Film Career · Costume
Costume Designer
Costume · IATSE Costume Designers Guild, Local 892
- Union
- IATSE Costume Designers Guild
- Day rate
- ~$3,000/wk
- Experience
- 7–13 yrs
What does a Costume Designer do?
The costume designer creates the clothing language of the production: what every character wears and what it says about them. They research, sketch, shop, and build, then hand daily execution to the wardrobe supervisor and set costumers who track continuity and keep multiples ready for stunts and reshoots.
What does a Costume Designer make?
- About $3,000 a week at Local 892 studio minimum, rising to $12,000-$20,000+ on top features and TV; established feature designers commonly bill $5,000-$10,000.
- Roughly $120K-$400K+ a year with steady work.
- Scale is only a floor, and the real rate is a negotiated quote driven by credits and budget.
- Historically the lowest-paid department head.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
Government wage data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the closest federal occupation.
On the job
- Design every character's clothing arc in collaboration with the director and production designer
- Research the period, world, and social texture the story lives in
- Manage builds, fittings, shopping, and rentals against the costume budget
- Hand off to the wardrobe supervisor with complete continuity documentation
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can research period and character and design to it
- You can run a workroom and a budget
Soft skills
- You think in character and silhouette, not just clothes
- You collaborate well with directors and actors
Career progression
Designers typically rise from costume PA through set costumer, shopper, or assistant costume designer. Theater and fashion backgrounds both feed the craft. The step to designer usually happens on small projects first, then bigger ones as the portfolio and relationships grow.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Set Costumer· 2-4 yrs
~$60K–$400K+/yr
- Key Costumer· 2-4 yrs
~$60K–$400K+/yr
- Wardrobe Supervisor· 3-5 yrs
~$70K–$140K/yr
- Costume Designeryou are here· peak of the craft
~$120K–$400K+/yr
How do you become a Costume Designer?
Learn to sew, learn fabric, and get on a costume truck in any role. A design portfolio matters, but productions hire designers whose crews vouch for them. Assistant designing for an established Local 892 member is the classic route to your own credits and eventual guild membership.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Costume Designers Guild, Local 892 contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.