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Costume Designers

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Internships and volunteering with smaller organizations, such as a school drama club or a community theater, will help an aspiring costume designer gain valuable experience. Students in design programs can obtain experience by participating in internships.

Costume designers must prepare a portfolio of their work, including photographs and sketches highlighting their best efforts. More experienced designers who want full professional membership in the union must also submit a portfolio for review.

Costume designers should be creative, resourceful, and able to work under pressure. Research skills are also important, particularly when creating costumes for period pieces. Aside from being artistic, designers must be able to work with people because many compromises and agreements must be made between the designer and the production's director.

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