Game of Thrones designer reveals the astonishing secret behind the show’s amazing outfits: IKEA carpets
LIKE many fantasy shows, Game of Thrones is brimming with elaborate and outlandish costumes.
From Jaime and his gold plated suit of armour to Jon Snow's love of woolly robes, the residents of Westeros are brought to life by their fashion choices.
The elaborate outfits are dripping with character, and are painstakingly designed to make Game of Thrones feel as immersive and believable as possible.
But there's a secret behind those incredible costumes: and it's far less exotic than you'd ever believe.
Of course, nobody was expecting that the cosy outfits favoured by northerners like Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly would be made from wolf pelts in real life.
But the actual material behind the costumes is just as unlikely - since they're mostly made from IKEA's LUDDE Sheepskin rug
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Chief costume designer Michele Clapton revealed the bizarre truth at a talk she gave about how the Thrones outfits are designed.
The artist, who has won three Emmys for her work on the HBO series, explained that those cosy Night's Watch capes you see so much of are actually made from the department store rugs.
She revealed that the throws have to be cut and shaven, before being made to look all old and scruffy.
Then, leather straps are fitted and the rugs are transformed into furry capes, perfect for keeping the cold away while you're on watch at The Wall.
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Costume guru Michelle said: "These capes are actually IKEA rugs. We take anything we can.
"We cut and we shaved them, and then we added strong leather straps and then breakdown, which is like a religion on Game of Thrones.
"I want the audience to almost smell the costumes - here they were waxed and frosted so that they belonged to the landscape".
Carol McSeveney, Textiles Sales Leader, IKEA UK & Ireland said: “We are flattered that our rugs are featured in Game of Thrones.
"We know these rugs are warm and cosy but we hadn’t envisioned them becoming a fashion accessory.
"Seeing them worn by Jon Snow has inspired us to display them off the floor.
"Why drape them across your favourite armchair when they look just as good on your shoulders?"
Ikea staff even got in to the fun today by dressing up as Night's Watch soldiers - complete with rug capes.
This latest series has stirred up intrigue all over the internet, with fans already predicting how this season is likely to end.