Thread: Costume Designers/Seamstresses how do you break down what you charge for your services

I've always been curious about what other designers do regarding how they charge for what they do. Anyone willing to share their formula...not necessarily your actual fees but how you decide on what to charge. Do you break down supplies used , charge for time involved or just a flat fee? What seems to work best for you?

For smaller projects like skirts or pants, I charge for materials plus an hourly rate for labor.

For larger projects like a full costume, I've progressed to a flat rate. The flat rate is based upon what I think materials will cost, plus how much I'll charge for designing and building the costume.

I like to (for custom orders) put a breakdown of the cost of the individual materials. I think it helps to educate people on the actual cost of supplies and they can see how much of the total price goes into supplies and not my pocket. I tend to just charge a flat fee for labor. I find it depressing to break down the labor charge into an hourly rate .... If I actually kept track of the total hours and compared it to what I actually charge for labor I think I would cry

Originally Posted by invokethegoddess

I like to (for custom orders) put a breakdown of the cost of the individual materials. I think it helps to educate people on the actual cost of supplies and they can see how much of the total price goes into supplies and not my pocket. I tend to just charge a flat fee for labor. I find it depressing to break down the labor charge into an hourly rate .... If I actually kept track of the total hours and compared it to what I actually charge for labor I think I would cry

It's true about the amount of hours. That's why I only charge my hourly rate for small projects. I totally lose my shirt when it comes to the larger ones. It takes me about two months of work to finish a full costume. That is with a full time job and a dance troupe that takes up alot of my time. I know I'd cry too if I actually figured out how many hours a full costume takes to complete versus how many hours I charge for it.

I try to see bellydance costumes as a "hobby" that helps to pay for itself...when you take the amount of hours into consideration it's hard to see it as a business..my husband keeps reminding me that a "business" turns a profit...I hate when he's right!

Oh, I'd starve to death if I was trying to make costumes for a living. I figure it helps pay for some of my own costumes and workshops, no more. All in all, even considering a few paying gigs here and there, bellydance is in the red for me. I enjoy it very much, but consider it all a hobby, not a business.

i start at a flat $150.00 labor. i get half up front .any other charges are discussed before i do the work. end price is agreed on. i only do 1 bedlah a month.if they bring all supplies to me , it is cheaper on them . i do give them a list of basic stuff i must have . shops to use and web sites to look at/shop on.

Originally Posted by zamora

i start at a flat $150.00 labor. i get half up front .any other charges are discussed before i do the work. end price is agreed on. i only do 1 bedlah a month.if they bring all supplies to me , it is cheaper on them . i do give them a list of basic stuff i must have . shops to use and web sites to look at/shop on.

Good to know! Thanks for the input!

Originally Posted by shahla

Oh, I'd starve to death if I was trying to make costumes for a living. I figure it helps pay for some of my own costumes and workshops, no more. All in all, even considering a few paying gigs here and there, bellydance is in the red for me. I enjoy it very much, but consider it all a hobby, not a business.

I'm at a point in my life where all my children are in school and I have to start to focus on getting back into a career. Costuming takes up a lot...if not all of my 'free' time. I love making costumes but it's not a viable income. I may have to eventually give up costuming completely unless I can diversify (explore other dance/fitness aspects of costuming) and make a profit from it. It's a sad realization.

well as someone who now makes costumes for a living I am sorry I have no set formula to share. I did realize recently that I made over 150 costumes last year. This year so far I am at around 100.
I will say that I never can charge what I really feel I should charge. And that is because of the cheap egyptian labor that gets used to make fully beaded costumes for $200.
I will say that I charge at least around $500 now for a full custom job which I think is pretty low. I have estimated that if I don't have anyone else's project to work on I can finish something completely in about 15-20 hours. Beading and all. But I have gotten super fast and very practiced. Like today I made 2 full costume bases for fittings via mail in 4 hours.
I do give little discounts and free veils and stuff to repeat customers which probably eats into profits but is fun for everyone and good business too. So far I have more work than I can handle so that's good. There is no way I could charge by the hour so making an overall flat rate is best for me in the end.

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

well as someone who now makes costumes for a living I am sorry I have no set formula to share. I did realize recently that I made over 150 costumes last year. This year so far I am at around 100.
I will say that I never can charge what I really feel I should charge. And that is because of the cheap egyptian labor that gets used to make fully beaded costumes for $200.
I will say that I charge at least around $500 now for a full custom job which I think is pretty low. I have estimated that if I don't have anyone else's project to work on I can finish something completely in about 15-20 hours. Beading and all. But I have gotten super fast and very practiced. Like today I made 2 full costume bases for fittings via mail in 4 hours.
I do give little discounts and free veils and stuff to repeat customers which probably eats into profits but is fun for everyone and good business too. So far I have more work than I can handle so that's good. There is no way I could charge by the hour so making an overall flat rate is best for me in the end.

I agree that part of the problem with pricing (for Belly dance costumes) is related to the 'egyptian' labor. It is very frustrating to see costumes for other arts, go for so much more money.
Here is an interesting website for Ballroom gowns and their price policy
http://www.dancesportballgowns.com/custom.html

This quote floors me! "Our prices for new gowns, including both custom gowns and ready-to-wear, are based on cost of materials plus $40-an-hour labor. We don't negotiate on these already low prices, because otherwise we would be working at a loss and wouldn't be able to stay in business. Since a basic Latin dress can require more than $200 in materials and at least 30 hours of labor without even including rhinestoning, you can easily understand why ballroom costumes seem so expensive"

I often tell people that if the Egyptian and Turkish costumes were made here (as well as those super-embellished Indian choli/lehengas/sarees) they would be considered couture and cost thousands of dollars rather than hundreds. People don't realize that artisans in North America have to pay rent/mortgage the same as anyone else and can't compete with labour costs overseas! It's really frustrating, but don't sell yourself short.

I myself often underprice my work just so it actually sells, but I'm slowly trying to force myself not to do this. There is no point in busting my ass for less than minimum wage; I try to make sure that I make at the *very* least $15 per hour, plus materials and overhead.

I break down charges by labor and cost of materials. In my state I am required to charge taxes on materials if the materials cost exceeds $175, which it almost always does for full costumes. Also, like Invoke, I think it is educational for the client to see how much quality materials cost. I definitely agree with everyone who has said that they can't bear to break down hourly labor costs. It would make me cry too. My costumes start at $400 and go up from there based on intricacy of design, if they want crystals and how many, etc. Just like with gigs I charge a 50% non-refundable deposit on all custom orders. I don't make costumes for sale without a custom order, I am poor and live in a small apartment with limited storage so I can't afford to make things on spec LOL!

I don't consider the Egyptian designers charging $200/costume to be competition. I think of the cheap mass produced costumes the same way I think of undercutters for gigs. However, I do agree that they keep us from being able to charge closer to what we are worth. I love the idea of $200 in materials and $40/hour for labor. That sounds very reasonable. It's too bad we won't be making that much anytime soon :(

BTW, I only started taking full costume commissions this year, before that I only did alteration work and small items. I don't make a living off costumes, since I make most of my own costumes I think of it as paying off some of the materials I use to make mine. Also, I really love seeing a dancer dance and look fabulous in something I made!

I have tried to time myself to try figure out how long it takes to make a costume. I put it all down here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johann...d=167206259744

That doesnt include any time spent on phonecalls or replying to e-mails etc.

Originally Posted by alibelly

I have tried to time myself to try figure out how long it takes to make a costume. I put it all down here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Johann...d=167206259744

That doesnt include any time spent on phonecalls or replying to e-mails etc.

When people see a quality finished product they truly don't realize the dedication involved. .w.: Your article highlights it well.

Originally Posted by SuzanneAzhaar

When people see a quality finished product they truly don't realize the dedication involved. .w.: Your article highlights it well.

I agree! It's overwhelming how much time is involved and your article does express that nicely!

I had published the 'cost of product' on my website a few years ago to help people understand....add that to the amount of hours involved...

http://www.invokethegoddessdesigns.c...ct%20Cost.html

I started getting excited about designing costumes when I first started dancing, but i quickly realized I didn't have time or money for such an expensive hobby. LOL. Every costume I made cost over $200 in materials and took me a month to finish.

This is an interesting conversation, because it's a microcosm of the economy. Americans need to earn $10-40 an hour -- twice that if you're self-employed -- just to survive (the American definition of survival, anyway, which includes a car, cable TV, internet, dining out, etc). But we can't afford to buy products that are produced by workers who earn that much!

'back in the day' before there was a lot of automation, people owned so little. Two everyday outfits and one dressy one. One or maybe two pair of shoes. A coat. A child might have one or two toys. All your possessions fit in a wardrobe and two kitchen cupboards. Houses didn't even have closets!

The 'owning stuff' experience expanded with automation, but it has exploded since we've exported all our production overseas to countries where workers only need to earn a few dollars a week to live decently (or where no one cares how they live).

We want to own everything, and we want it all cheap. We insist on getting a pair of jeans for under $40, and at the same time we complain about jobs being shipped overseas. We can't have it both ways. (the last time a pair of Levi's was made in the US was several years ago, right after they finally caved in and contracted to sell at Wal-Mart for a cheaper price. Wal-Mart has made the American factory worker an endangered species, but people still shop there because of the Great Prices! Hello? Connection! )

Sorry, that was a tangent. I'll behave now.

Eshta, you must be INCREDIBLY fast! The average work year is 200 days, so you're spending less than 2 days on a costume. It would take me that long to buy the supplies and cut the fabric. You are a goddess.

When I first started making costumes I used a lot of bargin fabrics, pre-made appliques and fringe (and cheap thread) only to have them fall apart when I danced in them...It was heartbreaking to spend so much time and not have the costume hold up. I learned the err of my ways the hard way.
I have thought of many ways of cutting costs and making costumes a lot faster and consequently making more of a profit on them...but I simply refuse to compromise artistically...I use HIGH quality materials. I make my own fringe. I won't use materials that, over time will have wear marks or loose their sheen (as in some metallic coated fabrics) even though they are really pretty! I don't trust hot fix stones and only use sew on stones. I want my designs to be like cockroaches....able to withstand a nuclear Holocaust.

Ha ha! Thanks Lauren. I am super fast. But that came gradually over time. It takes tremendous practice just like anything. Also construction techniques are a major deal. I have a really good handle on bra and belt bases. I make them the same way every time. I also cultivate a relationship with the vendors I work with and get awesome deals for myself. It's worth it for me to have a one stop shop for each of the things I need. I have a spandex guy, silk guy, rhinestone place, etc... They all know what I do and what I want so they set aside things for me and come up with deals.
Also if you get really great at knowing what will hold up and what will not you won't waste time experimenting. I get a lot of home made costumes sent to me for alterations or dancers come to me to show me their creations. I often have to bite my tongue because the construction is usually pretty poor. Anyone can sew beads onto something but it takes some time and real understanding to do it with the strength required to make it last. This seems to be a dying art in Egypt. Gone are the days of rock hard abla creations for sure.
But honestly it is really really hard to make something great. But one of the things I love most about this dance is being able to enhance it with your own personal costume creation. When you make something to wear it's like coming full circle. You've connected with ancient techniques that feel foreign to us in the modern world. And all those construction headaches??? That's what costume workshops are for!

When I was making more handbags and such I found The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork by James Dillehay to be a very helpful book in figuring out how to charge, how to make a profit, and such.

For a heavily beaded costumes now (like the one I am working on for Farasha) I charge around 70,000 yen. For less bead intensive work I price bedlah between 35,000yen-50,000 yen. For fixing up and such I tend to charge around 1,000 yen per hour plus expenses.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Wal-Mart has made the American factory worker an endangered species, but people still shop there because of the Great Prices! Hello? Connection!

So NOT a tangent, considering the subject. 'Save Money, Live Better' indeed! until your job disappears, anyway!