A costume designer creates the actors’ costumes for film and TV. It’s their responsibility to design the look of the characters as well as the building of the visual world. It’s a mixed job role — both creative and technical — that requires a strong skill base.
If you’re thinking about becoming a costume designer, keep reading. We’ll go over what the job involves, how to get started in the role, where to find work, and how much the average costume designer makes.
What Is a Costume Designer?
The costume designer is the head of the wardrobe department. In this department, they lead a team of supervisors, tailors, designers, and assistants. Their main task is to create the actors’ costumes following the director’s vision and to keep them well-maintained throughout the shoot.
The costume designer is a collaborative role, working with a lot of the crew to decide the look of the film. Including the director, production designer, director of photography, and hair and makeup. Depending on the film’s genre, they will have a big say in the world building process (e.g. sci-fi, historical, etc.).
Costumes are one of the many tools a director can use to tell a story. The choice of costume conveys the character’s personality and emotional journey.
Plus, color selection (and the psychology behind it) can subliminally tell the audience a lot about a character. For example, many times a specific color is chosen to reflect a character’s intentions (like the good guy wearing white and the bad guy black).
Costume designers begin their work in early pre-production. Firstly, they will read the script, make notes, and complete a script breakdown. They create sketches, mood boards, and rough designs to show the director.
The costume designer either makes the costumes with their team or rents what’s needed. They then manage the costume fittings and do test shots to ensure they fit the actors and overall look they’re going for.
Once production starts, the costume designer is always on set. Their team helps to dress the actors as well as clean and mend the costumes as needed.
What Does a Costume Designer Do?
| Pre-production | – Create a script breakdown – Research and create costume ideas – Attend meetings with all departments – Design, make, and rent all costumes – Make sure outfits fit all actors |
| Production | – Stay on set to watch over costumes – Manage the costume department – Track department’s budget – Mend, clean, and repair costumes |
| Post-production | – Return any rented costumes |
How to Become a Costume Designer
Essential costume designer skills:
- Creativity
- Fashion design
- Storytelling
- Drawing
- Sewing, mending, styling
- Research
- Organization and planning
- Strong attention to detail
- Leadership
The costume designer is a hands-on, creative job role. You don’t need a degree to do this job, but you will need a range of textile and creative skills. There are lots of courses and workshops available that can teach you fashion design, using a sewing machine, and filmmaking, for instance.
Because of the learning curve, many people start their careers as costume assistants. On large sets, there are huge teams of assistants helping to dress, clean, and mend clothes for production. A beginner might help to dress supporting artists, iron clothes, and repair outfits.
Additionally, it’s absolutely essential to build a portfolio that shows off your skills. You can do this by creating your designs with software like Adobe Illustrator or uploading hand-drawn sketches. You can showcase them on your website or even on social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Finding Costume Designer Jobs
There are a couple of ways that people get started in the costume department.
Because hands-on experience is so crucial to one’s success in this position, it’s common to start in entry-level positions. For costume designers, that usually means working as a costume assistant, trainee, apprentice, or even as a production assistant. You can find many of these jobs on film job sites.
Another option is to look for costume designer or assistant roles on low-budget productions. They may be more open to hiring a novice who has a solid portfolio and some relevant training.
If you land one of these gigs, you’ll be able to learn all about the job role through hands-on practice, which will make it much easier to work up to higher budget productions.
How Much Money Do Costume Designers Make?
Minimum pay rate for costume designers: $1,248.97/day
This rate comes from the Costume Designer’s Guild. As such, their members tend to get paid more than costume designers that aren’t in a union. So what you’re offered may vary.
Your proposed day rate can also change according to project type and budget. You can see how these rates differ on our crew rates page.
