One of many world’s main provider of costumes to stars of stage and display is in talks to safe exterior funding for the primary time in its 185-year-old historical past.
Sky Information has learnt that Angels, which relies in London, is working with advisers to boost thousands and thousands of kilos from the sale of a minority stake within the enterprise.
Kroll, the skilled providers agency, has been engaged to supervise the talks with potential buyers, which has been dubbed Mission Carousel.
This weekend, Metropolis sources mentioned that Angels – which was based in 1840 – had initiated talks with plenty of events who had a observe file of investing within the media and showbusiness industries.
Preliminary presents are understood to have been submitted within the final six weeks, with discussions ongoing.
The corporate’s principal shoppers embrace the BBC, Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video, Paramount Photos and The Walt Disney Firm.
It noticed its monetary efficiency hit laborious by the pandemic after which the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, which introduced a lot of the movie and tv industries to a standstill.
Angels has been by seven generations of household possession, and is at present chaired by Tim Angel, a former chairman of BAFTA.
The corporate was based by Daniel Angel, who had arrived in London from Frankfurt in 1813 and arrange a barrow promoting secondhand clothes.
Years later, when an actor requested if he might lease a swimsuit fairly than purchase it from Mr Angel, his rent enterprise took off, in response to an historical past of the enterprise revealed on-line.
Notable moments in Angels’ historical past included being referred to as in throughout the Twenties to re-dress Madame Tussauds’ assortment of waxworks after the premises had been destroyed by hearth.
The corporate has provided costumes for 47 Finest Costume Oscar-winners, together with Hamlet, Physician Zhivago, Star Wars, Chariots of Fireplace, Braveheart, The English Affected person, Shakespeare in Love, The Nice Gatsby, and The Grand Budapest Resort.
It has additionally performed a job supplying 37 Finest Costume BAFTA-winners, in response to data circulated by Kroll to potential buyers.
In 2016, Angels was itself awarded a BAFTA for Excellent British Contribution to Cinema.
Angels’ assortment of costumes numbers greater than 1 million objects, which might stretch for greater than ten miles if hung subsequent to one another.
Its former head workplace on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue is now a elaborate costume store with costumes out there for rent.
“Our business has been by a few of its hardest years, from COVID and strikes to the LA fires, at one level leaving over 80% of our sector unemployed,” mentioned Jeremy Angel, a director of Angels.
“We stood by our employees, protected the enterprise, and made it by.
“We’re optimistic now with many new productions beginning and authorities incentives coming in [and are] searching for a small funding to assist us develop and proceed supporting designers, administrators, and actors, simply as we have achieved since my household based the enterprise in 1840.”
Angels is known to have recorded a loss in its final monetary 12 months however is forecasting a return to profitability in 2026, in response to figures provided by Kroll to events.
