Why You Should Consider Costume Hire vs Buying

One of the most common decisions our customers have to make when looking for the perfect costume is hire vs buy.....

Whilst there are definitely pros and cons for both options, we generally encourage hiring here at Mad World. After all, we have been in the costume hire business for over 20 years and have built up a huge collection of costumes for all kinds of themes. Here are a few reasons you should consider hiring a costume for your next fancy dress event.

Quality 

Our collection of hire costumes are of a much higher quality than the packet costumes you can buy online. Many of them are theatre quality, constructed with high quality fabrics and maintained by our in-house seamstress to ensure they stay in excellent condition. We also pride ourselves on the cleanliness of our costumes, most are steam cleaned where possible which is friendlier to the environment than chemical dry cleaning.

Sustainability

Now, more than ever, society is thinking seriously about ways to help our planet thrive and believe it or not costume hire is a way you can contribute. Instead of buying a mass produced costume, made in China and flown around the world to be worn once or twice at best then ending it's life in landfill - you can hire a costume from us which has been looked after by us for years. In the same way buying vintage is considered more sustainable than buying new, hiring an outfit is a more environmentally friendly option.

The discussions around fast fashion are everywhere at the moment - Glastonbury Festival and Oxfam launched a campaign against fast fashion called Second Hand September with donations from Kylie Minogue and Billie Eilish.  

Value For Money

At first, hiring an outfit can seem expensive - however once you factor in the quality, the fact we include as many accessories as possible (meaning you don't have to buy these as well as the actual outfit) and the services of our knowledgeable costume stylists on hand to help you create the best possible look you do get more value than you would with buying. Our costumes start from just £40 hire, including relevant accessories, cleaning and up to seven days to return.

Unique

A lot of our costume collection comprises of one-off pieces, designed and constructed by Mad World - meaning no-one else at your party will have the same outfit. As well as the costumes themselves, we have literally hundreds of different accessory options which our stylists will help match up to the outfits. This means no two hires are ever the same, with infinite combinations for wigs, jewellery, props and more.

Supporting The High Street

As the internet becomes more and more part of our everyday lives, small independent retailers (like us) need your support more than ever. There's no denying the convenience of online shopping, however the shopping experience can't compare with a bricks and mortar store with knowledgeable friendly staff on hand to assist with sizing, recommendations, product alternatives and the like. When it comes to fancy dress and costumes, the quality out there is so variable why would you risk ordering blind when you could visit us in store and try before you buy? We have helped countless customers in the past who have been let down by ordering online - whether the product has been unfit for purpose or simply delivery issues. This reliability cannot be guaranteed when ordering online.

The Case For Buying

Of course, there will always be demand for more disposable options, customers sometimes worry about damaging or losing hire items. We always set out replacement values of items when hiring but usually as long as you treat hire items as you would treat your own belongings we rarely have any problems.

However, mass produced costumes and accessories are ideal for occasions like stag dos or festivals where there might be a little more "messiness" than usual. 

Factory made costumes are also good for when you require a number of identical costumes, for example group costumes for sports events such as the Darts or Rugby. 

Suppliers such as Smiffys and Rubies are good to go to when it comes to official licensed character costumes such as superheroes, cartoon characters and children's costumes.

Although our shops are primarily costume hire, we do stock a huge range of accessories and costumes for sale if costume hire just really isn't for you.

There are no right or wrong decisions when it comes to fancy dress, after all it's supposed to be a bit of fun, but as society becomes both more eco-concerned and budget conscious why not think about costume hire for your next party or event?