Tiny Essex accessories firm which supplied The Queen and Downton Abbey makes belts for Barbie movie
A tiny fashion house making buttons and bags said it had no idea an order for 11 pink belts was set to be used in one of the year's biggest blockbusters.
Neil Stock, managing director at Harlequin, said it was not until he began to see some of the publicity photos for the new Barbie movie that he spotted the hand-made accessories.
When the request first came in, the small business, based in Essex, had no way of knowing how significant it would be.
One of the most-hyped films of the year, Barbie, which will released in the UK on Friday, is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken as they try their luck in the human world.
"It was just another normal, regular order," said Mr Stock. "It just came through the post. It just happened to have Barbie in the name of the business - and there was a lot of pink fabric involved.
"Every different shade of pink you can imagine, really.
"It was only when some of the press photographs came out and we could actually spot some of the belts being worn by some of the various Barbies that we realised 'this is actually happening'."
Harlequin, based in Manningtree, has been running for 55 years, having started as a fabric shop on Epping High Street in 1968.
But despite employing just three people, it is no stranger to high-profile customers.
For several years, the tiny workforce was responsible for making all the buttons for the costumes used in ITV's Downton Abbey and has made belts for Netflix drama The Crown.
It also includes real royalty among its customers, having made two bags for the late Queen ahead of a tour of Australia.
And during the King's recent coronation, Mr Stock's eagle eyes spotted one of their creations there too.
"Pippa Middleton [was] wearing a Claire Mischevani outfit with just a single button that we'd made, just one button - but it made the outfit, I thought.
"I couldn't be more proud of one single button."
Anna Spurling, who has worked at Harlequin for just a year, said she likes to play "spot the accessory" with her colleagues.
"It gives me so much pride working here," she said. "We don't really know what we're working on. The orders come through exactly the same no matter who they are for. You just do it the same standard for everything.
"Then I'll maybe have a look at Instagram for some of the designers I know we work for and every now and then we'll get quite excited.
"It's just so nice to see it actually on someone."
The fashion house insists it treats all its customers the same - whether they are an international designer or a parent making a dress at home.
Warner Bros, which made Barbie, would have paid just £15 per belt while the buttons used in Downton Abbey cost around £1 each.
"Belts for the Barbie movie, bags for Her Majesty the Queen - they're great, but we have got to have the work coming in every day, every week all through the year to pay the staff and make sure the business is viable," said the managing director.
According to the British Film Institute, the UK's film and high-end television production companies spent £6.27bn in 2022.
Mr Stock said that was great news for small businesses like Harlequin which were benefiting from the growing industry.
"It's not just the big blockbuster companies that are making the profits," he said. "It's little businesses like us that benefit because there are a huge number of businesses in all sorts of diverse fields that support the film industry.
"It has a terrific impact."
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