Cosprop
Cosprop is a London-based specialist costumier founded in 1965 by Oscar-winning designer John Bright, providing bespoke period costume creation, hire, exhibition, and research services to film, television, theatre, and museum clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersIslington, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Cosprop does
Cosprop Limited is a London-based specialist costumier founded in 1965 by Academy Award-winning costume designer John Bright, headquartered in Islington, North London. The company operates a single physical facility that houses an extensive collection of over 8,000 original costume pieces dating from the 18th to mid-20th century, alongside in-house workrooms, four fitting rooms, dye rooms, and research facilities. Cosprop serves the film, television, and theatre industries, with notable credits including The Crown (Netflix), Poldark (BBC), Pirates of the Caribbean, and The King's Speech. The company carries approximately 50 employees.
The business operates five integrated service lines: bespoke costume making (dressmaking, tailoring, millinery, and dyeing), costume hire with in-house alterations, exhibition hire to museums and heritage institutions, paid research access to its library and collection, and ancillary offerings including studio rentals (Cosprop Annex Studio) and office space. Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based project fees from costume designers and production companies, with a long tail of one-off productions rather than recurring enterprise contracts. Distribution is overwhelmingly inbound and reputation-driven: the company maintains minimal digital presence (Facebook and Instagram), no disclosed sales team, and relies on industry word-of-mouth, repeat customers, and the founder's personal reputation. Customer engagement occurs principally via direct consultation at the North London facility or remote booking for exhibition hires.
Cosprop is privately held and family/founder-controlled, with no disclosed funding rounds, investors, or M&A activity. Strategic emphasis has been on long-term continuity of the archive and workshop under founder direction, supplemented by selective exhibition partnerships with institutions such as the Biltmore Company and SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, and modest ancillary revenue lines that monetize excess facility capacity.
Cosprop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cosprop
- Legal name
- Cosprop Limited
- Website
- https://cosprop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cosprop is a London-based specialist costumier founded in 1965 by Oscar-winning designer John Bright, providing bespoke period costume creation, hire, exhibition, and research services to film, television, theatre, and museum clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cosprop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Film and Theatre Costume Services
- NAICS
- Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities (MPADAIAE)
Keywords
Where Cosprop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Islington
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cosprop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Costume Hire: Rental of period costumes from their extensive collection for film, television, and theatre productions. Includes alteration services to fit actors.
- Bespoke Costume Making: Creation of new bespoke garments to designer specifications, including dressmaking, tailoring, and millinery. One-time project-based revenue.
- Exhibition Hire: Rental of iconic costumes to museums and country houses for exhibitions.
- Studio Rental: Cosprop operates a small photographic studio (Cosprop Annex Studio) available to hire.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Costume hire services for film, TV, and theatre productions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Cosprop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cosprop is a costumier for the film, television, and theatre industries that specializes in the hire and bespoke making of period costume, supported by an in-house workroom offering dressmaking, tailoring, millinery, and dye-room services. The company also rents iconic costumes to museums and country houses for exhibitions and provides research access to a library and museum collection of over 8,000 original costume pieces.
Product overview
Cosprop is a leading costume house offering period costume services for film, television, and theatre productions. The company operates as a service-based business organized around five core service lines: Makes (custom costume manufacturing via dress making, tailoring, millinery, and dye room), Hires (costume rental including ladies, mens, and childrens wear plus accessories, costumiers, fitting rooms, and alterations), Exhibitions (iconic costume hire for museums and historic venues), Research (library, museum collection of over 8,000 pieces, and fabric reference materials), and ancillary offerings including office rental and a photographic studio. The company employs approximately 50 staff and has been owned and managed by costume designer John Bright since 1965.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cosprop Annex Studio: A small photographic studio located in Holloway Road, available to hire.
Products and services
- Makes Custom costume manufacturing service producing bespoke period garments to designer specifications, including dressmaking, tailoring, millinery, and dye-room services, overseen by Academy Award-winning designer John Bright.
- Hires Period costume rental service offering an extensive collection for ladies, mens, and childrens wear, plus accessories, with on-site costumiers, fitting rooms, and alterations support for film, television, and theatre productions.
- Exhibitions Exhibition service providing iconic costumes worn by famous actors for hire to museums, country houses, and heritage institutions globally.
- Research Research service offering designers access to an extensive library of costume books, a museum collection of over 8,000 original costume pieces, and fabric reference materials with sample books for period-accurate development.
- Alterations Alterations service allowing stock hire costumes to be adjusted to fit actors, with experienced alterations specialists advising on feasible modifications.
- Cosprop Annex Studio Small photographic studio at Cosprop's Holloway Road premises in London, available to hire for productions and photoshoots.
- Offices to Rent Office space rental at the Cosprop North London location for designers and production teams.
Companies that use Cosprop
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cosprop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Cosprop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Biltmore CompanyminorCosprop provides iconic costumes for exhibition hire to the Biltmore Company in Asheville, North Carolina, for display at their historic estate.
- SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + FilmminorCosprop provides iconic costumes for exhibition hire to the SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film for museum displays.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cosprop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Royal Opera House (Costume Department): The Royal Opera House runs a costume hire and bespoke making operation that supplies opera, ballet, and theatre productions. Comparable in offering bespoke period and performance costume to institutions and productions.
- National Theatre Costume Hire: The National Theatre operates an in-house costume hire and making facility serving West End and UK touring productions. It competes with Cosprop for theatre costume work and shares the period costume specialism.
- Angels Costumes: Angels Costumes is a London-based costume house with one of the world's largest collections of costume for hire and bespoke making, serving the same film, TV, and theatre customer base as Cosprop. It is the most direct competitor in UK period costume services.
- Royal Shakespeare Company Costume Hire: The RSC operates a costume hire and making workshop serving theatre productions. Overlaps with Cosprop on period theatre costume hire and bespoke making for UK productions.
- Western Costume Company: Western Costume is the longest-established US costume house, providing rental, manufacturing, and design services for Hollywood film and TV productions. Closest US analogue to Cosprop's hire + bespoke making model for period and contemporary wardrobe.
- Palace Costume Company: Palace Costume is a Los Angeles costume house offering custom costume design, manufacturing, and rental for film, TV, and theatre. Directly comparable to Cosprop's bespoke Makes + Hires service offering.
- Carlo Manzi: Carlo Manzi is a London-based bespoke costume maker for film, television, and theatre. Competes with Cosprop's Makes service for designer commissions on prestige productions.
Others
- Hand & Lock (embroidery): Hand & Lock is a London atelier specializing in bespoke embroidery, military insignia, and embellishment for fashion, film, and theatre. Adjacent specialist service supplier that supports Cosprop's bespoke work.
- SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film: SCAD FASH is a museum that displays iconic film costumes and is already a Cosprop exhibition hire customer. Comparable as a downstream channel for costume exhibitions rather than a direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- BBC Wardrobe Department: The BBC maintains an in-house costume department for its productions, historically a major buyer of costume services. Comparable capability to Cosprop's hire and bespoke service, though used for BBC productions rather than commercial hire.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cosprop social profiles
Digital presenceCosprop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cosprop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cosprop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cosprop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cosprop
What does Cosprop do?
Cosprop is a costumier for the film, television, and theatre industries that specializes in the hire and bespoke making of period costume, supported by an in-house workroom offering dressmaking, tailoring, millinery, and dye-room services. The company also rents iconic costumes to museums and country houses for exhibitions and provides research access to a library and museum collection of over 8,000 original costume pieces.
Is Cosprop a public or private company?
Cosprop is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cosprop founded?
Cosprop was founded in 1965. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cosprop based?
Cosprop is headquartered in Islington, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Cosprop make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Costume Hire is the primary driver. The others are bespoke Costume Making, exhibition Hire and studio Rental.
Who are Cosprop's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Royal Opera House (Costume Department), National Theatre Costume Hire, Angels Costumes, Royal Shakespeare Company Costume Hire, Western Costume Company, Palace Costume Company and Carlo Manzi. Others are Hand & Lock (embroidery) and SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film. BBC Wardrobe Department is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Cosprop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cosprop.
What industry is Cosprop in?
Cosprop's product category is Film and Theatre Costume Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAIAE, Set Construction Shops & Millwork Facilities. Its NAICS code is 31599 and its SIC code is 2300.