Costume designers are responsible for the overall look of the clothes and costumes in theatre, film or television productions.
£13,000 Starter
to£35,000 Experienced
40 to 42 variable
evenings / weekends attending events or appointments
You can get into this job through:
You can do a higher national diploma, degree or postgraduate qualification in:
You'll usually need:
You could get practical garment production skills like pattern cutting, hand and machine sewing and dressmaking by completing a qualification. These include:
Qualifications like these could be useful for getting work as a costume assistant. You could then do more training on the job to move into design work.
You'll usually need:
You could get into costume designing by working for a company who provides costumes for stage and screen.
Some of the larger ones offer work experience and internship opportunities.
Experience in the theatre, film or costume industry is highly valued by employers and volunteering is a great way to improve your skills. It's also a good way to meet people and build up your network of contacts.
You could get relevant experience through:
You can join The Society of British Theatre Designers and The Costume Society, for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
You can find out more about becoming a costume designer from:
You'll need:
Your day-to-day duties may include:
On smaller productions, you may also carry out some of the practical tasks, like:
You could work at a film studio, in a theatre, at a tv studio, on a film set or from home.
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Costume designer right now.
The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.