At the heart of the theme park industry, where total immersion and storytelling are central to the visitor experience, stands out the work of the creative studio LOLO Theme Park Costume Studio, founded by Laurent Guinci in London. This innovative costume design studio doesn’t just make uniforms or stage outfits: it designs costumes that tell stories, define characters, and enrich the global thematic atmosphere of each world in the most ambitious amusement parks on the planet.
Founded with a vision that combines cinematic art, functional fashion and materials engineering, LOLO specializes in creating outerwear, accessories and performance outfits for complex settings such as Universal’s new Epic Universe in Orlando. The costumes here are not traditional interpretations: they are designed to withstand hours of daily use, weather conditions, heat, sweat and constant laundry, always maintaining a look consistent with the history of each environment.
LOLO approach goes beyond simple clothing: each piece is designed as an integral part of the environmental narrative. In worlds such as Dark Universe or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Ministry of Magic™, costumes help the visitor to “feel” the universe in which they find themselves, making the narrative fantasy tangible.
A key element of this process is the so-called “translation matrix”, which is a design methodology that takes the visual reference from films or narrative worlds and re-engineers it for the real world, with considerations of mobility, breathability, durability and comfort.
Fundamental for LOLO is the role of advanced tailoring production, which includes the use of technical fabrics, stretch inserts, breathable panels and anti-fading or stain-resistant solutions. All garments are subjected to strict tests of resistance, washability and performance, so that the swimsuit never loses its function or aesthetics, even after hundreds of uses.
LOLO doesn’t just design for iconic characters that already exist: when a character doesn’t exist in the source material, the studio creates it from scratch, while always keeping faith with the original narrative DNA of the environment. This means designing new silhouettes, color palettes and accessories that integrate perfectly with the thematic storytelling .
Another innovative aspect is the synergy between costume design and merchandising: some motifs, accessories or sartorial details developed for the costumes are reinterpreted in commercial products, allowing visitors to take a piece of the experience with them.
The founder Laurent Guinci, with a multidisciplinary background ranging from physics to fashion, personally guides every phase of the creative process: from silhouette to the use of colors, from textures to accessories, always focusing on narrative coherence and quality craftsmanship.
LOLO Theme Park Costume Studio is redefining the concept of costume in theme parks, turning every outfit into a narrative tool, and contributing significantly to the immersive experience of visitors in parks around the world.
INFO/PHOTO COURTESY: Daniel Nelson – October Communications
