In a few years, the Spaniards of Peris Costumes have carved out a place for themselves in the 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, you can find everything”, says Javier Toledo, CEO of this Madrid group, facing the shelves full of suits 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 rub shoulders with posters of films for which the company has worked in recent years. “There are starting to be a lot of them”, admits in a gravelly voice this 63-year-old entrepreneur, with a neat beard and white hair. At the head of the group since 2012, he has made this family business, founded in Valencia in 1856 by tailors specializing in theater clothes, one of the world leaders in costume rental 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. 10 million piecesWhen he bought the company ten years ago, Peris Costumes had only ten of employees, all based in Madrid. Today, the group employs 250 people and has offices or workshops in fifteen capitals, including Budapest, Berlin, Paris and Mexico City. “During the first half of the year, we took part in nearly 600 productions. And over the whole year, we hope to reach 1,000 projects”, says Myriam Wais, marketing director of the group. the Madrid company features numerous superproductions, very popular in period or fantasy costumes. Clothes that they prefer to rent rather than manufacture. “To start from scratch” to establish a wardrobe “has become almost impossible today, because of the costs and the delays that this entails”, emphasizes 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, in recent years, several million dresses, shoes, hats or uniforms at 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, i.e. “the most important wardrobe in the world”, underlines Myriam Wais while carrying out the inventory of the most popular 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 orders”, specifies Myriam Wais.Elizabeth Taylor and Jude LawThe 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 shooting. “We have an area called ‘The Walking Dead’. We put everything that has holes or burns in it but that can still be used”, underlines Ms. Wais, in reference to the American series featuring the living dead. of its customers, the Spanish tailor recently embarked on a new challenge: to digitize part of its catalog using a studio equipped with 144 high-resolution cameras. 3D images” of clothes, usable by films “during post-production”, points out Myriam Wais. A virtual wardrobe also appreciated – according to the group – by video games.
