Walking down the streets in New Orleans, one wouldn’t expect to find sea horse masks and confederate soldier uniforms in one place, but at Southern Costume Company that becomes a reality.
Clothing racks from floor to ceiling hold costumes organized by time period or genre. Starting at caveman times and moving toward the roaring twenties, through the seventies and ending at present day, the costume house can supply movies with an entire cast’s wardrobe or a neighborhood costume party with eye-catching looks.
Wingate Jones, a California native and New Orleans resident, grew up watching his father work as president of Western Costume Company in Los Angeles, Calif. Starting in 1980, Jones worked in the wardrobe department at Universal Studios until meeting his wife while working on a movie. They relocated to New Orleans.
Jones said having both his wife and himself in the demanding entertainment business while raising a family wasn’t working. He retired from costume work in 1999 and switched to Information Technology work to be able to be home more.
In 2010, he decided to leave the I.T. world and go back to his previous profession by opening Southern Costume Company.
“It’s a reflection of my previous environment and a mini version of Western [Costume Company],” Jones said.
While Western Costume Company is the largest costume house in the world, Southern Costume Company is only 900 square feet and normally only has about four to 12 employees at a time.
Southern Costume Company designs and manufactures all of its costumes in-house. Jones said he didn’t want to spend the time on learning to send out the work to other countries. Instead, he brings the work opportunity to New Orleans for those who have a creative flair and are interested in the textiles business.
“A local opportunity for local people … [to] apply their hand at a trade,” Jones said.
Southern Costume Company costumes many movies filmed in the Southern Louisiana area. Previous productions include “12 Years a Slave,” “The Butler” and “21 Jump Street.” However, customers don’t have to be in Hollywood to use the costume house. Southern Costume Company produces costumes for Mardi Gras, Halloween, Christmas and any other excuse to dress up.
Along with manufacturing the costumes, Southern Costume Company has an alteration area, dressing rooms and three offices for a film’s design team and staff to occupy while in town. Jones said while he has sent some people to sets with costumes, the film team normally comes to the costume house to occupy the office space and prep areas. Once the actors and actresses are in town, they can try on the costumes and have them tailored in house before seeing the costume again on set while filming.
Southern Costume Company also offers a small retail shop space that sells little necessities like bobby pins and hangers. Jones said he offers this so the companies don’t have to bring every item needed from their home-base office.
The costume house has seen much growth since opening in 2010. Jones does not consider himself a public relations man at all, and in the beginning he had to chase people for business. Now he primarily allows the business to do its own advertising.
“I let the work speak for itself,” Jones said.
Jones said the business grows every year and compares it to an onion, adding layers and layers with each new Mardi Gras season or film production.
“Layering like an onion and keep adding to it,” Jones said.