Through their creativity and knowledge about fabrics, a costume designer can bring alive any character on TV or in films. Sangeeta Yadav tells you why this is a great career option today

From designing for epic shows like Mahabharata and Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, to doing a science fiction, an animation or even a film, a costume designer plays an integral part in shaping a given character. Designing costumes requires understanding the character completely which will result in bringing out the personality that a script demands.

“There is an upsurge in the number of satellite channels which has opened up avenues for a costume designer. Being true to the character and premise, where the costume looks effortless and real is the key to becoming a successful costume designer. Everything must blend in to make the frame look believable. The intention should not be to make the costume stand out as extraordinary, but blend in seamlessly and beautifully with all other areas of production,” Nidhi Yasha, owner of  The NY Studio and costume designer of TV shows like Jodha Akbar, Savitri and Buddha, says.

According to Yasha, designing for Indian shows and films differs from the international style and standard. “Indians are more surrealistic and take more liberties in their approach towards costuming. We like our clothes new and shiny most of the time. While the West is way more realistic. They would wear a costume till it starts looking like the person has lived in it and the piece of clothing has belonged to the character for real. This is the primary difference that separates the East from the West. Also many of our characters are larger-than-life while the West usually tries to play them subtle which again changes the entire dynamics for styling costumes for that particular character,” Yasha explains.

Skills

Research: A costume designer has to do in-depth study of the script to get hints that will inspire them in designing the costume. The research work includes reading of books, visit places like museums, location and do online search.

Budget and scheduling: Managing the daily wardrobe of each character under a fixed budget is very challenging. Usually costume designers create their own workshop where they manufacture and dispose the outfit. They also take care of its maintenance and durability. Team work: “A costume designer conducts meeting with the production team and decides what kind of clothes they have envisioned. Sketches are prepared. Then with the help of hair and make-up team and jewellery designers, the look is finalised. Once the outfit is ready, actors conduct trials,” says Nikhat Mariyam Neerusha, costume and jewellery designer of Maharana Pratap, Jhansi Ki Rani and Veer Shivaji.

Short deadline: “Be prepared for sleepless days and nights and spine breaking hard work.  The pressure is tremendous, stress levels very high, deadlines are nerve wrecking and impossible almost every time and you are expected to turn around miracles. Only those with a spine of steel and undying determination will survive,” Yasha says.

Design skills:  Creative skills are more important than qualifications. Also, knowledge about fabric, styling and manufacturing costumes is a must. A costume designer must be imaginative, must possess problem-solving ability, have good communication skills and leadership quality is an added plus.

Courses

It is important for a costume designer to continuously update their portfolio in order to keep a record of progression.  “The costume design course is comprehensive and helps one learn all technicalities and nuances that go into the business of fashion, costuming or clothing. Internship is a very good way to step into the industry and learn hands on as to how it functions. Training and retaining the staff is one of the biggest challenges in this industry. Most assistants like to work on project basis with designers. It gets difficult to let go of staff after having trained them thoroughly and then training another set from scratch. But the scene is gradually getting better as employees are finally understanding the value of teamwork and a secure income,” Yasha explains.

Job profile

Costume designers start as assistant designer, or wardrobe assistant under an experienced designer who designs for TV, theatre and films.

Remuneration

“It depends on the nature and quantity of the project. Every production house functions differently. For starters, the design fee for a film project can range between Rs 5 lakhs a project to even a few crores depending upon the popularity and brand name of a designer, as well the size of the production,” Yasha concludes.