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Have you ever been interested in creating your own costumes? If you have contemplated the process of how to learn about making costumes for a production of a play, maybe a comic book, or even a video but have been overwhelmed on where to start, here are a few easy steps to help.



  1. 1
    Learn about colors and patterns. One of the most important things to start learning costume design is to understand the relationship of colors to one another. Start with learning the color wheel and the properties colors have next to each other, then go onto what colors mean.
    • For example, blue traditionally conveys cold and sadness in viewers while purple is traditionally linked to royalty.
  2. 2
    Decide if you want a formal education. Some fashion schools offer courses in costume design, or you can use free online resources to learn the basics.
  3. 3
    Research what others do and pick what's best. Go to plays and make observations of what others use. Obviously, if you plan on making your own costumes, do not steal their ideas, but take note of what they do use. Are there characters who wear the same color? Are there characters who incorporate patterns into their costumes? Is there a theme?

    • One of the traditional examples is to watch Romeo and Juliet; the costume designer will repeatedly choose a particular style to distinguish between the Capulets and the Montagues.
    • Particular design characteristics to look out for are: colors, patterns, and accessories. A rich woman might have more patterns or fur accessories with her costume, while a butcher might wear one color and just an apron.
  4. 4
    Start assembling an idea book. Collect examples of anything that inspires you, be it pictures of a landscape or a particular pattern. It does not have to directly link to clothing, but if you see an example in a magazine of a color of blue you like, cut it out and save it! There doesn't have to be anything in particular linking these things yet. This is simply for your own reference and to get you comfortable with making collections of ideas.
  5. 5
    Once you feel comfortable, find a play you enjoy or a story to work with and read it. If it's your first time and you're doing this for your own hobby, find something that you enjoy to start with. Make a list of the characters appearing in the play/story since you'll have to design all of them. Be sure to read it and become very familiar with the work. If it is a musical, purchase the soundtrack to listen to for more inspiration.
  6. 6
    Once you have a play or story in mind, come up with a theme and research it. What makes costumes interesting is how the designer interprets the text and the characters of the play and makes the setting their own. Decide if you want a traditional theme for your costumes or something totally out there. Is your story something from a particular time period? If it is set in the 1700's, there are distinct features in fashion that occur, especially between countries. If you do not want to stick to the traditional time period, you can be creative. What about a Japanese culture inspired Alice in Wonderland? Once you have an idea that sounds good, go out and research it. Collect another book of ideas for this particular story; save pictures of what is relevant to the theme.
  7. 7
    Now that you have your story and your chosen interpretation, start making ideas for each and every character. Start arranging those ideas/pictures you've collected into groups for characters. Obviously, if you find you need to research more, go and do it.
    • Don't neglect minor characters! Sometimes the background characters in a story can have the most fun costumes to do and be creative with.
  8. 8
    Start with your first costume. Choose your favorite character or one you're particularly inspired to start with. If you're uncomfortable with your drawing skills, you can always cut and paste pictures to make a collage. The benefit of using a collage with actual pictures of clothes gives you an idea of how to produce them and textures. If you're comfortable with drawing, look back at your references to make sure
    • Sometimes it helps to make multiple designs for a character.
    • If you are doing this for an actual production, be sure to have pictures of the actors/characters on hand if you actually can. This can help you figure out what looks good on them--not just what looks good drawn.
  9. 9
    After a lot of hard work, you should have your first collection of costumes together. Now it's up to you on how to use it, just be sure to save it in case you ever need to reference it again for another production. If you choose, you can go on to actually produce these costumes or just keep them in your portfolio.

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  • Do a lot of research. The more you know, the more ideas you can come up with. There's never too much research.
  • Some fabric stores will have cheap or free scraps of fabric. Use them to be inspired and learn more about textiles and texture
  • As mentioned above, lack of drawing skills shouldn't intimidate you. Use collages!


  • Consider majoring in costume design. The majority of professional costume designers have had formal training, shoot for at least an AA degree.
  • If you are going to produce the costumes yourself, be mindful of the cost. This can get extremely expensive and you may become discouraged.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper and pencils and material and sewing and stitching
  • Magazines and pictures
  • Computer for researching
  • A means to keep your ideas together in a portfolio
  • Patience

Article Info

Categories: Fashion Industry Careers

In other languages:

Español: convertirte en diseñador de vestuario, Русский: стать дизайнером костюмов, Italiano: Diventare un Costumista, Português: se Tornar um Figurinista

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