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Costume Designer

A costume designer is responsible for the design, creation and purchase of costumes and accessories worn in television, film and stage productions.

Typical work activities include:

liaising with the director and lighting and scenic/set designers about creative concepts, establishing the 'look' and 'feel' of the production and its characters, deciding what each character wishes to convey through his/her clothing (time period, setting, status/social class, age, geographic region, etc);
using the internet and libraries to conduct in-depth research into the setting/period of the production to ensure costumes are authentic to the specific time;
utilising a good knowledge of costume/theatre/art/political/social history;
reading scripts;
sketching designs by hand and, increasingly, using IT programs such as Photoshop;
managing the costume budget;
taking actors' measurements for garments and accessories such as wigs, shoes and hats;
shopping at fabric, craft and charity shops;
drafting and cutting out patterns;
studying textiles, dyeing fabric, painting and sewing;
distressing costumes using a range of materials;
arranging costume fittings, dressing actors, helping with difficult costumes, making alterations as necessary;
cleaning and repairing costumes;
working closely with the wardrobe manager.

Information taken from Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk for more information

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