10 Of the best costume hire companies in London

If you're planning to produce a film or a play, then you're likely going to need some costumes to kit out your crew. Choosing the right attire for your actors is a crucial aspect of your visual storytelling, helping them to get into character and feeding that crucial first impression from the audience.

Of course, some productions opt for taking on their own costume design and cutting, but when there are so many amazing costume rental companies right here in London, it's difficult to justify investing so much time and money into your own costume production. Still, it's important that you source from quality, reliable outlets - if your actors look like they're running around in cheap fancy dress costumes, it will take the audience out of the performance and make it more difficult for them to immerse themselves in the experience. A great costume, on the other hand, brings a character to life and elevates your entire performance.

So to help you narrow down your search and find the best company for you, we've put together a list of the 10 best costume rental companies in London:

Contents:

1. Cosprop - Best for: Period pieces for TV & film
2. National Theatre: Costume & Props Hire - Best for: Period pieces for theatre
3. Prangsta - Best for: Fantasy couture
4. Foxtrot Costumes & Props - Best for: Occupational uniforms
5. Angel Costumes - Best for: Oscar-worthy costumes
6. South London Theatre: Wardrobe & Props Hire - Best for: Schools & individual performers
7. All Dressed Up Costumes - Best for: Amateur productions
8. Costume Studio - Best for: Vikings, knights & kings
9. Academy Costumes - Best for: 20th Century vintage
10. Selfridges Rental - Best for: Contemporary TV & film

1. Cosprop - Best for: Period pieces for TV & film

• Address: 469/475 Holloway Road, Islington, London N7 6LE
  (Discover film studios in North London)

Cosprop is a costume rental company in London, specialising authentic period pieces, spanning from the 18th to the mid-20th Century. Their stock includes men's, women's and children's costumes, and they have a team of expert costumiers on hand to dress actors with the appropriate corsetry and underpinnings to ensure the perfect fit. Where possible, they also offer alterations on costume rentals, showcasing their dedication to delivering on every detail of your creative vision.

The costume hire company has been owned and managed by Academy Award-winning costume designer and costumier, John Bright, since its inception back in 1965. Since then, they've supplied costumes to a huge number of brilliant productions, including Pirates of the Carribbean (2003), Little Women (2020), and The Crown (2016). Could you be the next on the list?

2. National Theatre: Costume & Props Hire - Best for: Period pieces for theatre

• Address: Chichester House, Kennington Park Business Estate, 1-3 Brixton Road, London SW9 6DE
  (Discover film & TV locations in Lambeth)

They say you should dress for the job that you want, so why not kit out your crew with garments from one of London's most prestigious theatres.

To use their rental service, you will need to book an appointment with the costume hire department to discuss your requirements and fittings (they have on-site facilities available for advance booking, or you can arrange to take costumes away for fittings). Once you've toured in amazement around the three large warehouses full of hand-crafted costumes, you can reserve costume hire items for up to 4 weeks before you collect them for your production. Educational discounts are available for school and college productions.

With new stock being added all the time from the latest National Theatre productions, this choice is the crème de la crème for sourcing beautiful period pieces. And you'll be amongst the greats as previous clients include Harry Potter, The Mighty Boosh, as well as The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Philharmonic Orchestra.

3. Prangsta - Best for: Fantasy couture

• Address: 141 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6QP
  (Discover film & TV locations in Lewisham)

If you're looking to bring to life an ice queen, mythical creature, or rococo royal, then Pragsta is the perfect place for costume hire in London. Specialising in fantasy couture and costumes of the mystical and flamboyant variety, this costume rental company in London is on a mission to spread the transformative and therapeutic power of costumes. They have supplied costumes to high-profile clients such as the BBC, Netflix, Vogue and Tatler.

All of their stock is hand-crafted in their studio in New Cross, where a team of talented costumiers recycle reclaimed materials and vintage garments to produce beautiful, sustainable pieces that are built to last. With an eye for detail and a lust for experimentation, Prangsta notes that some of their pieces can take up to 300 hours to make - now that's a commitment to the craft!

They offer in-person and remote personal styling & fitting appointments, and are eager to collaborate on a huge range of briefs - if you have a wild imagination that you're not quite sure how to materialise, then you're the perfect client.

4. Foxtrot Costumes & Props - Best for: Occupational uniforms

• Address: 3B Brassie Ave, East Acton, London W3 7DE
  (Discover film studios in West London)

Foxtrot is a costume rental company in London dedicated to supplying video production companies with authentic occupational uniforms and props. From firefighters to judges, paramedics to prisoners, if there's a uniform for it, then it's likely Foxtrot has it.

Priding themselves on fast turnovers and a free-of-charge pulling service, Foxtrot are committed to delivering quality service as well as quality costumes. Based out of East Acton, the costume hire company has supplied costumes and props for some of TV & film's greatest productions, including Killing Eve, Luther, Spiderman: Far from Home, and numerous James Bond productions. They clearly know what they're doing!

It's worth noting that if you want prop firearms or weapons to go with your uniform costume, certain replicas will require a licensed Armourer to sign off on and collect, and you may need to gain approval from the Metropolitan Police Film Unit (MPFU) before filming.

5. Angels Costumes - Best for: Oscar-worthy costumes

• Address: 1 Garrick Road, London NW9 6AA
  (Discover film studios in North London)

As the largest, oldest, and most prestigious costume house in the world, Angels has well and truly earned its place on this list. It has supplied costumes to 37 films that went on to win the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, Titanic, and The Great Gatsby. Yeah, they're the real deal.

Their flagship store in Hendon is a five-story costume wonderland. For £20 per person, you can book a 'Behind the Seams' tour that takes you around 8 miles worth of rails in their warehouse with over 1 million items available for costume hire in London (don't worry, everything is tracked and categorised). You'll also have the chance to hear first-hand accounts of what it's like working on some of TV and film's biggest productions. As you can imagine, you can find pretty much any type of costume at Angels.

Their team of expert costumiers are well-equipped to prepare and accessorise all costumes, as well as coordinate with and assist production teams to ensure a collaborative and seamless hiring process. Measurement forms are available for download on their website, where you'll also have access to a range of costume reference photographs from their expansive collection.

6. South London Theatre: Wardrobe & Props Hire - Best for: Schools & individual performers

• Address: 2A Norwood High Street, London SE27 9NS
  (Discover dance studios in London)

Boasting a costume collection that "spans centuries and cultures", South London Theatre hire out their stock to film, TV, and theatre productions, as well as schools and (unlike many costume rental companies) individual performers.

From Georgian to Victorian, Shakespearean to pantomime, South London Theatre have an expansive range of costumes, designed specifically for holding their own on the stage of one of London's greatest theatre venues (a Grade II listed building that used to be an old fire station!).

Their costumes have been used for a range of professional and amateur films and theatre productions across London and the rest of the UK, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. To give you an idea of what you might find in their stockroom, some of South London Theatre's 2022 productions include Thumbelina, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Macbeth.

You can contact the Wardrobe & Props Team to arrange an appointment regarding your costume hire. And if you're looking for a dedicated rehearsal space, discover dance studios and hall hire in London.

7. All Dressed Up Costumes - Best for: Amateur productions

• Address: Wimbledon Village, London SW19 5EE
  (Discover video studios in London)

Specialising in working with amateur theatre productions, All Dressed Up is a costume rental company in London that provides high-quality costumes for musicals, plays, short films, and photoshoots. They are also happy to work with schools and other organisations that need to kit out their stars.

All Dressed Up have supplied costumes for a number of amateur theatre projects, including productions of The Wizard of Oz, Pride & Prejudice, Addams Family, A Midsummers Night's Dream, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty (to give you an idea of what sort of costumes are available).

This is an ideal choice for low-budget filmmaking and amateur productions as they have no minimum hire fee and are happy to work with productions of any budget. Generally, standard hire is £18.50 per costume for one week of hire and £25 for period pieces. You can add on items and accessories, generally for between £8-10, and additional services such as delivery, collection and extended costume hire can be discussed for an extra cost.

8. Costume Studio - Best for: Vikings, knights & kings

• Address: Montgomery House, 159-161 Balls Pond Road, Islington, London N1 4BG
  (Discover film studios in North London)

Costume Studio boasts an impressive range of clothing rentals for TV, film, theatre and events. From professional medical, military and legal uniforms to formal wear and everyday outfits that span dozens of eras and historical periods.

In particular, they boast a large selection of historical and armoury gear, from Vikings to Romans, Knights to soldiers, and warriors to kings, if you're looking to do justice to some of history's greatest warriors, then Costume Studio is the place to go.

They are based in Islington and welcome potential customers to visit their store to see all that their impressive collection has to offer. Whatever the requirements and needs of your production or event, Costume Studio is eager to work with you and offer as much or little guidance as you desire.

Charges will vary depending on quantity and duration, but they're to loan out single items as well as sourcing costume hire for large-scale productions.

9. Academy Costumes - Best for: 20th Century vintage

• Address: 50 Rushworth Street, London SE1 0RB
  (Discover film & TV locations in Southwark)

After a decade of working as a Costume Supervisor for The National Theatre, Founder & Director of Academy Costumes, Adrian Gwillym, left to establish what is now one of the most highly-regarded costume rental companies in London.

From ready-made vintage clothing from the 1900s to the 80s, to astronauts, angels, and wedding dresses, Academy Costumes has a huge selection of costumes available to rent, designed to cater to a range of TV and film productions.

You can contact them by phone or the contact form on their website to book an appointment where you'll be able to browse through their expansive range of stock at your own leisure.

10. Selfridges Rental - Best for: Contemporary TV & film

Address: Online. Selfridges Rental doesn't currently have a physical space so don't try to collect or return your rentals in store.

This one is a little different from the rest on this list as its stock isn't specifically designed for film and theatre. More commonly used by trend-savy Londoners who want to don their favourite brands and designers without committing to purchase, Selfridges Rental is a fashion rental service in London where you can loan from a huge range of men's, women's, and children's fashion and accessories.

Having said that, if you're shooting a modern-day film or TV production, it's likely that regency dresses and 20th Century military costumes aren't quite what you had in mind. Fashion rental services like Selfridges' offer you an eco-friendly, cost-effective way to clothe your actors and bring your characters to life. If you need tips on the best cutting-edge video cameras to match your cutting-edge costumes, we've got you covered.

It's worth noting that you can only rent an item for up to 20 days so it might not be ideal if you need the outfit for scenes that require shooting over a longer period of time. However, for independent films with already tight production turnovers, this can be a great solution.

That's a wrap!

So there you have it - 10 of the best costume rental companies in London! Don't forget to get sizings from your actors to ensure that their costumes fit them correctly, and organise a dress rehearsal or fitting before your shoot or opening night so that you can see everything looks right and check if you need to add or adjust any details. And if you need help with location scouting, sourcing film equipment, finding filming locations or dance rehearsal spaces in London for your production, we've got you covered!

It's also worth noting as well that many of these companies may require you to provide evidence of your Production Insurance to show that you have cover for costume hire - this is to protect you as well as them.