Costing an average of USD$10 million per episode, the highly-rated Game Of Thrones series on HBO is one of the most expensive shows ever produced for the television. Most of the money is spent on developing realistic CGI (computer generated imaging) of fire-breathing dragons and fantasy castles, as well as a huge workforce labouring behind the scenes. The costume department alone comprises 80 to 100 craftsmen, who are in charge of clothing the many different characters in the story.
One of the interesting ways of cutting down the spiralling costs for the producers of the show involve turning the affordable Ikea rugs into the furry capes worn by the characters of the Night Watch battalion in the show.
“Those are actually Ikea rugs,” explains Michele Clapton, chief costume designer for the show. She goes on to say that the rugs were dyed, dried and shaved to create the aged look. In order to adapt the capes to the climate of the landscape in the show, the rugs were also frosted and waxed, resulting in an iced and frozen look.
Fans of Ikea and Games Of Thrones wil have an entertaining time trying to see which cape originated from this Koldby rug, or the Tejn sheepskin rug from the Danish home furnishing superbrand.
Images courtesy of HBO and Ikea.