JD Institute of Fashion Technology
How to Be a Costume Designer in the Entertainment Industry

A character of a person can be easily identified by the type of costumes they wear. Though it obviously would be a tough battle to design those outfits there are certain men and women who are assigned to design these costumes. These people are alone managing these iconic outfits that represent the elements of a part. Here we answer how to be a costume designer in the entertainment industry. Before diving into it, let’s take forward the conservation by first knowing what basically is a costume designer. 

What Is a Costume Designer?

A costume designer is an individual who is in charge of designing all the clothes that have to be worn by the actors in a movie, play or film production. Though Costume Designers also possess similar skills set as that of a traditional fashion designer they still have to evolve taking into consideration the new unique trends that come in while designing clothes for films or theatres. 

Most of the people out there get confused between being a fashion designer and a costume designer. So, let us lay down some of the basic differences between the two that will clarify all your doubts. 

Some of the Basic Differences Between a Costume Designer and a Fashion Designer: 

The costumes that are to be worn in a theatre or a film have to adhere to the specific requirements of the story narrative of the film or a play. It also has to be fairly durable to withstand constant quick changes between the scenes. Whereas a traditional fashion designer must be called to design a contemporary style dress. The requirement in the traditional fashion industry is much mediocre than the costume requirements in the entertainment industry. A costume designer is also asked to work with other design professions in order to create an aesthetic scenic look that matches the screenplay requirements. 

While applying for a BSc in fashion designing from a renowned designing institute, people tend to not know about what future responsibilities and roles await them. Therefore, to give you a heads-up on the same, we bring to you the roles and responsibilities of a costume designer. 

Roles and Responsibilities of a Costume Designer: 

1. Costume designers have to do a close reading of the script and plot to even start the process of costume designing. They have to make a careful note of the tone and scenes of the story then only they would be able to do justice to the film or a play by their costumes. 

2. After having conversations with the writer, director and producer, the costume designer has to begin researching the fashion history of the particular time and location that has to be depicted on the screen.  

3. During the process of researching, they will have to compile all the reference collections related to the patterns and clothing of costume designs that they wish to use while designing their own final costume.  

4. While assembling the costumes, the costume designer has to make sure that each outfit they design has to effectively communicate the social status, age and scenic function of the character. 

5. Doing final fittings and making sure that costumes are designed on time is all managed by the costume designers.

Having known about most of the roles and responsibilities that a costume designer has to take care of, now we move on to discuss some of the very basic skills that a costume designer must-have. 

Skills You Need to be a Costume Designer: 

1. A keen passion for designing: A costume designer should have deep and vivid knowledge about fashion and clothing history and also be able to follow up with new fashion trends. The designer must be able to spend a lot of time researching and compiling data related to the fashion industry. Then, only they would be able to design their own clothing. 

2. Ability to be an artist: Costume designers must also possess the ability to draw freehand arts. The blueprint for any costume design is first drawn as a freehand sketch and then is actually put out in a form of a clothing design. Therefore, the ability to draw and art designs on a piece of paper is considered as an essential skill set for costume designers.  

3. Capability to handle design software: Most of the costume designers are now working on their designs on a computer first. Therefore, in order to process designing on computer design software, a costume designer must have capabilities to handle this software well. Though, they are very wisely being taught during a fashion designing course yet having it as a skill set is cherry on the top. 

4. Rudimentary construction knowledge: Though, not all costume designers have the ability to sew and tailor the costumes but all must still have some basic knowledge on how to sew or tailor clothes on their own. Even if they won’t be directly involved in the production of the costumes yet they will closely be working with the sewing and tailoring professionals. Therefore, they must have basic knowledge about the same so that they communicate their design needs effectively.

Now, the golden question that arises is how someone can be a costume designer. There is no master plan that you need to follow step by step. Just a degree and some skill sets would do justice to the same. 

How to Become a Costume Designer? 

Just like any other jobs, costume designers also have a variety of educational backgrounds they can pursue. There are many designing courses that offer great learning in costume designing to aspiring costume designers. In addition to this, you can just acquire some basic on-field experience by grabbing the design opportunities. It can also help one to build connections with the people who are extremely knowledgeable in this field. Though the degree and training would just not guarantee your career as a costume designer, you have to be passionate regarding the same. The right blend of education, skillset and passion would lead you to the path of a flourishing costume designing career.