ESPACE COSTUME INC.

What ESPACE COSTUME INC. does

Espace Costume Inc. is a privately held, family-owned costume rental house headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, founded by Nicoletta Massone — a graduate of the Costume Institute of Milan — together with her son Simon Chamberland, with operations dating back to the 1950s. The company maintains one of the largest costume collections in North America, comprising over 1 million pieces spanning antiquity to the 2000s, housed in a 20,000+ square foot facility. Inventory includes menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, uniforms, period costumes, theatrical and variety pieces, accessories, and shoes, supplemented by acquisitions from organizations such as TNM (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde) and Tele-Quebec. Leadership has since passed to Simon Chamberland's nephew, Laurent Lacroix, who currently operates the business with a small team of 1–10 employees.

The company operates a dual-segment business serving both professional productions and individual consumers. For professionals — film, television, theater, photography, web content, and event production — it offers self-service on-site browsing, a three-day fitting window, and monthly rental terms with escalating discounts for extended periods (50% second month, 25% third month) and free two-week layaway. For individuals, it provides appointment-based access for private events (Halloween, corporate parties, galas, themed festivals) with flat-rate rentals ranging from $100–$300 per costume over a seven-day period, inclusive of dry cleaning. Ancillary revenue streams include $45/hour costume creation assistance, $50/day sewing and patina rooms, equipment rentals (folding tables, rolling racks, baskets), and merchandise sales (plastic hangers). Distribution is entirely physical and direct at the Montreal facility, with no e-commerce fulfillment or shipping model in place; customer acquisition relies on the website, phone, and email, with no disclosed app, API, or digital platform. There is no external institutional investment, no parent company, and no publicly disclosed revenue or financial metrics.

Name

ESPACE COSTUME INC.

Legal name

Espace Costume Inc.

Website

https://espacecostume.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Espace Costume Inc. is a family-owned Montreal-based costume rental house, operating one of the largest collections in North America with over 1 million pieces. It serves film, television, and theater productions alongside individual consumers for private events through on-site and appointment-based access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Costume Rental & Wardrobe Services

NAICS

Formal Wear and Costume Rental (532281)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Costume, Dancewear & Performance Wardrobe Care (HSAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO), Event Rentals (Tents, Furniture, A/V, Decor) (HSACAAAG), Decor Props & Themed Set Rentals (HSACAFAK)

Keywords

• Costume rental services
• Theatrical wardrobe
• Film production costumes
• Period costume collection
• Event costume hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Costume Rental: Primary revenue stream from renting costumes to film, television, theater productions, and private individuals. Professional rentals are charged monthly with escalating rates for extended periods (50% second month, 25% third month). Individual rentals are charged at flat rates between $100-$300 per costume for a 7-day period.
2. Costume Creation Services: Hourly service fee of $45 per hour for costume creation assistance with team members, including fittings and advice. Additional charges apply for extended sessions.
3. Equipment and Space Rental: Revenue from renting sewing rooms ($50/day), patina rooms ($50/day), and equipment such as folding tables ($15/month), rolling racks ($40/month), and baskets ($2/month).
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of costume-related merchandise including plastic hangers with clips (14-inch clear at $80 for 100 units, 17-inch clear at $140 for 100 units) and plastic hangers 17-inch at $50 for 100 units.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Espace Costume operates one of North America's largest costume rental houses from its 20,000+ square-foot Montreal facility, offering an inventory of over 1 million costume pieces spanning antiquity through the 2000s. The company rents costumes, accessories, and uniforms to film, television, and theater production professionals on monthly terms, and to private individuals for events on 7-day rental terms. Supporting services include on-site sewing rooms, patina rooms, and assisted costume creation.

Product overview

Espace Costume is one of the largest costume rental houses in North America, offering a comprehensive costume rental platform for both professionals and individuals. The core offering consists of costume rental services for film, television, and theater productions (Professionals) as well as private events (Individuals), supported by an extensive collection of over 1 million costume pieces. The product portfolio includes period costumes for men and women spanning the 1930s to the 1990s, children's costumes, uniforms, theatrical costumes, and accessories. Additional services include sewing rooms and patina rooms for costume customization, all available at their 20,000 square foot Montreal facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Costume Rental for Professionals

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TNM (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEspace Costume acquired many costumes from TNM (Théâtre du Nouveau Monde), greatly enriching their theatrical inventory. This acquisition enhanced their variety section with theatrical creations.
• Tele-QuebecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired costumes from Tele-Quebec, expanding the company's theatrical and variety costume collection. The acquisition contributed to the diversity of their inventory.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• SydneysCostume.com: Online costume retail platform with broad consumer selection including rentals. Represents the digital distribution model that competes with Espace Costume's consumer-side appointment-only rental experience.
• Costume Supercenter: Large-scale online costume retailer offering mass-market and licensed character costumes for consumer occasions. Comparable to Espace Costume's consumer segment in product category but competing via online scale rather than curated rental inventory.

Direct peers

• Cosprop: London costume hire house specializing in period and contemporary wardrobe for film, television, and theater. Directly comparable to Espace Costume in the high-end period costume rental segment, with similar pricing and professional customer focus.
• Western Costume Co. One of the oldest and largest costume rental houses in North America, headquartered in the Los Angeles area. Directly comparable to Espace Costume as a peer for film and television productions, with similarly deep historical inventory built over decades.
• Malabar Ltd: UK-based theatrical costume hire business specializing in historical and period costumes for theater and film. Comparable to Espace Costume in the period costume rental niche with similar theatrical customer base.
• Palace Costume & Wig Co. Long-established Los Angeles costume and wig rental house serving film, television, and theater productions. Comparable to Espace Costume as a multi-generational North American rental specialist with deep entertainment-industry relationships.
• Angels Costumes: London-based theatrical costume house widely regarded as one of the world's largest costume rental operations, founded in 1840. Directly comparable to Espace Costume in business model, customer base (theater, film, TV), and inventory scale.
• Angel's Costumes: Toronto-based costume rental house serving Canadian film, television, theater, and consumer markets. Comparable to Espace Costume as a fellow Canadian specialty costume rental competitor serving overlapping North American productions.

Emerging players

• Arel's Studio: Montreal-based wardrobe and costume services provider serving local productions. A regional comparable to Espace Costume, smaller in scale but serving the same Montreal production ecosystem.
• National Theatre Costume Hire: Costume rental arm of the UK's National Theatre, offering period and contemporary costumes to external productions. Comparable to Espace Costume's theater segment but operates as part of a broader cultural institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/espace-costume

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 ESPACE COSTUME INC.