Continuing Education

Curious if your BA is in costume or fashion? I think if you already have that undergrad experience, then you don't need the MA/MFA. If you don't have that undergrad experience, I think it really depends on what you have done, and what you're seeking in terms of education and careers.

For me, I pursued my MFA in costume design because I didn't have an undergrad degree in anything relating to it, and I was lucky enough to get a scholarship to go to school. In terms of costume design classes, many of the classes cover things I already was aware of from just being a costume nerd and looking at YouTube videos and featurettes on costumes. What classes gave me was a space to have critique for my designs, which pushed me to be a better designer. It also gave me connections to people in the industry and gave me enough jobs to pivot from what I was doing and into almost full-time theater gigs.

That being said, the education itself didn't make me better at construction or patterning or wardrobe itself. It didn't give me more context for what inspires me, it didn't give me more historical fashion knowledge. It gave me connections and mentorship. Many schools might offer a costume degree, but the costume classes are few and schedules are supplemented with courses in the fashion school that DO NOT relate to costume needs.

If I hadn't gotten this scholarship, I genuinely believe a basic community college fashion education that emphasized construction would have been enough to help me start the most basic stitcher jobs, and then eventually build from there. Community college classes tend to focus much more on drafting and construction skills costumers need, vs. big fashion schools which are focused on fast fashion type work.

I agree with Sumalee about whether you can get jobs and whether than be remote being really dependent. Yes, I've worked with designers that can be very remote, but for theater specifically they are expected to show up for tech to see costumes in motion and be able to work with feedback from the team.

Have you considered dipping your toes into commission work? If design is what you're looking for, you might be able to help do one-off designs for folks? Or maybe even find a costume shop locally that needs folks randomly to take one-off jobs?

I worked on and off as a stitcher in the fall and a big thing was that sometimes the shop would be dedicated to one show, but would still take on commissions. I would track my time based on if I was working on a show, or a commission. And the shop would hire stitchers that were good in a particular skill for one-off work. One thing about that is that (besides being interested in the construction aspects of costumes) you would have to have a fully-functional home studio that works for you if you can't come into a studio space.

So ask yourself: What is the job you are aiming for? What would it take to get you into that space? Does that mean further education?

I'm happy to answer any questions you have. I'm really, really open about my career pivot and the pros/cons to schooling for costumes. Also, I was a month out from 36 when I pivoted out of my last career and fully to costume work, so it's not too late to make a change, it just depends on other factors as @sumalee mentions in her reply.

Great series of questions! I think we're all wondering about this, basically all the time, so you are not alone.

Everyone's mileage will vary on this, but I tend to believe in experience over education when it comes to costuming, especially because it is so expensive to get multiple degrees. A degree is helpful, but it is in no way a guarantee you will have work in this field AND it's also not a guarantee you will learn the things you really need. Costume designers are freelancers/contractors, so everything is job to job, gig to gig, project to project. So, if you're asking me, Sumalee-- I don't think it's necessary except in very competitive situations. I think an impressive portfolio and the ability to follow through is a better bet than a degree, but that's me.

One thing you really have going for you is your location! There's much more theatre work in the NYC area than say, where I live in Central Florida.

I think you have to dig in a little bit and ask what you really envision yourself doing. Design looks different at different levels. At a high level (Broadway and quality regional, like STNJ), being a designer is almost completely based on your ability to render and communicate your designs to a shop. Do you render/illustrate? That's potentially a way for you to work remotely, but it only works if the theatre has a shop/stitchers to execute your designs. You could always offer freelance remote design services but I'm not sure what the market would be, and again, it would require being a very strong render-er.

I have no idea how competitive it is to be a designer in these theatres but I would guess everyone with a degree is fighting to make a living in this scenario.

In smaller, less funded, more indie productions, you may be given the title "costume designer", but in reality, you'll be the entire costume department for a show (designer, draper, stitcher, shopper, dyer, etc etc) and you'll be responsible for every single shoe, glove, sock, etc. Maybe you'll have some help or a team, but you will likely need to put in a lot of physical time at the theatre at this level, so it doesn't sound ideal for your situation.

If your passion is actually sewing, like the actual creation of costumes, there are more "jobs" available, especially in costume shops. I know you said you're a little new to sewing, but if you did want to explore this, that's the part of the industry I know the most about. This would also not be remote.

All that said, it is a bit bleak in many ways 😅I would NEVER discourage you from pursuing this, but I think it helps to have eyes open. I recently read about a costume designer in NYC who had been in the field her entire life...she was in her 50s making $25k a year. That's kind of the lifestyle, which is why I would ask around a bit more about investing in a degree because frankly that feels like a scam!

Now, you can always start a remote business making costumes for people or theatres, which you would have full control over in terms of workflow, the types of projects, etc, BUT then you're a small business owner dealing with clients, marketing, bookkeeping, etc. I can help you with this too if you're interested in exploring it. This is the only true remote route.

And I'll just put in here at the end that I thought I wanted to work professionally in costuming my entire life, but there are days when I wonder why I didn't just become a dental hygienist with a costuming hobby😆 In professional costuming, you are almost always strapped and stressed for time AND you rarely get to design or execute things the way you want to, whereas keeping costuming as a hobby gives you complete freedom to create/design, while you earn your income from a completely unrelated job. Just my two cents.

I would also be curious to hear what these friends have to say on the subject:

@Bianca | Bookhoarding

@Ruby Gertz