Film Career · Costume And Wardrobe
Key Costumer
Costume And Wardrobe · IATSE costume locals (incl. Local 892 for designers)
- Union
- IATSE costume locals
- Day rate
- ~$400–$800/day
- Experience
- 8–18+ yrs
What does a Key Costumer do?
A key costumer leads within the costume and wardrobe department, answering for its output while managing the people and logistics behind it.
On union productions the position falls under IATSE costume locals (incl. Local 892 for designers), which sets the rates, hours, and conditions the role works within. Like every costume and wardrobe role, the job is hired production by production, and repeat work comes from department heads who trust the name on the call sheet.
What does a Key Costumer make?
- This is a department-head chair, toward the top of its department's range.
- Costume crews are paid by the day with overtime: costumers roughly $400-$800 a day, and supervisors and designers above.
- Roughly $60K-$400K+ a year across the department (IATSE Local 705 and the Costume Designers Guild, Local 892).
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You know garment craft, fitting, and continuity
Soft skills
- You can lead a crew, hold a budget, and answer for the department
- You are as comfortable managing people as doing the craft
The ladder
Related chairs in this craft family, ordered from entry toward leadership:
- 1Assistant Costumer
- 2Key Costumer (this role)
Career progression
Within this craft family the recognized progression runs from assistant costumer toward key costumer, with each step earned through set time and the trust of the chairs above. Where this role sits on that ladder is less important than how the costume and wardrobe department works: people move up when the department already believes they can do the next job.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
~$60K–$400K+/yr
- Key Costumeryou are here
~$60K–$400K+/yr
How do you become a Key Costumer?
The path here is internal: the costume and wardrobe department promotes this position from within, based on a track record built in its junior chairs. Start at the department's entry level and let the work argue for you.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE costume locals (incl. Local 892 for designers) contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.