Also called: Film Costume Designer, Theater Costume Designer
Designs the clothing characters wear in movies, TV shows, theater, and theme parks.
They read the script, research the time period, and sketch looks for every character. Then they shop, rent, or build costumes and run fittings with actors. On set, they make sure costumes match from scene to scene.
Estimate. Union film and TV costume designers earn high weekly rates during production but may have gaps between jobs; regional theater pays much less.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's or MFA in costume design; union membership (Costume Designers Guild) for film and TV.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Costume Design, Theatre Design & Technology, Fashion Design.
Growing about average. Tied to film, TV, and theater production levels.
Low risk for 10 years. AI can help with research boards; designing for actors' bodies, fittings and building costumes for stage and screen stay hands-on.
Classes: Theater costume crew, Sewing or fashion CTE, History.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1022.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.