Rita is an award-winning costume designer for film and television. Motivated by the power of costume in good storytelling, Rita strives to enrich character development and the overall production with her design choices.

Rita is currently designing season two of the global hit COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS for Binge, directed by Trent O'Donnell and produced by Easy Tiger. 

Rita worked on two seasons of HEARTBREAK HIGH for Netflix, directed by Gracie Otto and produced by Fremantle. Rita was awarded the AACTA and the APDG award for best costume design for a television series for her work on season 1.  HEARTBREAK HIGH had global success and was awarded an International Emmy Award.

Most recently Rita designed the costumes for the reimagining of much-loved ABC comedy MOTHER AND SON starring Denise Scott and Matt Okine, directed by Neil Sharma.

Before this she designed the romantic comedy FIVE BLIND DATES for Amazon, directed by Shawn Seet to be released in 2024.

Rita’s other feature films include romantic comedy LONG STORY SHORT directed by Josh Lawson and starring Rafe Spall and Zahra Newman; HEARTS AND BONES directed by Ben Lawrence and starring Hugo Weaving which screened in competition at the Sydney and Toronto film festivals; and LUNACY directed by Daniel Askill and starring Isabel Lucas and Lily Sullivan.

Her other television work includes ABC comedy series PREPPERS directed by Steven McGregor and starring Nakkiah Lui; 2 seasons of Stan comedy THE OTHER GUY directed by Kacie Anning and Gracie Otto and starring Matt Okine and Harriet Dyer; 2 seasons of HARDBALL directed by Darren Ashton for the ABC which won an International Emmy Kids Award; THE JUSTINE CLARKE SHOW directed by Justine Flynn; and Jungle’s HERE COME THE HABIBS! directed by Darren Ashton for Channel 9.

Rita has styled campaigns for major brands including McDonalds, Westfield, Hyundai, Domain, Lynx, Optus, Telstra and Mitsubishi. She has also worked internationally styling footage for the opening ceremony of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

Rita is a 2007 NIDA design graduate.

Download Rita's C.V here:  Rita Carmody C.V

"Netflix’s reboot of the 90s Australian TV series Heartbreak High is an homage to Australian designers and music, tailoring a remarkably dialled-in and eclectic mix of clothes and accessories to paint an authentic picture of the diversity and casual blasé cynicism of Gen Z... every Zoomer portrayed in the hit show has a distinct sense of style which costume designer Rita Carmody said was used as a platform for self-expression and personification of mood in every scene." - Vogue Australia

"Heartbreak High doesn't just dip it's toe into the world of A-fashion, it proudly submerges itself in the effortless and laid back styles of Australian high schoolers." - Elle Australia

"This remake from the classic ’90s original, has propelled gritty high school drama into the style and dress of today, and the show’s stylists have done well to make it feel very ‘now’. The protagonists of the show have all been meticulously dressed in a reflection of the melting pot of Gen-Z trends visible everywhere from your social media platform of choice, to when you walk down the street." - GQ Magazine