Design and manufacture hats and headpieces for a wide range of occasions.

As a Costume Designer, you bring stories to life through clothing, texture, colour, and detail. You work closely with directors, producers, performers, and production teams to shape the visual identity of a film, theatre production, television series, or live event. Your designs help audiences understand character, era, mood, and movement, all before a single line is spoken.

Flinders University offers a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Costume Design/Diploma and Advanced Diploma of Visual Arts where you study concurrently at both the University and TAFE SA to complete both Awards.

Still unsure? Then try a short course also offered through TAFE SA. Check the website.

You can start as a wardrobe assistant or costume maker and work your way up to designer as you build experience and contacts in the industry. This can lead to working as a Wardrobe Supervisor for a Theatre, Dance Company or on film and television.

Theatrical costume makers and designers are responsible for the overall look of the clothes and costumes in theatre, film or television productions. They oversee the design, manufacture, and purchase of costumes for film, television and stage productions. The design process usually starts with a series of sketches of original designs. A pattern, which may be computer generated, is created on the basis of these sketches and used as a guide for cutting fabric. A theatrical costume maker and designer must be creative and artistic, have a good sense of style and colour and preferably be able to sew. They may also be required to study the script and try and work out the best costume for the script. Theatrical costume makers may discuss ideas with production designer, director, and make up set and lighting designers so that they can identify and create costume ideas to fit the production’s design concept and budget. Theatrical costume designers apply these skills to work in contexts such as theatres, dance and film companies, television stations or video production houses. They usually begin their careers as wardrobe assistants.

This is a demanding occupation, and you need to be reasonably physically fit and resilient to stress. Excellent communication and coordination skills and the ability to work under pressure are essential attributes.

Theatrical costume makers and designers usually work as a part of a production team and they sometimes begin their career as wardrobe assistants. They may also work long and irregular hours and be indoors for long periods of time.

Experienced industry representatives suggest that with technology impacting upon the industry, a knowledge of computer aided design and e-commerce are seen to be important for theatrical costume makers and designers of the future.

Theatrical costume makers and designers can be employed in theatres, dance and film companies, television stations or video production houses. It can take many years at assistant level to gain the experience needed for the industry to recognise advanced skills. Job competition is high and often interstate or overseas experience may improve employment prospects.