Gladrags Community Costume Resource Charity

08/10/2026

A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers Vic and Mike, who have been instrumental in curating 4 rails of dusky palette costumes for one of Ren's music videos!
​It was a true team effort across the board, with Mike joining Isabel, Neil, and Erika to supervise costumes during the film shoots. We’re proud to support creative industry professionals with sustainable costume solutions that give pre-loved garments new life on screen while reducing production waste. 🌍✨

​Watch this space for behind the scenes stills featuring our costumes! 🎬

07/10/2026

🎭 Something wicked this way comes…

Macbeth was recently reimagined by Innovate Youth Theatre ThirdSpace Theatre Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts and Gladrags played a part behind the scenes.

Supporting theatre has been woven into the Gladrags story since our conception. Over the years, our costume collection has helped fringe and grassroots productions, community theatre, young performers and emerging creatives bring ambitious ideas to the stage without needing to create or buy everything from scratch.

This production has another lovely Gladrags connection too. Our former volunteer Mitzi (swipe left) who has been involved in costume design and production, designing and making pieces for the show alongside costumes drawn from the Gladrags collection. 🧵✂️

It’s a wonderful example of what costume reuse can make possible: pieces from our collection finding new characters and new stories, combined with the skills and imagination of the people creating something completely new.

We’re proud to continue supporting Brighton’s wonderfully inventive fringe theatre scene, and particularly to help a new generation of performers and creatives make the stage their own.

Well done to everyone involved in the Scottish play! 💚🎭

FringeTheatre CostumeDesign

23/09/2026

20/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to our Rehome It! event this weeked BigYellow Brighton! 🌟

Together we successfully rehomed 162 items including a dressmaker’s mannequin and a hand-made human-sized tortoise shell 🐢

Our next open event is Saturday 17 October. Keep an eye on here for booking information or email [email protected] to be added to our mailing list ♻️

16/09/2026

🎭✨ Bringing History to Life with Gladrags ✨🎭

We were delighted to hear from a customer who hired one of our costumes to portray Maria Fitzherbert at the Heritage Open Day at St John the Baptist Church in Kemptown.

As Heike shared:

"Mrs Maria Fitzherbert is buried there but her story very much came alive that day with help of the costumed actor who supported the guided tours. Belief was suspended as it were, by many adults who addressed 'Mrs Fitzherbert' directly and asked very personal questions about this famous, intriguing woman's life."

We love hearing how costume can spark curiosity, conversation and connection. Heike went on to tell us:

"The event was a great success and your costume attracted passers-by that would otherwise hesitate to set foot into the church. Mission accomplished!"

For us, this is exactly what Gladrags is all about. Our costumes don't just support performances and events; they help bring local history to life, encourage community engagement, and make heritage accessible and memorable for all ages.

Every costume hire also directly supports Gladrags' ongoing work as a community costume resource, helping us continue our creative, educational and environmental projects. By choosing to hire rather than buy, customers are extending the life of existing garments, reducing textile waste and supporting a more circular, sustainable future.

As part of Sustainable September, we're celebrating the many ways costume reuse can make a difference. Whether it's for a heritage event, theatre production, school project or community celebration, every hire helps keep textiles in use for longer while supporting the work of our charity.

Thank you, Heike, for sharing your wonderful feedback and for showing how a single costume can bring history, community and sustainability together. 💚♻️

11/09/2026

♻️ Slow fashion is about more than what we buy – it’s about what we keep in use.

That’s why we’re delighted to be part of Brighton Slow Fashion Week again this year, celebrating creativity, community and a more circular approach to fashion and textiles.

📅 Saturday 19 September – we’re hosting a special Rehome-it! session in Brighton, giving costumes, textiles, props and materials we no longer need free to community groups, non-profit arts organisations and education providers. Contact [email protected] for details.

📅 Saturday 26 September – find Gladrags at the flagship Slow Fashion Week event at Brighton Dome, alongside local makers, designers and organisations championing alternatives to fast fashion.

For us, it’s about sharing resources, reducing waste and giving costumes and textiles as many lives as possible. 💙

Come and join us!

09/09/2026

🌱🧑‍⚕️We had the pleasure of providing costumes for the lovely team from A-Listers, a brilliant Lewes-based film club for young autistic people, who hosted an "everybody-friendly" screening of Little Shop of Horrors at Depot Cinema.

​The team looked absolutely fantastic bringing the iconic characters to life, making it such a fun, welcoming, and inclusive experience for the whole community.

🙌🏼 Huge applause to the A-Listers and Depot for putting on such an amazing event, we loved being a part of it!

Be sure to give both of these brilliant local groups a follow to see what they're up to next.

A-Listers Depot Cinema