Our story so far....
Masquerade Costume Hire has been in the same location in Kew since 1971.
Originally run as a family business, all of the costumes were hand made by the owner. Considering that Lycra had only been invented a few years prior and Velcro did not even exist in Australia, The costumes looked and felt a little different to the ones we rent and sell today.
The current owner purchased the business in 1996. She updated the entire costume collection. (Of course, she kept the best genuine retro clothes!) She then added a large range of masks, also platform shoes, wigs and makeup.
The store went through a major refurbishment at that time, painting, adding lighting and polishing floorboards. This all helped to take the store to a more professional level.
The biggest change came in 2000 when we developed our own hiring computer program. We had to number all of our costumes. Phew! What a job that was!Over 10,000 costumes and accessories all numbered and labeled individually. Our computerised costume system means that we never double book anything and you can book a costume months ahead if you want and know that it will be waiting for you when the day arrives.
We can also check your previous hires, so that if you loved those Dorothy shoes last time, you can book them again without having to come in and waste your time trying them on again.
Our original Website was launched in 2001. We were one of the first fancy dress shops in Australia to have a good collection of costume photos online. We have updated the site now and as you can see, it is wonderful and we love it!
In 2010 we expanded to a double store front. With all of our fabulous costumes and fancy dress accessories, we were running out of room for customers!
We moved our online costume business into new premises in 2013. A lovely new warehouse in Fairfield. Everything is organised and stored on two levels. Our inventory is growing day by day so keep checking the website for new additions regularly.
We have enjoyed the journey so far and are looking forward to what the future will bring!
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