Cirque du Soleil is coming to Brum and we chat to the lady behind the stunning costumes

There’s no such thing as a day in the life of Mar Gonzalez Fernandes, the Spanish costumier who manages the wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil. The reason for that is simple – Mar and her four-strong team have no fixed routine. Every day is different. Each day brings new challenges.

The ladies who are charged with making the world’s most exciting and most spectacular stage show look like the best looking gig on the planet have to adapt to the daily pressures of life on the road, whether that takes them to Russia, India, South America or the UK.

Cirque du Soleil: OVO will be at Arena Birmingham from October 3 to 7.

But today Mar’s in Russia. Soon she’ll be in the UK. After that, she’ll be in South America. The food is different, the hotels are different, the venues are different and the local workers who wash and mend clothes are also very different.

“We are in on the last few days before a break,” she says, in perfect English. “Everybody is really excited.”

Mar is part of a permanent team of four and manages the wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil. Her work is supported by two locals in each town or city that the show visits. “We have more than 1,000 pieces of costume travelling with us. It’s me and then we have a person dedicated to shoes, one with costumes, one with hats and two local helpers.

“One of the best things about working with Cirque is that it’s so organised. We travel with our own washing machines, dryers, office, painting station for shoes, sewing machines and zone with spares for the hats. We are a little city travelling every week. We have I think three trucks just for the wardrobe.

“It’s very hard to have a typical day because we move so much.”

But there is some sort of structure. Each Tuesday, the circus rolls into town and Mar has to set up her wardrobe department and dressing rooms. Then she has to wash the costumes and check the shoes and hats. New shows open on Wednesday and Mar has to make sure costumes are sparkly and clean for the crowds. Then she teaches the local helps how to wash and mend after each performance. “It’s never boring,” she says.

The costumes are designed separately in Montreal and seamstresses in Cirque’s head office do most of the work, leaving just the finishing to Mar and her team. “They develop all the fabrics and patterns and all the costumes. Normally, they send the finished costume and we do the final touches.”

Costumes get tremendous wear as acrobats strain and stretch to the max. “We give the artists two costumes to use because they have so many shows. We check the costumes every day and normally need to repair them every day. The acrobats do a lot of work and we need to change the costumes every day or repair them.

“There are a few important things. The look, of course, has to be perfect. But it’s more important for the artist to feel safe and then they can do their job. It’s important that they can trust us and know that the costumes are safe.”

Travelling the world with the greatest circus on the planet sounds like a dream job. Glamour, you’d imagine, comes with the ticket price. But the public perception isn’t exactly right.

“It sounds more glamorous than it is. It’s amazing to be able to travel and we see amazing things. But it’s hard, too, to travel every week. We become friends and travel together and live together. It’s very intense but we love it.”

Mar started her career in commercial fashion and worked as a local, washing and mending, when Cirque visited her home city in Northern Spain. “I did my first work with cirque as a local when I was still in college and I really enjoyed it and had an amazing experience. Then I worked with a few shows as a local when they were in Spain. Then I joined. I was in Birmingham in 2009 and it was a great experience. Then I moved to China with another cirque show. Then I worked in a different company. Now I’m back in Cirque.”

She’s travelled the world but there are still places she’d like to visit, including Japan and Indonesia. “I’d love to go to both. In Indonesia, there are amazing fabrics and costumes. I like to travel to places where I can learn about traditional costumes and theatres.

“I think it’s very important for me to keep learning and studying. I go to museums when I get a little downtime to see costumes and fabrics and see traditional art and theatre. It’s part of the learning experience to help me grow as a professional.”

When Cirque is on stage, Mar is busy backstage. A show day usually runs from midday to midnight. “One of the girls comes in early but the rest of us come in at midday. I oversee the whole operation and make sure everything is ready for the artists. I make all the schedules. We need to make sure all the costumes, hats and shoes are fixed. During the show, we have to be backstage and help the artists get ready and get changed. After the show we have to collect the dirty laundry. We are working midday to midnight.”

A typical block of shows includes 13 weeks on the road, followed by two weeks holiday. That gives Mar the chance to return to Spain to see family and friends, or travel elsewhere.

“We’re in Russia at the moment and I’m very surprised because I like it a lot. It’s beautiful and Moscow was amazing. India is a great country as well and South America in on the list for next year – I was also there a few years ago and I like it a lot. The textiles are great and there’s lots of great wildlife.

“Cirque is a remarkable job and I wouldn’t change it for a minute.”