Costume Design Course

Fashion a career with costume design!

If you are a creative person with a flair for fashion, the costume design industry could be absolutely perfect for you.

What is costume design?

There are many different roles that a costume designer can play. They might simply work in the fashion industry, creating amazing couture garments for clients. They might work backstage in a theatre of movie production company, creating amazing outfits for the screen and stage. They might even work in a museum, helping to recreate fashions of the past so that people today can understand how the art of design has evolved over the years.

Costume design is part of the wider world of fashion design, in which students will learn to create custom-made garments, whether they are old or new.

What will I learn on a course?

You can take a costume design course at almost any level, from certificate to degree level. What you will study ultimately depends on the course you choose, as a 3-year course will be much more intensive than a 6-week one.

The basic skills however, are much the same on any course that you might choose to take, regardless of level. Students can expect to learn:

• Development of ideas. Learning to take ideas from your head to the drawing board and then on to the sewing machine isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Mastering the process of turning dreams into reality is an important first step.
• Learning how to design, beyond simply thinking about how you want something to look is perhaps the most important aspect of design overall.
• Studying the history of art, and its development will play a role in your studies. As costumes can come from almost any period in time, understand the evolution of style will make a big difference when coming to design fashionable costumes.
• Learning textile skills, and how to pick, choose and work with fabrics is understandable a major part of any design.
• Creating outfits that fit is something that most courses will teach and is an integral part of

Courses may last for a significant length of time (sometimes up to 3 years), so please take this into account when deciding what course to apply for, as longer courses will represent a serious commitment on the part of the students taking it (although it will definitely be worth it in the end!)

What can I do after I finish?

If you would like to work in the fashion industry, this is the degree choice for you. No matter what aspect of fashion and design you are looking to work in, the skills you will learn on a costume design course will service you very well indeed. These skills are also true for anyone who wants to work as a tailor or fancy-dress designer, as they encompass almost all of the same skill set.

If you would like to move directly into the world of design, the skills you have learned to design outfits and working with fabrics will serve you very well, and you will have a portfolio of work to show prospective employers.

If you would like to work in a theatre setting, your knowledge of costume design, fitting and historical fashion development will be set you apart from the rest of the crowd.

In short, there is absolutely no reason not to follow your dreams of creativity! Find a course that works for you, sign up and design your way to success, starting today. There is sure to be the right course for you somewhere in Ireland.