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The design industry is wide and fashion design and costume design are two streams falling into this vast ocean. The skillset, job scope, salary and education for fashion design vs costume design is different. The students interested in knowing the similarities and differences of costume design vs fashion design will find the article useful. Read more to understand the differences between fashion design and costume design.
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The courses of costume design vs fashion design can have similar subjects and teaching methods as both deal with design studies. However, fashion design analyses fashion trends through the history of fashion, while the costume design is more focused on understanding the theatrical costumes and its history. Here are some key differences between fashion design vs costume design.
Particulars | Fashion Design | Costume Design |
Eligibility | 10+ 2 or equivalent | 10+ 2 or equivalent |
Subjects | Design Principles, Pattern Making, Draping, History of Fashion, Fashion Illustration etc. | Character Analysis, Costume History, Design, and Illustration etc. |
Career Scope | Fashion Designer, Fashion Illustrator, Celebrity Stylists, Fashion Consultants | Costume Designer, Theater Costume Designer, Dance Costume Designer |
Average Salary | Rs. 4.1 Lakhs | Rs. 4.1 Lakhs |
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The courses in fashion design and costume design require the candidates to have some basic minimum educational qualification which they should fulfil before applying for the exam. The students must have completed their 10 + 2 level of education before they apply for the courses. The students can have any stream in the 10 + 2 as they have no strict streams required for fashion design or costume design courses.
Fashion design and costume design have similar subjects as they are related fields. The main difference between them is the audience that they cater to.
In fashion design courses the students learn about the design principles and techniques in which they understand the basics of Designing such as colour theory, garment construction, fundamentals of design etc. The students also learn fashion illustration which includes drawing techniques and sketching the croquis. Students learn about pattern making and draping of various fabrics and understand what the property of a fabric is. Besides that, they also learn about the history of fashion to help them analyse the upcoming trends.
The costume design courses have similar subjects like history of costume designing which involves the historical contexts of various types of clothing in different periods of history. Costume design students also understand character analysis which will help them design costumes for stock characters. They learn about illustration and design principles to represent their ideas through sketches. The knowledge about the different fabrics, sewing techniques, and garment construction is also required by the costume design students. Some elements of theatrical production which includes lighting and set design is also taught to costume designers to help them create a cohesive and feasible garment.
Before taking the decision the students must be aware of the costume designer vs fashion designer job scopes. Understanding costume designer vs fashion designer job environment, salary,
After a degree in fashion designing many graduates find jobs in fashion houses, retail brands, e-commerce, or even magazines. Most of them become fashion designers and design clothes for various events of fashion shows or for retail shops. Many of the graduates become fashion illustrators whose sketch and create ideas for the fashion designers to work on. Fashion design graduates also becomes stylist who work with celebrities to create new looks according to the trends. Fashion Consulting is also a job for fashion design students which involves giving suggestions to the company to bring new trends to the market.
Costume design students on the other hand find jobs in film and television industry, theatre, dance companies etc. Costume designers become a part of the film production as they need to design outfits for each character based on their personality. A costume designer needs to understand the traits of a character and make costumes which suit them. The same goes for the television and theatre industry which requires feasible and comfortable costumes depending on the era in which the show or play is set up. Costume designers also go for various dance companies to create attractive costumes to suit the theme of dance.
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Students who are confused between costume design vs fashion design can go through the salary offered in the industry to make a decision. The costume designer vs fashion designer salaries depend on experience and skills of the individual. Here are some trends of fashion design vs costume design salary for the aspirants to help decide.
According to the reports of Ambition Box the fashion design graduates have an average annual salary of Rs. 4.1 lakh. The salary of a fashion designer ranges in between Rs. 0.3 lakhs to Rs. 7.4 lakhs in India. Monthly the fashion designers can earn in between Rs. 21,498 to Rs. 23,139.
The average annual salary of a costume designer is also about Rs. 4.1 Lakhs. The salary range of costume designers is in between Rs. 3 LPA to Rs. 4.8 LPA. On average the monthly in hand salary of a costume designer is Rs. 29,933 to Rs. 31,248. The salary of a costume designer in media production and entertainment is about Rs. 4.5- Rs. 5.8 LPA.
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The students who are in a dilemma between these two courses must be curious about the question of costume design vs fashion design which is better? The fashion designer jobs have a better scope in the industry due to its versatility and also gives opportunity to start a label. While the costume design jobs need to be worked under supervision of directors and designers. The costume designers have usually project based payments and on the other hand fashion designers can get attached to a label. Both the jobs have similar outcomes and it depends on the student’s preference to choose what is best according to their interest.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes a fashion designer can easily become a costume designer as both the courses have similar practical lessons which makes switching careers easy.
A costume designer is the one who designs costumes for television and film.
The purpose of design for costume and fashion designer is different. Fashion design is done for selling in the market and costume design is done according to the demands of the director of a movie or play.
Costume design is a job in the entertainment industry which has an average salary of Rs. 4.1 LPA.
No, both are similar courses, but fashion design is about construction of garment for retail and market, but costume design is to prepare garments for theater and films.
Both have similar subjects which deal with clothing and garment production.
On Question asked by student community
No specific stream is required in Class 11 for BDes admissions. You can join B.Des (Bachelor of Design) with any stream in Class 11th (Science, Commerce, or Arts/Humanities). Top design institutes like NID ( NID DAT scores) and NIFT ( NIFT Entrance Exam ), as well as IITs (via UCEED),
Hi Paavni,
You can change your course from Bachelor in Fashion Technology to Bachelor of Design in NIFT. Please remember that Physics and Mathematics are compulsory in Class 12 for BFTech. However, BDes programme is open to all streams. Click on the link below for details:
Yes, you can secure admission into BDes or similar programmes without appearing for an entrance exam. Institutes such as the Army Institute of Fashion and Design offer direct admission based on marks in 10th and 12th. Additionally, you can also apply to private universities such as UPES, which offer design
Hello, the UCEED cut-off marks is expected to be higher this year. The UCEED 2026 Part A cutoff score is 83.76 marks which is higher than last year. After also, accounting for marks in Part B, 120-125 marks is expected to be a good score for IIITDM Jabalpur. Additionally, you
Hello,
Getting admission in IITs or NID for BDes depends on a few things: your entrance exam score, portfolio, and sometimes your interview performance.
IITs (for BDes) : Admission is mainly through UCEED . You need a good rank in UCEED to get in.
NID : Admission is through NID
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