Subtle Differences Between Costume Designers and Fashion Designers

People who are not in the movie or fashion industry may have never considered what the real difference is between a costume designer and a fashion designer, but why not learn about the role a costume designer plays in your favorite movie? We all love them; we just may not know it. Costume designers help to make stories come to life, and in very important ways they give life to our favorite characters.

While there are big differences between costume designers and fashion designers, the general public doesn't usually know what actually differentiates them from each other. Usually the general public only knows what costume a character wears during a production or how a model looks on a runway.

Costume designers are tasked with the difficult job of making a production authentic. They must choose what clothes are best for each individual character's personality. They also have to select clothing that fits the overall genre of a production and time period; however, their job is much more than just selecting clothes.


Many things affect a costume designer's choice for a character's wardrobe, but their first decisions are made after they have read a script. The script provides a costume designer with insights to character personality as well as to the environment in which a character lives, or works. The costume designer takes this information and builds a character's wardrobe, from his feet to his hair. The costume designer is completely concerned with every detail of his character presentation, just like a fashion designer is concerned with the overall presentation of a model displaying his fashion designs.

The specific details regarding costume design are always submitted before a director and a design team for approval; however, a fashion designer is mainly concerned about whether or not his designs convey his own expressive ideas. For a production, the costume designer must ensure that every detail is perfect, works well with the lighting as well as the overall theme of the production.

It truly is amazing what care goes into costume design, everything from the texture, lighting, to the silhouette of a garment is considered before it is used. Of course, a fashion designer also wants great lighting, good silhouettes and nice textures for his designs, but his choices do not necessarily have to look great on a production set. Many times, fashions are only photographed, or seen from a distance during a runway show. They are not displayed in front of millions of people in hi-def digital film.

While costume designers consider every detail of a character's wardrobe and are responsible for a character's look, they do not actually design clothing. Clothing design falls into the world of fashion designers.

 One of the best shows that has really given the general public great insight into the world of fashion design is Project Runway. This show has allowed the public to watch a design come to life from sketchbook to fabric to runway, and has emphasized the minute details that go into a piece of clothing. Contestants concentrate on every detail of a garment, but only after a garment is completed, do they choose the overall look of a model. The complete package, so to speak, is not necessarily considered before the model steps into her clothes and heads to the makeup and hair team.

One show that gives a little more insight into costume and character design is Face Off on the Syfy network. I've been an avid fan of this show since it began. The show takes an audience from a character concept to a living breathing character. While the show is often more centered on the actual special effects makeup, costume design is integral into making those characters believable. I have seen a fantastic makeup job ruined because of poor costume choice.

Next time you watch your favorite show remember all the hard work the costume designer did to make your favorite character a reality!