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Costume designer vs fashion supervisor

The differences between costume designers and fashion supervisors 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 supervisor. Additionally, a costume designer has an average salary of $54,229, which is higher than the $53,565 average annual salary of a fashion supervisor.

The top three skills for a costume designer include costumes, make-up and costume shop. The most important skills for a fashion supervisor are sales floor, POS, and customer service.

Costume designer vs fashion supervisor overview

Costume DesignerFashion Supervisor
Yearly salary$54,229$53,565
Hourly rate$26.07$25.75
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs47,3233,122
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age3737
Years of experience66

Costume designer vs fashion supervisor salary

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

Costume DesignerFashion Supervisor
Average salary$54,229$53,565
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $84,000Between $35,000 And $81,000
Highest paying CityCamarillo, CA-
Highest paying stateRhode Island-
Best paying companyPoly Prep Country Day School-
Best paying industryProfessional-

Differences between costume designer and fashion supervisor education

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

Costume DesignerFashion Supervisor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common majorGraphic DesignBusiness
Most common collegeCornell UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Costume designer vs fashion supervisor demographics

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

Costume DesignerFashion Supervisor
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 19.3% Female, 80.7%Male, 14.6% Female, 85.4%
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 supervisor 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 supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Manage inventory of jewelry and supplies to ensure availability.
  • Provide customize wardrobe consultations, closet makeovers and personal style and fashion recommendations using an innovative direct-to-consumer sales model.
  • Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staff appropriately.

Costume designer vs fashion supervisor skills

Common costume designer skills
  • Costumes, 27%
  • Make-Up, 9%
  • Costume Shop, 8%
  • Design Concepts, 8%
  • Character Development, 7%
  • Wardrobe, 5%
Common fashion supervisor skills
  • Sales Floor, 38%
  • POS, 28%
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Bank Deposits, 12%
  • Apparel, 10%

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