For the budding costume designer, choosing the right school can be as daunting as building a period piece of clothing from scratch.

In addition to focusing on a specialty – such as film, television, theater, or themed entertainment – ​​class size, tuition, and other considerations come into play. If it’s training in course of employment that is of utmost importance, select a school with an active on-campus theater program, such as Carnegie Mellon, Yale, or UNCSA. Networkers can meet industry professionals through after-school programs at SCAD, FIDM, or UCLA. For a well-rounded resume, courses in costume animation (CalArts), millinery (UMKC), and corsetry (USC) are available. And if location, location, location tops the list, aspiring designers can’t beat Tisch in the Big Apple or one of the four Los Angeles-area schools that benefit Hollywood. in their garden.

THR consulted with educators and industry professionals for its annual Top 10 Costume Design Schools list, revealing that elusive factor that marketers call USP (Unique Selling Point). However, one common thread (no pun intended) remains constant: these ten schools in the United States – plus a bonus international school, Wimbledon – continue the race to adapt to changing industry trends and technological advances.