Transforming 18th-century costumes into a fashionable, modern product

Transforming 18th-century costumes into a fashionable, modern product

Just three years ago, Wilcom showcased Twan Lentjes’s
unique 18^th Century costume design to the world.

This Habit à la Française is based on an original from @gemeentemuseum worn by Otto van Randwijck in 1790.

After 12 months of Wilcom Sponsorship and the success of his Habit à la Française project, Twan started working professionally using digital embroidery.

He landed his dream job creating costumes and embroidery for Disney’s The Little Mermaid’. This follows his recently completed project, creating embroidery for a new Netflix show based on Bridgerton’s ‘Queen Charlotte’. Congratulations on such fantastic success!

For this project, Twan provided on-site machine embroidery, mostly for King George III and Charlotte.

King George’s full suit and both gowns were machine embroidered (the white one just around the hem). Most of the pieces were then further worked into with hand embroidery, gold work, beads, and stones by Beth Parry @bbembroidery and Hattie McGill @hattiemcgillembroidery.

In particular, the wedding gowns were hand embroidered making them sparkle and fit for a Queen!

Watch the Netflix trailer for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,
and see Twan Lentjes’ work center stage.

As a side project, Twan takes inspiration from his intricate menswear habit and transforms his design for mainstream consumption. He created these beautiful modern bags from an 18^th-century embroidery design and has made them available for purchase.