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Costume designer vs fashion assistant

The differences between costume designers and fashion assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a costume designer and a fashion assistant. Additionally, a costume designer has an average salary of $54,229, which is higher than the $49,812 average annual salary of a fashion assistant.

The top three skills for a costume designer include costumes, make-up and costume shop. The most important skills for a fashion assistant are photo shoots, sales floor, and market research.

Costume designer vs fashion assistant overview

Costume DesignerFashion Assistant
Yearly salary$54,229$49,812
Hourly rate$26.07$23.95
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs47,3232,420
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age3737
Years of experience66

Costume designer vs fashion assistant salary

Costume designers and fashion assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Costume DesignerFashion Assistant
Average salary$54,229$49,812
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $84,000Between $37,000 And $66,000
Highest paying CityCamarillo, CA-
Highest paying stateRhode Island-
Best paying companyPoly Prep Country Day School-
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between costume designer and fashion assistant education

There are a few differences between a costume designer and a fashion assistant in terms of educational background:

Costume DesignerFashion Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorGraphic DesignGraphic Design
Most common collegeCornell UniversityStanford University

Costume designer vs fashion assistant demographics

Here are the differences between costume designers' and fashion assistants' demographics:

Costume DesignerFashion Assistant
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 19.3% Female, 80.7%Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 11.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage18%18%

Differences between costume designer and fashion assistant duties and responsibilities

Costume designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage all daily costume distributions and collection, laundering and maintenance/repair of costumes.
  • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
  • Design and sew children's Halloween costumes.
  • Contribute in production and on set as an assistant dressing the actors, maintaining the costumes, and setting up/organizing wardrobe.
  • Source cut and sew knits in NYC garment district.
  • Sketch, pattern and sew costume for cast including accessories.
  • Show more

Fashion assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage and facilitate fittings and quick changes, organizing wardrobe, transferring and directing costumes to desire locations.
  • Provide customize wardrobe consultations, closet makeovers and personal style and fashion recommendations using an innovative direct-to-consumer sales model.
  • Implement chart to track pop piping and stitching across pants and jacket mean to be worn as sets.

Costume designer vs fashion assistant skills

Common costume designer skills
  • Costumes, 27%
  • Make-Up, 9%
  • Costume Shop, 8%
  • Design Concepts, 8%
  • Character Development, 7%
  • Wardrobe, 5%
Common fashion assistant skills
  • Photo Shoots, 29%
  • Sales Floor, 9%
  • Market Research, 6%
  • Fashion Design, 5%
  • Market Appointments, 4%
  • Trend Reports, 3%

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