Film crew hire/Manchester/Costume
Hire a costume designer or stylist in Manchester. Everyone dressed for the part, and the same from take one to wrap.
Costume designers and wardrobe stylists for adverts, brand films, drama and fashion across Greater Manchester and the North, booked from our office in Ancoats. They design or source the wardrobe, fit the cast and keep every outfit the same from the first take to the last. From £519 a day, paid in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 48 hrs from enquiry to confirmed crew, on most Manchester bookings
- £10m employers’ liability on every crew member we book
- 2,800+ freelance crew on our books
Photos: Anna Rafal, Aubrey Odom, bovin wook, Here Now Films and Siora Photography
The role
What costume and wardrobe do on your shoot
A wardrobe stylist chooses and fits what people wear on camera: buying, borrowing or hiring the clothes, fitting the cast before the shoot and dressing them on the day. A costume designer does the same for period or character work, designing and sourcing costume to the story. On set, wardrobe keeps every collar straight and every outfit in continuity.
On a corporate interview, wardrobe is usually a note on the call sheet: what to wear, what not to. On an advert or a drama, it’s a department.
- Dressed to the brief. A mood board agreed, the clothes sourced, and nothing on camera that fights the set or the brand.
- Fitted before the day. Fittings with the cast, alterations made, labels and logos dealt with.
- Continuity kept. Photos of every look, so day two matches day one.
- Returned on time. Hires and purchases tracked, returned and accounted for.
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, which most jobs need
- A wardrobe assistant, for a bigger cast
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in Manchester.
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 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 brand film with four cast at a house in Didsbury, two looks each. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 06:30 Wardrobe in Rails, a steamer and the labelled outfits set up in a spare room near make-up.
- 07:00 Cast dressed Each cast member dressed in the first look after hair and make-up, checked against the mood board.
- 08:00 Camera check Looks checked on the monitor: a pattern that strobes on camera swapped for a plain one.
- 09:00 On set Collars, cuffs and lint between takes, and a continuity photo of every look.
- 13:00 Lunch The second looks steamed and ready.
- 14:00 Change Cast changed in the order of the schedule, so the camera never waits.
- 18:30 Wrap Everything back on the rails, labelled, and booked for return.
Which kind
Which wardrobe role do you need?
From advice on the call sheet to a full costume department.
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.
Costume designer Period and character Card £519–694
Designs and sources costume for period, character or fantasy work, from costume houses or made to order.
Best for drama, reconstructions and heritage films. Manchester has a large costume store at the Royal Exchange Theatre: see props and wardrobe in Manchester.
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 or several changes.
Wardrobe advice only Interviews and corporate Free with any booking
A note for contributors: plain colours, no fine stripes or small checks, no logos, a spare top.
Best for interviews, where people wear their own clothes.
What it’s for
What people book costume and wardrobe for in Manchester
Adverts and brand films
A cast dressed to the brand, with no logos that shouldn’t be there.
Fashion and lifestyle
Looks styled to a mood board, often alongside hair and make-up.
Drama and reconstructions
Period costume from the costume stores in Manchester and London.
Heritage and museum films
Character costume for the people telling the history.
Uniforms
Medical, police, trades and hospitality, sourced to look right on camera.
Recent work
Wardrobe on our jobs
Full production · Oslo · 2026
A stylist on a shoot in Norway
For the Oslo chapter of AI for Empowerment, the stylist was booked for a prep day, the shoot day and half a day for returns, which is the way most styling jobs run.
Our own work · Lifestyle and retail
Styling on fashion campaigns
Our fashion and lifestyle campaigns are styled to a mood board, with the looks fitted before the day and photographed for continuity on it.
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.
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.
- 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.
From £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 + VAT |
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.
- Most Manchester bookings confirmed within 48 hours
- 50% by card at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on 07412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book costume and wardrobe in Manchester.
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 Manchester, booked the same way
One brief, one quote, every role on its own line. Our day rates in Manchester, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 05
- 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 Manchester. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in Manchester.
Production support
Everything around the crew
Wardrobe works with hair and make-up and the props team. Each gets its own line on the quote, or use the guides to sort them yourself.
Questions
Costume and wardrobe in Manchester: questions
How much does a wardrobe stylist cost in Manchester?
The APA/Bectu card puts a 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. The wardrobe itself is at cost.
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.
What’s the difference between a stylist and a costume designer?
A stylist chooses and fits contemporary clothes. A costume designer designs and sources costume for period or character work. Both dress the cast on the day.
Where do you hire costume in Manchester?
The Royal Exchange Theatre on Swan Street has one of the North’s largest costume collections for hire, and there are costume makers at Space Studios. London’s costume houses deliver nationwide. Our props and wardrobe guide has the list.
What should contributors wear for an interview?
Plain, mid-tone colours; no fine stripes, small checks or big logos; and a spare top in case. Ask them to bring it on a hanger.
Do I need a wardrobe assistant too?
For a cast of more than four or five, several changes, or period costume, yes: one person can’t dress everyone and watch the set.
How far ahead should I book wardrobe in Manchester?
Most Manchester bookings are confirmed within 48 hours, but styling needs prep: a week for a brand film, more for period costume.