How to become a Costume Designer?

How to become a Costume Designer?

4 mins readComment
Sayeba
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager
Updated on Dec 23, 2025 15:54 IST
A costume designer is a person who designs outfits for a character in the film and television industry, theatre, dance companies, etc. A costume designer designs clothes according to the characteristics of a character that suit him/her. The audience for a costume designer is actors, directors, the production team, etc. The skills needed to become a

Becoming a costume designer requires certain education, skills, courses, etc. Not everyone can become a costume designer. Read in detail to all about the Costume Designer.

How to become a Costume Designer?

How to become a Costume Designer?

A costume designer is a person who designs outfits for a character in the film and television industry, theatre, dance companies, etc. A costume designer designs clothes according to the characteristics of a character that suit him/her. The audience for a costume designer is actors, directors, the production team, etc. The skills needed to become a Costume Designer are Script analysis, research, problem-solving abilities, etc.

Table of contents
  • Skills required to become a Costume Designer
  • Where do Costume Designers work?
  • Eligibility Criteria & Admission Process 2026 to become a Costume Designer
  • What should you study to become a Costume Designer?
  • Fees of Costume Design Colleges
  • Salary of a Costume Designer

Skills required to become a Costume Designer

The skills required to become a Costume Designer are:

  • Drawing and sketching skills: To become a costume designer, you must be able to sketch and draw. You should be able to create sktech on the demands of the customers.
  • Creativity and imagination: These are the most important skills that a person who wants to become a costume designer should have. He should have skills to think and imagine, and draw using imagination. He must have creativity to bring a new thing out of nothing. 
  • Networking: To survive in the industry and to become a successful costume designer, one should have good networking skills. You should be outspoken, smart and able to meet new people.
  • Know of fabrics and textiles: To become a costume designer, one must have a thorough idea of fabrics and textiles used, what is in the market, and what is outdated. However, this all will be taught if a candidate pursues costume designing.
  • Fashion trend awareness: One must be active in the trends going on. He/she should have an interest in fashion weeks and walks. He should follow such news to get a grip on this.
  • Computer and designing software skills: One must be technically sound if he/she want to become a costume Designer in today's world full of AI. One must know CAD, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. 

Also Read:

Where do Costume Designers work?

  • Films and TV Production
  • OTT Platforms
  • Theartre
  • Fashion events
  • Live concerts and performances

Eligibility Criteria & Admission Process 2026 to become a Costume Designer

Almost all the institutes follow these criteria.

Course Level  Eligibility Criteria
Undergraduate/UG Diploma
  • Class 12 from any stream or equivalent (some colleges may need English as a mandatory subject).
  • With a minimum of 50% aggregate score from a recognised board.
Postgraduate/PG Diploma/PGDM
  • A bachelor's degree in Fashion Design or any relevant discipline.
  • With a minimum of 50% aggregate score from a recognised university.
After 10th Diploma/Certification
  • Class 10 scores with all the base subjects, including English.
Doctorate
  • A master's degree in Fashion Design or any relevant discipline.
  • With a minimum of 50% aggregate score from a recognised university.

What should you study to become a Costume Designer?

You can study B.Des, B.F.Tech, M.Des, M.F.Tech to become a costume designer.

Parameters Course Details
Types of Courses

UG, PG, Doctorate, Certification, and Diploma

Curriculum Focus

Fashion Illustration, Pattern Drafting, Fashion Technology, Fashion Communication, Fashion Photography, etc.

Fundamentals

Proportion & Balance, Harmony, Creativity & Innovation, Functionality, and Practicality.

Course Duration

UG: 3 - 4 Years

PG: 2 Years

PhD: 3 - 5 Years

Certification/Diploma: 3 Months to 2 Years

Course Admission Requirements

Merit/Entrance-Based

Design Entrance Exams 2026 NIFT Entrance Exam, NID Entrance Exam, UCEED, CEED, CUET, CAT, GATE, etc.

Fees of Costume Design Colleges

Explore colleges based on SEED

Based on ,B.Des,SEED

Pune
₹18.68 L
Mumbai
₹16.80 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

Explore more Design exams with upcoming dates

SEED 2026 Online registration ...

1 Aug '25 - 28 Dec '25

SOFT CET 2026 Registrations

1 Nov '25 - 31 Dec '25

DE-CODE 2026 Registration STAR...

15 Nov '25 - 31 Dec '25

ADEPT Application Open

1 Nov '25 - 1 Jan '26

UPES DAT 2026 Application STAR...

1 Nov '25 - 1 Jan '26

KALSEE 2026 Application Form S...

1 Jan '26

UCEED 2026 Issue of Admit Cards

2 Jan '26

NIFT 2026 application form OPE...

8 Dec '25 - 6 Jan '26

PU DAT Application 2026: Last date

7 Jan '26

PESSAT DAT 2026 Exam START Date

8 Jan '26

Check out the table to find the fee for Costume Design Colleges.

Costume Design Courses after 12th Colleges Course Fees
BDes NIFT Delhi INR 12.96 L
Amity University Mumbai INR 4.88 L - 11.68 L
Pearl Academy INR 15.86 L - 27.89 L
JD Institute of Fashion Technology INR 5.25 L - 5.4 L
IMS Design and Innovation Academy INR 16 L
Unitedworld Institute of Design, Ahmedabad INR 25.1 L
BSc Army Institute of Fashion and Design INR 6.12 L
PSG College of Arts and Science INR 30 K - 2.7 L
IMS Design and Innovation Academy INR 12 L
J.D Birla Institute INR 4.13 L - 4.27 L
T. John Group of Institutions INR 3.05 L
MDes  NIFT Bangalore INR 6.16 L
Amity University Mumbai INR 2.92 L
Pearl Academy New Delhi INR 11.38 L
JD Institute of Fashion Technology INR 3.6 L
World University of Design INR 8.05 L
Unitedworld Institute of Design, Ahmedabad INR 11 L
MSc PSG College of Arts and Science INR 1.4 L
J.D Birla Institute (JDBI)  INR 1.57 L
Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya INR 1.18 L
JECRC University INR 2.43 L
Diploma NIFT Mumbai INR 2 L
JD Institute of Fashion Technology Hauz Khas INR 1.8 L
IMS Design and Innovation Academy NA
World University of Design INR 2 L
Indian Institute of Fashion Technology INR 55 K - 1.7 L
Certificate IGNOU INR 900 - 15 K
New Delhi YMCA INR 17.4 K - 54.4 K
Netaji Subhas Open University INR 9 K
Tamil Nadu Open University INT 800

Salary of a Costume Designer 

The salary of a costume designer is given below.

Experience Average Salary Range
Fresher ₹1.5 Lakhs to ₹7.0 Lakhs per year
1 year ₹1.1 Lakhs to ₹4.8 Lakhs per year
2 years ₹1.9 Lakhs to ₹6.0 Lakhs per year
3 years ₹1.6 Lakhs to ₹5.0 Lakhs per year
Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Sayeba Naushad
Assistant Manager

Sayeba Naushad is a commerce postgraduate from Banaras Hindu University. She has over five years of experience in content writing and editing. She has a nose for current events in design field. At Shiksha.com, she s

Read Full Bio
qna

Comments