Sustainable Costumes Matter

Tracy Nuthall from Costumes Without Drama explains how to think locally and act globally in costuming your stage production.

The world currently has more clothing than our population could ever need. On average each Australian consumes 27 kilograms of new clothing and disposes 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year. Over the years, the costume industry has become mass-produced and disposable. While cheap online options may be tempting, these purchases don’t last and are often quickly discarded.

Since 2001, Costumes Without Drama has been saving teachers time, energy and resources by providing affordable, sustainable, quality costume hires for school productions.

I have always believed it’s much more environmentally friendly to hire and reuse costumes than to buy, import or make new costumes from scratch.

Costume hire can help minimise landfill and promote the benefits of sharing and borrowing with young people.

If sustainable practices are important to you, it’s worth asking a few questions before you sign your hire agreement.

●      How are your costumes sourced or made?

●      How do you take care of your costume collection?

●      What is the laundering process for your costumes?

Our warehouse has more than 12,000 inventoried items, with over 95% of our stock made on location in Melbourne to original designs.

When it comes to materials, we use a mix of discontinued stock, repurposed fabrics and new fabrics. We’re always looking for the best, most durable fabric for the job at an affordable price. Choosing materials in this way increases the longevity of costumes, as they hold their colour longer and wash and wear more robustly. We also love to upcycle and modify fabrics, costumes and clothing items to give them a new life.

We don’t subscribe to a glitzy, impractical look or loads of sequins. Instead, we offer costumes we know students will feel comfortable in and that look great on stage (and on film) with professional lighting.

Lots of school shows have a specific theme or requirements. It can be expensive and wasteful to buy brand new costumes for every performance. That’s not to mention the issue of storage. We take lots of care with all our costumes, handling them minimally and hanging or folding each item as close to laundering as possible.

Once you’ve finished with your Costumes Without Drama costumes, simply pack them back into our reusable boxes and bags and return them. We launder all costumes on-site using locally made, low impact cleaning products. We favour natural, chemical-free products to treat stains and frequently air dry to reduce power consumption.

You don’t need a team of parents working around the clock to sew, or teachers trying their luck in op shops or chain stores. To ease the pressure on school resources we offer:

●      Extended hire periods for extra dress rehearsals

●      A detailed inventory with barcode labels

●      Pick up, courier or delivery options

●      Costumes that arrive in re-useable bags, individually packaged and labelled for students

●      No laundering - simply pack back into boxes and bags and return.

The world doesn’t need any more loose sequins or once-worn costumes that end up in landfill. Our approach to school costuming is a holistic one, with sustainable practices and the enjoyment of young people at its heart.

For more details visit www.costumeswithoutdrama.com.au