Made to measure, altered and cleaned – for the Lucerne and Basel carnivals
Your own idea, your own fabric, your own measurements: we design and sew your carnival costume from scratch – from a single outfit to a complete series for a Guggenmusik or clique. With fittings, so nothing pinches or tears during the parade.
Bought, inherited or dug out of the attic and it does not fit? We take in or let out, shorten sleeves and legs, replace zips and mend tears – often within a few days. After the carnival we clean the costume for you as well.
Switzerland's two biggest carnivals are very different – and they ask different things of a costume. Anyone doing both notices by the second morning at the latest. Here is what matters, so you know what we watch out for when sewing and altering.
It starts on Schmutziger Donnerstag at dawn with the Urknall on Kapellplatz, when Bruder Fritschi enters the city. The Fritschi parade follows, the Wey parade on Güdismontag, and the Monstercorso on the Tuesday evening before the carnival ends that night.
It is celebrated outdoors, often in cold, rain or sleet, on foot for hours and in dense crowds. So a Lucerne costume has to be warm, weatherproof and easy to move in: sturdy seams, room for layers underneath, wide sleeves for instruments, and pockets you can find while wearing gloves. That is exactly how we cut it.
The Basel carnival starts on the Monday after Ash Wednesday at four in the morning with the Morgenstreich and lasts exactly 72 hours – die drey scheenschte Dääg. The Cortège passes through the city on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, with Pfeifer and Tambouren playing in the lanes in between. Since 2017 it has been on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.
Here precision counts: Larve, costume and Charivari have to match the clique's Sujet, and the costumes of one formation have to sit identically. We sew series from a pattern, fit existing costumes to new members and finish seams cleanly so nothing chafes under the mask. Waggis costumes above all need hard-wearing fabric and reinforced pockets.
From the first sketch to the cleaning after the Monstercorso – all under one roof at Sempacherstrasse 19.
Costumes and special pieces follow our guideline prices and hourly rate.
Questions about prices or a custom quote? Call us.
Answered briefly – before you drop in at Sempacherstrasse 19.
Contact →For a made-to-measure costume allow six to eight weeks, for groups and Guggenmusik series rather three months. From January it gets tight. Alterations to an existing costume are usually possible at short notice too.
Yes. We sew series from one pattern, take every member's measurements and deliver each costume individually fitted. In later years we adapt the existing costumes to new members instead of remaking everything.
Yes, that is the most common job before the carnival. We take in or let out, shorten sleeves and legs, fit new zips and reinforce seams that would not survive a parade otherwise.
Yes. We sew and alter costumes for the Basel carnival just as for Lucerne – including series based on a Sujet pattern and adjustments so nothing chafes under the Larve. Bring the mask and costume along and we fit the rest. Our studio is and stays in Lucerne.
Yes. We clean carnival costumes in our own dry cleaning department – including confetti, paint and delicate fabrics. Hand the costume in soon after the parades and the stains come out better.
It depends on the cut, the amount of fabric and the work involved – a simple costume is far cheaper than an elaborate Sujet with appliqués. We give you a binding price after a short conversation, before we start.
