Wardrobe assistant vs costume specialist

The differences between wardrobe assistants and costume specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a wardrobe assistant and a costume specialist. Additionally, a costume specialist has an average salary of $48,798, which is higher than the $29,049 average annual salary of a wardrobe assistant.

The top three skills for a wardrobe assistant include costumes, photo shoots and make-up. The most important skills for a costume specialist are costumes, outbound calls, and .

Wardrobe assistant vs costume specialist overview

	Wardrobe Assistant	Costume Specialist
Yearly salary	$29,049	$48,798
Hourly rate	$13.97	$23.46
Growth rate	3%	-
Number of jobs	107	18,721
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	34	34
Years of experience	12	12

Wardrobe assistant vs costume specialist salary

Wardrobe assistants and costume specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wardrobe Assistant	Costume Specialist
Average salary	$29,049	$48,798
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $40,000	Between $30,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between wardrobe assistant and costume specialist education

There are a few differences between a wardrobe assistant and a costume specialist in terms of educational background:

	Wardrobe Assistant	Costume Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Graphic Design	Theatre
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Wardrobe assistant vs costume specialist demographics

Here are the differences between wardrobe assistants' and costume specialists' demographics:

	Wardrobe Assistant	Costume Specialist
Average age	34	34
Gender ratio	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%	Male, 40.4% Female, 59.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 5.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 5.6% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between wardrobe assistant and costume specialist duties and responsibilities

Wardrobe assistant example responsibilities.

Manage costume quick changes for``Shakespeare in Hollywood".
Launder and maintain organization of daily costumes.
Distribute costumes and relate equipment to performers.
Build presentations through extensive research to help develop advertising campaigns and magazine editorials.
Build presentations through extensive research to help develop advertising campaigns and magazine editorials.

Costume specialist example responsibilities.

Manage FDA regulate products requirements for ISO2000 quality assurance.
Assist customers in finding costumes or decorations, coordinate inventory with the warehouse, clean and stock the storefront.
Assist the costume designer in choosing costumes for productions and relate activities - fittings, moving costumes to and from storage.
Determine program eligibility for Medicaid, food stamp and cash benefits in accordance with current regulations using the computer-based eligibility system.
Maintain department SharePoint site including site administration.

Wardrobe assistant vs costume specialist skills

Common wardrobe assistant skills

Costumes, 32%
Photo Shoots, 28%
Make-Up, 10%
RAN, 10%
Wigs, 7%
Fashion Shows, 6%

Common costume specialist skills

Costumes, 85%
Outbound Calls, 15%

Zippia Careers
Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Wardrobe Assistant
Wardrobe Assistant vs Costume Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs