Costume

Revolution in the Costume World.

The costume industry is inherently wasteful – a typical film or TV drama will use more clothing than the average person uses in their lifetime and will produce more waste in a week than the average household in a year.

However, an intrepid group of costume designers, buyers and designers are making changes to the way they work in order to make their industry less wasteful, more sustainable and better for everyone across the supply chain.

Join us and start to make changes to your next production. Getting started doesn’t need to be hard – read this guide and commit to our 7 point pledge. 

Join the Costume Revolution! 

For Designers

How can designers adapt the way they’re working to minimise waste? According to Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution the industry produces 150 billion garments/year and 53 million tonnes of textiles with 78% of that ending up in landfill.

Some questions that designers need to ask themselves: 

1. Could clothing be made so that it could be disassembled again afterwards?
2. Could something be designed in such a way that it can be reused as another item or have another lease of life in an alternative form? 
3. Could garments be made from fabrics that biodegrade or can easily decompose?

Take Our Pledge!

1. Use filters to stop synthetic microfibres entering the water stream, every time you wash clothes

2. Whenever possible – always opt for certified FairTrade and Organic fabrics

3. On modern jobs, commit to buying as much second hand and charity shop clothing as possible before hitting the high street.

4. Choose naturally dyed materials

5. Insist on proper recycling facilities, regardless of location.

6. Look for ways to repurpose clothing, fabrics and office supplies at the end of a shoot in a more meaningful way.

7. And finally – keep asking questions – ask your suppliers where their fabric comes from. Ask your costume house what it’s doing to reduce its impact. Ask your line manager what the production is doing to reduce its footprint. The power lies with the people keeping the industry going so use it to your advantage for the good of the planet.

We Are Albert

Change in the Industry needs to happen now if we are to truly tackle this issue and make a positive impact. If you are a costume designer, a wardrobe assistant, a buyer, owner of a costume house or even a student who wants to enter this world then we ask you to take a stand and pledge to do these 7 things on your next production. 

Take the pledge and tell @WeAreAlbert who are here to support you.

Need more help? Head to our Costume Directory to find even more resources.

Got more ideas to share? Let us know! hello@wearealbert.co.uk

We are albert.

We believe that the creative industries are our greatest opportunity to protect our planet.

We are leading the charge against climate change; bringing the screen industries together to tackle our environmental impact and inspire sustainable living.

We are albert. So are you.