Cost of Costumes
Since we started The Clothes Horse nine years ago we have helped families get costumes for their little ones. We have helped create Victorian outfits, sheep, various characters for World Book Day, characters for plays and of course Christmas productions.
We love it too. We thoroughly enjoy seeing a panicked parent come in to our shop with a costume that needs to be created and not really knowing where to start only for them to leave happy having found something that will work for their child and will fit the bill. Not only that but they have not had to spend heaps of money on a costume their child is unlikely to wear again.
The average cost of a costume is around £15.56 and of course time also goes into looking for a costume too.
Not only can get a costume be costly but it is also costing the environment. Deep breath for this bit…
The majority of costumes are created with polyester because it is cheap to manufacturer however it is not great for us or the environment. Using synthetic fibres such as polyester which is effectively plastic is contributing greatly to plastic waste that is forever increasing it seems.
Not only that but since the large majority of costumes are only worn once then gone to landfill it takes between 20 to 200 years for these costumes to decompose. Washing these items since they are made from plastic causes micro plastics to then go in to our rivers and seas.
It can be grim reading this but of cause when we read of these facts it can help us to make a more informed decision on what we chose to do. In this case creating our own costumes can be a fun, cheap and environmentally friendly alternative.
Before being a mum every year I would dress with my friends for New Years. I absolutely loved it. My friends and I would scour the charity shops looking for what we would wear and it was the best time. We hardly spent any money and it was great fun seeing what we came up with. When my children were born we did sometimes dress up and the fun element was still there. We would look at what we had at home to create something. No need to spend heaps, if anything at all.
At The Clothes Horse we have a dressing up box/ costume box out all year as we know how much children like to dress up as well as knowing that any time during the year a parent may desperately need a costume for something or other! If you need anything and are local come and see us you can contact us here. If far away, consider going to your local charity shops, swapping with friends or seeing what you have at home for a cheap, fun and environmentally friendly alternative.