As any of the HBO series's devoted fans can tell you, Game of Thrones is not a cheap production. In fact, with the budget for its most recent season coming in at more than $10 million per episode, it's among the most expensive television shows in history. (If you have dragons in a scene, they need to destroy things . . . and that's not cheap). But it's not only the dragons and set designs that are costly; it's also the costumes. There are upward of 100 people who work to ensure that each character is wearing an outfit that's as realistic as possible. What might surprise some fans, however, is that IKEA rugs are often used as clothing.
"These capes are actually IKEA rugs," Michele Clapton, an Emmy Award–winning designer, told an audience at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles last year. "We take anything we can," Clapton added with a chuckle as she described the process that goes into designing medieval garb. "We cut and we shaved [the rugs] and then we added strong leather straps. . . . I want the audience to almost smell the costume." The result is an IKEA-inspired cape that not only appears worn-in but also has the aesthetic of real medieval clothing.
It remains unclear as to which IKEA rugs were used to dress the GoT characters. The next time you visit IKEA, see if you can envision Jon Snow marching into battle with a Höjerup or Alhede wrapped around his shoulders.
