What an interesting year we have all had.  Plans have been made and scrapped, many many times for some.  Festivals, shows and exhibitions have been on and off and modified many times over.  The entire entertainment industry has found itself on it’s knees and not sure of the future.  Personally, we here at Coalface Costumes have found the lockdown increasingly emotionally draining and increasingly challenging to continue with.

But I think, with the current announcement by the UK government about lockdown easing to life “back to normal” by mid June and the increasing roll out of the vaccine program, the end of this particular lockdown feels a bit more certain and final than the other two.  Like so many viruses, COVID-19 is here to stay.  It is likely to never be fully eradicated.  But it’s impact and medical treatment options might soon be such that it can be treated with greater and greater success to wider and wider groups of people.

And so, with hope, we look to the state of the costumes out there.  My emails are starting to ping again and the costumes I know that are out there haven’t been worn for a year.  Between changing bodies, both in the same casting or new castings, some costumes out there will need altering, some will not be feasible at all.  This is not a quick job.  A single simple refit we might be lucky enough to do in a week, but a completely new costume is months of work, and so time is running out.

So if you even think there might be a possibility you would be in need of our services, whether you be a dance teacher, costume designer or wardrobe, parent, educator, archivist, etc, for a refits or new costumes in the next 6 months to a year, please EMAIL US NOW.  My diary is already filling up.  If you are not sure, get the costumes out now and check.  I do have some stock but not what I hoped to have.  Complicating factors will be the need to keep everyone safe and I direct all to the following word document as to how we intend to do this.

COVID practices letter 25Feb2021

People who I know have already contacted us or who we regularly work with I will be contacting you in the next week.  If it has got to the end of the next week (6th March) and I have not emailed you, get in touch.  My other task for this week is to draw together an up-to-date stock list which I will post here but you are also welcome to request via email.  Here is hoping this is the beginning of the end and the stage lights and historical places will soon be on and open again.