What Tirelli Costumi does

Tirelli Costumi S.p.a. is a privately held, family-owned Roman costume atelier founded in November 1964 by Umberto Tirelli, now controlled by the Trappetti family (Bernardino Trappetti serves as legal representative). The company designs, produces, and rents bespoke costumes for cinema, television, opera, and theater productions, and curates museum exhibitions of its archive. Its operational footprint consists of a tailoring workshop and administrative offices in Rome (Via Pompeo Magno 11/b) and a 7,000 square meter climate-controlled warehouse in Formello (near Rome) housing over 15,000 authentic period costumes dating from 1750 to the 1980s — including couture pieces by Worth, Chanel, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Capucci, and Gattinoni — plus more than 300,000 produced costumes organized by genre and era, along with sketches, drawings, and preparatory designs accumulated over five decades.

The business operates on three revenue streams: (1) custom costume design and production on a project-by-project basis for film, TV, opera, and theater clients, (2) sale and loan of authentic vintage garments, and (3) exhibition curation and loan of archive materials to museums and cultural institutions worldwide. Pricing is bespoke and not publicly disclosed; clients engage the atelier directly without intermediaries. The customer base is composed of marquee international directors (Visconti, Scorsese, Coppola, Minghella, Gibson, Branagh, Garrone), major opera houses (Teatro alla Scala, Opéra de Lausanne), and leading costume designers (Piero Tosi, Gabriella Pescucci, Milena Canonero, Maurizio Millenotti, Ann Roth, Carlo Poggioli, Alessandro Lai, Massimo Cantini Parrini). The atelier has contributed costumes to at least 30 Academy Award-winning films and is recognized with BAFTAs, Nastro d'Argento, and David di Donatello awards.

The underlying technology is traditional Italian sartorial craftsmanship — hand-sewing, hand-embroidery, period-accurate fabric selection, and historically philological reconstruction (the company self-describes as 'fashion archaeologists'). Distribution is entirely direct, with no resellers; GTM is reputation-driven and inbound via the established relationships of the Trappetti family and senior staff. The company employs 27 people, operates as an S.p.a. (Italian joint-stock company), has no parent, no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and is not publicly traded.

Name

Tirelli Costumi

Legal name

Tirelli Costumi S.p.a.

Website

https://tirellicostumi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tirelli Costumi is a Roman costume atelier, founded 1964 and family-owned, that designs and produces bespoke period and contemporary costumes for film, television, opera, and theater productions, supported by an archive of 15,000+ authentic period garments and 300,000+ produced costumes in a 7,000 sqm facility near Rome.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Costume Design and Production Services for Performing Arts

NAICS

Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Apparel Manufacturing (315), Formal Wear and Costume Rental (532281)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup Services (MPADAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO), Costume, Dancewear & Performance Wardrobe Care (HSAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Historical costume design
• Film costume production
• Opera costume atelier
• Period wardrobe services
• Costume rental archive

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Costume Design and Production: Tirelli designs and manufactures bespoke costumes for film, television drama, opera, and theater productions. Clients include major international film directors and opera houses. Revenue is project-based, with each production contracted separately. The atelier creates original costumes from scratch based on costume designers' sketches.
2. Authentic Vintage Garment Sales and Loans: Sale of authentic historical garments from the collection (dating from 1750 to the 1980s), including pieces by Worth, Chanel, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Capucci, Gattinoni, and others. The collection is also available for loans to exhibitions and museums.
3. Exhibition Curation and Loan of Archive Materials: Tirelli curates and contributes costumes to exhibitions at museums and cultural venues worldwide. The company participated in exhibitions at Palazzo Attems Petzenstein (Gorizia), Opera di Firenze, Palazzo Braschi (Rome), Museo Civico San Domenico Forlì, Villa Bardini/Florence, Reggia di Venaria Reale, Serlachius Museum (Finland), and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tirelli Costumi designs, creates, and rents bespoke costumes for cinema, television, opera, and theater productions on a project-by-project basis. The atelier also maintains an unmatched archive of 15,000+ authentic period costumes (1750–1980s) and over 300,000 produced costumes, which are loaned or sold to museums for exhibitions. Services span historically accurate reconstructions ("fashion archaeology") and original costume creation in collaboration with leading costume designers.

Product overview

Tirelli Costumi is a renowned Roman costume atelier founded in 1964 by Umberto Tirelli, offering a comprehensive range of costume design, creation, and rental services for cinema, television, opera, and theater productions. The company's core offerings include the Cinema Collection (iconic costumes from award-winning films), the Authentic Collection (period garments from 1750 to 1980s including haute couture pieces), and live costume production services through its Sartoria. The atelier maintains a 7,000 square meter warehouse facility in Formello, Rome, housing over 15,000 authentic period costumes and over 300,000 theatrical costumes available for rental. The company also organizes exhibitions and events showcasing its costume heritage at museums worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cinema Costumes Design, creation, and rental of costumes for feature films, including historical period costumes and contemporary wardrobes for major international productions such as Death on the Nile (Kenneth Branagh), The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese), Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola), and The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson).
• Television Costumes Costume design and production services for television series and miniseries, including period dramas and contemporary productions, exemplified by the History Channel's Vikings (Seasons 1–6).
• Opera Costumes Custom costume creation for operatic productions performed at major opera houses worldwide, including long-standing work for Teatro alla Scala (Milan), Opéra de Lausanne, and Opera di Firenze.
• Theater/Drama Costumes (Prosa) Costume design and production services for theatrical drama productions, including classical and contemporary plays; example includes Filumena Marturano at Spoleto 2016 directed by Liliana Cavani.
• Authentic Collection (Authentici) Curated collection of authentic period garments spanning from 1750 to Haute Couture and the 1980s, including rare designer pieces from Worth, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Capucci, and Gattinoni. Available for sale or loan to museums, cultural institutions, and productions.
• Cinema Collection (Collezione Cinema) Collection of iconic costumes from award-winning films including Oscar-winning productions, representing historical cinema masterpieces such as Morte a Venezia, L'età dell'innocenza, Il paziente inglese, and Il racconto dei racconti. Available for exhibition and curatorial use.
• Costume Rental and Storage Services Warehouse facility in Formello (Rome) housing over 15,000 authentic period costumes and over 300,000 theatrical costumes available for rental, organized by genre and epoch. Climate-controlled archive with associated sketches, drawings, and preparatory designs.
• Costume Exhibitions and Curatorial Services Organized exhibitions and curatorial events showcasing costume collections at museums and cultural venues worldwide, including retrospectives of iconic film costumes. Past exhibitions include Palazzo Pitti Florence (1986), Palazzo Attems Petzenstein Gorizia (2009), Opera di Firenze (2014), Palazzo Braschi Rome (2015), Serlachius Museum Finland (2020–2021), and Museo Civico San Domenico Forlì (2023).

Quantifiable outcome

• Dressed the stars of at least 30 films that won Academy Awards for Best Costumes, plus BAFTAs, Nastro d'Argento (Silver Ribbon), and David di Donatello awards.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aski Mode di RomaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAski Mode di Roma is a partner that produces jewelry and goldsmithing for costumes made by Tirelli. They were responsible for the goldsmithing work on the Barbarossa (Sword of War) production, including the exact reproduction of the Imperial Crown based on documentation from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Farani Custom Tailors: Rome-based bespoke tailoring house historically serving Hollywood productions filmed in Italy (Cinecittà era). Comparable as an Italian artisan costume and wardrobe supplier for international cinema.
• Angels Costumes: London-based costume house and the world's largest supplier of film, television, and theatrical costumes. Directly comparable to Tirelli as a heritage costume rental and bespoke production atelier serving major international productions.
• Cosprop: London-based costume house specializing in period film, television, and theater wardrobe. Comparable as a high-end bespoke costume atelier with a strong archive serving British and international prestige productions.
• B&T Costumes: London-based bespoke costume maker for film, television, and theater, with roots in period and military wardrobe. Comparable as a high-craft European atelier supplying major productions.
• Peris Costumes: Madrid-based costume house supplying film, television, theater, and opera productions across Europe. Comparable as a long-established European costume atelier with a substantial archive serving international period productions.
• Western Costume Company: Long-established Los Angeles costume house supplying film, television, and theatrical productions since the early 20th century. Directly comparable as a heritage atelier with extensive archives serving Hollywood productions.
• Italiana Costumi: Rome-based costume workshop producing period and contemporary costumes for cinema, television, and theater. Direct Italian competitor to Tirelli, serving similar Italian and European productions.

Regional players

• Roma Costumi: Italian costume supplier focused on opera, theater, and television productions within the domestic Italian market. Comparable as a regional Italian costume house serving performing arts productions.

Others

• Palazzo Pitti / Galleria del Costume (Uffizi): Florence-based museum institution housing the historical costume collection and the recipient of Tirelli's major 1986 donation. Comparable as a custodian and exhibitor of period costume heritage and a partner institution.

Broad incumbents

• Paramount Pictures Costume Department: In-house costume and wardrobe division of a major Hollywood studio with a large rental archive. Comparable as a producer of period film costumes but as part of a vertically integrated studio rather than an independent atelier.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tirellicostumi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tirelli Costumi