Saltburn's use of dressing gown shocks firm owner
Repost of article by Richard Price, BBC News, West Midlands
The owner of a firm whose nightwear features in the Oscars-snubbed movie Saltburn has talked of her surprise to see its inclusion.
Deborah Price said she had no idea a dressing gown made by her Leek-based firm British Boxers had been used until a member of staff messaged her.
But she said she was particularly pleased because the wine-coloured garment plays a part in the film's plot.
Saltburn has also been credited with rocketing Sophie Ellis-Bextor's hit song Murder On The Dancefloor back up the charts.
“What I loved about it is that [the dressing gown] is not just that the actors are wearing it, it’s that it’s used as a device in the film," said Mrs Price.
“It’s a sort of visual metaphor. It’s a fascinating thing to see, it’s not just an incidental prop.”
She described the piece as a traditional, brushed cotton dressing gown with a herringbone weave.
“It’s a lovely, lovely colour,” she said. “It’s a rich wine with a rich navy blue in the herringbone, it looks beautiful on screen.”
Mrs Price has had other pieces used by various tv productions, including The Crown and Midsomer Murders.
She said: “Occasionally we get people asking for a VAT receipt, which is quite an unusual thing to ask for if you’re buying a dressing gown or nightwear.
“One of the only instances of people asking for a VAT receipt for a product like that would be if it’s going to a production, so they can claim the VAT back on the clothing.
“We’ve had that before when [our clothes] were in The Crown. I managed to find out before they were in it because the costume designer asked for a VAT receipt.
“It’s lovely, it’s such a moment when you see your products on the telly.”
She particularly remembers one grizzly moment in Midsummer Murders.
“We saw Ade Edmondson get stabbed in the back in one of our dressing gowns," she joked.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, I hope he doesn’t send it back for a refund’.”
The high profile screen time has led to increased interest in British Boxers – and Mrs Price said they had nearly sold all their stock of the dressing gown.
“You don’t quite know whether people are buying because of that or not, but it is busier on the website and we are up on last year," she said.
“We’ve talked about it on our blog and social media.
“It’s hard to tell what impact it has on business but it’s a lovely thing to talk about and it’s good fun as well. It helps create a bit of a buzz.”
