope (2016).
The rule at Peris Costumes is not to throw anything away, not even what is damaged after filming. “We have an area called “The Walking Dead”. We put everything that is perforated or burned but that can still be used“, underlines Myriam Wais, in reference to the American series featuring the living dead.
To give a second life to its costumes, and in response to the appetite of its customers, the Spanish tailor recently embarked on a new challenge: to digitize part of its catalog using a studio equipped with 144 cameras. high resolution.
This service, called Peris Digital, allows “create 3D images“of clothes, usable by the films”during post-production“, underlines Myriam Wais. A virtual wardrobe also appreciated, according to the group, by video games.
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