Knights' armour, sailors' uniforms, monks' chasubles or frock coats... "Here, you can find everything", says Javier Toledo, CEO of this Madrid group, facing the shelves full of costumes and accessories that this tailor keeps at Algete, a town of 20,000 inhabitants located about thirty kilometers from the Spanish capital.

Around him, mannequins dressed in 18th century dresses stand alongside posters of films for which the company has worked in recent years.

“There are starting to be a lot of them,” admits this 63-year-old entrepreneur, with a neat beard and white hair, in a gravelly voice.

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.

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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.

10 million coins

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.

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"Cruella", "The Rings of Power", "The Crown", "The Queen's Game"... Among the films and series that have chosen the Madrid company are many blockbusters, very demanding in period or fantasy costumes .

Clothes they prefer to rent rather than make.

“To start from scratch” to establish a wardrobe “has become almost impossible today, because of the costs and the delays that this entails”, underlines Javier Toledo.

In addition, having clothes "already worn and aged by time" is often appreciated "by 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” of clothes and accessories, or “the most important wardrobe in the world”, underlines Myriam Wais, by proceeding to the inventory of the most requested styles and periods.

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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 orders", specifies Myriam Wais.

Elizabeth Taylor and Jude Law

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).

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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 there that has holes or burns but that can still be used", underlines Ms. 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.

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This service, called Peris Digital, makes it possible to "create 3D images" of clothing, which can be used by films "at the time of post-production", underlines Myriam Wais.

A virtual wardrobe also appreciated - according to the group - by video games.

© 2022 AFP