The entire costume collection of the Manneken Pis is temporarily moving to a storage facility at the Museum of Fashion and Lace. The move is due to planned renovation work at the City of Brussels Museum, also known as the Broodhuis. More than 1,200 costumes are being moved.
Moving the costumes requires a great deal of expertise and knowledge about the outfits, some of which are hundreds of years old. The tradition of dressing the statue dates back to 1615, and the oldest preserved costume is almost 300 years old.
The wardrobe must be transported with the greatest care. The most delicate garments go into acid-free boxes, while less delicate items are placed in cotton bags. Each is packed by hand, with every part wrapped in tissue paper. It takes around 30 minutes per costume, amounting to almost 600 hours in total.
The costumes are being transferred to the Museum of Fashion and Lace in Violetstraat, a two-minute walk from the statue. As tradition dictates that Manneken Pis changes his costume regularly, they must remain close by.
