Film crew hire/Bristol/Costume
Hire a costume designer or stylist in Bristol. The right clothes on everyone, fitted, steamed and in continuity.
Costume designers and wardrobe stylists for adverts, brand films, drama and fashion across Bristol and Bath. They source the wardrobe, from the city’s shops to the costume store at The Bottle Yard, fit the cast before the day, and keep every outfit the same until the last take. From £519 a day, paid in full.
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK
- 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
Photos: Anna Rafal, Aubrey Odom, bovin wook, Here Now Films and Jarred Kyle
The role
What costume and wardrobe do on your shoot
A wardrobe stylist chooses what people wear on camera, then buys, borrows or hires it, fits the cast before the shoot and dresses them on the day. A costume designer does the same for period and character work, designing costume to the script. On set, wardrobe keeps collars straight, creases out and every outfit in continuity.
For an interview, wardrobe is usually a note on the call sheet: what to wear, what to leave at home. For an advert, a fashion shoot or a drama, it’s a department with its own budget.
In Bristol, a lot of the costume is already in the city: Bristol Costume Services hires from its store at The Bottle Yard, and Full To Bursting Prop Hire, just outside the city, makes, styles and sources costume (checked October 2026). So the fittings are planned around a store across town, not a day trip to London. We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath, so we can scale a crew from one person for a morning to a full unit for a week. Costume is one of the roles we look wider for: a period designer or a second dresser can come from across the South West, Cardiff or London, with the travel on the quote before anything is booked.
- A look agreed first. A mood board and references signed off before anything is bought or hired.
- Fitted in advance. Every cast member’s look tried on, altered and photographed before the shoot.
- Continuity kept. A photo of every look and every change, so the second day matches the first.
- Hires back on time. Purchases and hires tracked, returned and accounted for, so charges don’t run on.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- An 11-hour day, including an hour for lunch
- Sourcing, buying or hiring the wardrobe to the brief
- Fitting and dressing the cast
- Steaming, pressing and running repairs on set
- Continuity photos of every look
- Returns and the wardrobe budget, accounted for
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, on the whole quote
- The wardrobe budget: purchases and hires, at cost
- Prep days for sourcing and fittings, and a returns day, which most jobs need
- A wardrobe assistant, for a bigger cast or several changes
- A van for collections and returns, and couriers for costume hired in, at cost
- Travel from outside Bristol, and mileage, parking and the Clean Air Zone charge where the day needs them, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Bristol.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book wardrobe for your own Bristol shoot, or have us take the whole production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% + 2% booking fee and insurance, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel.
We do
- Find, book and brief the crew, and pay them
- Book kit, travel and hotels too, if you want them
- Send the full price before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
- Employers’ liability for the crew we book, and insurance on kit we hire in
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its permission and its public liability
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
What the 2% insures: employers’ liability for every crew member we book, and the kit we hire in for you. Nothing else on the shoot. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
15% + 5% production fee, plus insurance and contingency, on the whole production budget. Quoted as a production.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the day
- Locations, permits, kit, studio, travel and hotels, booked and paid in our name
- Insurance for the whole shoot, public liability included, plus the risk assessment and the call sheet
- One contract and one invoice, so overseas teams need no UK company
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
What the 5% pays for: our production insurance across the whole shoot, £10m public liability included, and the contingency.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a wardrobe stylist, call to wrap
A period brand film with four cast at a house in Clifton, two looks each, after fittings the week before. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- Prep The week before Period pieces hired from Bristol Costume Services at The Bottle Yard, modern basics bought in the city, and a fitting for each cast member, with alterations made in time.
- 06:30 Wardrobe in Rails, a steamer and the labelled outfits in a room near make-up. The wardrobe van on a bay suspended through the council, booked three working days ahead (checked October 2026).
- 07:00 Cast dressed Each cast member into the first look after hair and make-up, checked against the mood board.
- 08:00 Camera check Looks checked on the monitor: a fine check that strobes on camera swapped for a plain piece.
- 09:00 On set Collars, cuffs and lint between takes, and a continuity photo of every look.
- 13:00 Lunch Napkins over the period pieces, and the second looks steamed and ready.
- 14:00 Change The cast changed in schedule order, so the camera never waits.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything back on the rails, labelled, and booked for return to The Bottle Yard the next morning.
Which kind
Which wardrobe role do you need?
From a note on the call sheet to a full costume department. Card rates are per 11-hour day.
Wardrobe stylist Contemporary looks, to a brief Card £519–647
Chooses and fits contemporary clothes for cast and contributors, from shops, brands and hire.
Best for adverts, brand films, fashion and lifestyle shoots, often on a studio cove in Bedminster or Barton Hill.
Costume designer Period and character Card £519–694
Designs and sources costume for period, character or fantasy work, hired in or made to order.
Best for drama, reconstructions and heritage films: the SS Great Britain’s ship interiors, Ashton Court or Bath’s Royal Crescent. Period stock is hired, fitted and broken down before the day.
Wardrobe assistant Dressing and continuity on the day Card £341–398
Dresses the cast, steams and repairs, and keeps continuity, working to the stylist or designer.
Best on shoots with a bigger cast, several changes or period costume.
Wardrobe advice only Interviews and corporate Free with any booking
A note for contributors: plain colours, no fine stripes or small checks, no logos, and a spare top.
Best for interviews and leadership films, where people wear their own clothes.
What it’s for
What people book costume and wardrobe for in Bristol
Period drama and heritage
Costume hired in the city and fitted before the day, for Redcliffe Caves, the SS Great Britain, or a period street in Clifton or Bath.
Adverts and brand films
A cast dressed to the brand, with no logos that shouldn’t be there, on the Harbourside, in Stokes Croft or in a house in Bedminster.
Fashion and lifestyle
Looks styled to a mood board, with hair and make-up, on a studio cove such as Qu Studios in Bedminster or Factory Studios in Barton Hill.
Uniforms
Medical, police, trades and hospitality, sourced or hired to look right on camera, and checked on the monitor before the first take.
Visiting productions
A team from London or abroad shooting in Bristol or Bath books its wardrobe here, with the period stock already in the city.
Recent work
Wardrobe on our jobs
Our work · Laverstoke, Hampshire · Autumn 2024
FatFace: The Edit, with The Mothershoppers
One of seven national campaigns we made for FatFace. The two stylists behind The Mothershoppers chose ten pieces from the autumn range and styled each of them two ways on two models, in the gardens and glasshouses of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery. We filmed them at work, and cut a long-form styling film, a 90-second cut for Instagram, a teaser and ten outfit reels.
“A lot more fashion than our campaign shoots.” FatFace
How we crew it · Bristol
More than 90,000 costumes, across the city
Bristol Costume Services, in unit M7 at The Bottle Yard Studios, hires more than 90,000 period and contemporary costumes and accessories, includes cleaning in its rates, and delivers up to five rails locally (checked October 2026). So on a Bristol shoot the stylist can pull period stock from Whitchurch and plan the fittings, alterations and returns around one store. Contemporary looks are bought in the city, with the receipts kept and anything that doesn’t go on camera returned. Every purchase, hire and courier is its own line on the quote.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 11 hours, including an hour for lunch.
- Overtime at card rates, agreed with you before it happens.
- Prep and returns days are quoted separately.
The wardrobe budget
- Purchases and hires at cost, each on its own line.
- Returns made on time, so hire charges don’t run on.
- Bristol Costume Services offers flexible rates for long TV and film hires (checked October 2026).
Filming in Bristol
- Bristol Film Office asks for at least £5m public liability and a full risk assessment with every application.
- Actors in police uniform: Bristol Film Office’s code of practice asks for the uniforms to be covered between takes, and for police guidance before a staged crime or accident.
- In Bath, the film office tells the police about every permit application (checked October 2026).
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the stylist.
- 50% by card when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, kit, travel.
- Moving the date? Tell us as soon as you know.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
What our insurance covers
- Employers’ liability for the stylist we book: £10m.
- Kit we hire in for you is insured. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote.
- Nothing else on a crew hire. Public liability, the location and your own kit stay with you, and your venue will want your certificate. When we’re the producer of record, our policy covers the shoot.
£519 a day
APA/Bectu card: £519–694 a day, stylist to costume designer.
| Day rate, 11 hours | £519 |
| Booking fee, 10% | £51.90 |
| Insurance, 2% | £10.38 |
| One day, before wardrobe and travel | £581.28 |
The 2% is employers’ liability for the stylist we book, and cover on kit we hire in. What it covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the booking.
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
- Every line on the quote before anything is booked
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a costume designer or stylist in Bristol.
Tell us how many people to dress, the look or the period, and the dates. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in Bristol, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Bristol, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From £500
- Producer From £450
- Production manager £504–627
- 2nd AD £355–448
- Production assistant £400
- Runner £245
Camera 07
- DOP From £850
- Camera operator £529–656
- Focus puller £461–575
- Clapper loader £355–448
- Steadicam operator From £950
- Gimbal operator £529–656
- Drone operator From £750
Data and playback 02
- DIT £527
- Video playback £334–518
Sound 01
- Sound recordist £550
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up £398
- Costume This page £519–694
Art department 02
- Art director £675–878
- Set builders £341–512
Post-production 01
- Editor From £350
How our rates work: crew rates in Bristol. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Bristol.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Costume sits with hair and make-up, props and the permits, so here’s where each of them comes from on a Bristol shoot.
02
Locations and permits
Bristol Film Office, Bath Film Office, the harbour, the bridge and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
The Bottle Yard’s stages, green screen and blackout studios, and set builds.
Questions
Hiring a costume designer or stylist in Bristol: questions
How much does a wardrobe stylist cost in Bristol?
The APA/Bectu card puts a wardrobe stylist at £519–647 for an 11-hour day and a costume designer at £519–694, and we pay that in full. On top go our 10% booking fee and 2% insurance, so a day starts at £581.28 + VAT. Prep and returns days are quoted as days, and the wardrobe itself is at cost. Our rates are national, so a Bristol day costs the same as anywhere else we crew.
What does the insurance on a crew booking cover?
Two things. Employers’ liability for every crew member we book, up to £10m, and insurance on the kit we hire in for you. That’s what the 2% pays for. A large kit rental may need extra insurance, as its own line on the quote. The 2% doesn’t insure the rest of the shoot: public liability, the location, your own kit and anything you book yourself stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production, and our insurance covers the whole shoot, public liability included.
Where does the costume come from on a Bristol shoot?
Much of it from the city. Bristol Costume Services, at The Bottle Yard Studios, holds more than 90,000 period and contemporary costumes and accessories for theatre, TV and film, with a workroom for pattern cutting, making, alterations, dyeing and breakdown; it couriers overnight nationwide and delivers up to five rails locally. Full To Bursting Prop Hire, just outside Bristol, makes, styles and sources costume (checked October 2026). Contemporary clothes are bought in the city. See props and wardrobe for Bristol shoots.
Where do your stylists come from?
We’re a crew agency with 2,800+ freelance crew on our books across the UK, 150+ of them in and around Bristol and Bath, so we can scale a crew from one person for a morning to a full unit for a week. Local crew first. When a shoot needs more hands, or a role Bristol is short of that week, we bring them in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. For a period job that can mean a costume designer from Cardiff or London, with the fittings planned around the trip: Cardiff Central is 48 minutes from Temple Meads on the fastest trains, and London Paddington 1 hour 19 (checked October 2026).
Can actors wear police uniform on a Bristol street?
Yes, with the film office told. Bristol Film Office’s code of practice asks for police uniforms to be covered between takes and for police guidance before you stage a crime or an accident, and weapons, real or imitation, and violence go on the permit application. In Bath, the film office tells the police about every permit application (checked October 2026).
Where does the wardrobe van park?
A parking suspension in Bristol needs three working days: one day in a pay and display bay is £22 + VAT per vehicle, and several days £15 + VAT per bay per day plus a £30 coning fee (checked October 2026). Inside Bristol’s Clean Air Zone a van below Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol pays £9 a day, and Bath’s zone charges vans the same, though not private cars (checked October 2026). Both go on the quote at cost.
How far ahead should I book wardrobe?
Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. A contemporary job needs a prep day and fittings, so a week is comfortable; period costume needs time for the hire, the fittings and the alterations. On council land, Bristol Film Office wants at least seven days’ notice for the shoot itself (checked October 2026).