The Top 10 Costume Design Schools in the World

For generations, costume design has been about sketching silhouettes and hunting down the perfect vintage piece. Today’s designers are expected to be historians, storytellers, psychologists and, increasingly, technologists. As Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter has observed, costume design is “research, character development … a little bit of everything.”

“Everything” now includes digital rendering, virtual production and AI-assisted visualization. The strongest costume design schools, however, are embracing new technology without losing sight of the fundamentals of craftsmanship. Students still need to understand period research, fabric construction and, above all, how clothing reveals character. Related Stories Lifestyle Your Favorite Hollywood Hotspot? Guess Who Owns It. Lifestyle Does This Erewhon Smoothie Make Me Look Fat?

To compile its annual list of the world’s top 10 costume design schools, The Hollywood Reporter consulted designers, educators and industry leaders, evaluating curriculum, faculty, facilities, industry connections, alumni success and career preparation. This year’s programs stand out not because they’ve abandoned tradition; instead, they discovered smart ways to build on it.

Walt Disney envisioned CalArts as a place where artists in different disciplines could collaborate, and nearly six decades later, that spirit still defines the school. Its roots date to the Chouinard Art Institute, whose alumni included Edith Head and Bob Mackie — a formidable costume heritage.

Today, students are as likely to find themselves designing for a video game or theme park attraction as for a film or stage. CalArts has responded by putting greater emphasis on the skills required, from advanced construction, patternmaking and millinery to wig making and fabric manipulation. Digital tools are part of the mix, but not at the expense of knowing how to draw, paint, cut, drape and build a costume by hand. “Finding the exciting space between the digital and the analog to create groundbreaking work is where the magic happens,” says director of design and production Ellen McCartney. CalArts’ long-standing ties to Disney, Universal and other studios also open doors beyond the soundstage, particularly in themed entertainment and experiential design.

ALUMNI Bob Mackie, Edith Head, Durinda Wood ( A Mighty Wind ), Barbara Inglehart ( Animal Kingdom )

Carnegie Mellon’s costume design program is grounded in conservatory training, but students also work beyond the stage in film and television. The perimeters of costume design get further broadened at the university’s Entertainment Technology Center and School of Art, with its courses on gaming, immersive media and new forms of performance.