Importance of Draping in Fashion Clothing Industry

Draping as a technique is accomplished by pinning the fabric onto the mannequin as perceived through specific design. The pinning process requires the draper to follow the measurements according to the style of the design and to achieve the silhouette or the outline that will result in the perfect pattern. The desired draped silhouette is either traced onto a sheet of paper or onto the fabric itself for final pattern making. The draper examines the falls and folds of the fabric as it defines the overall look and feel of the design. Virtually, the draping method converts the loose fabric into desired pattern of the couture. The art of draping requires a smart approach from the draper as it gives a language of unspoken excellence to the body. Playing with combination of fabrics according to their textures and looks as a costume prior to its stitching makes draping as the superiority technique (Figure 1). To explore the possibilities of styles, the draping is done on a gray fabric initially that later can be converted into patterns for a successful fashion clothing article [1].


Perspective
Draping as a technique is accomplished by pinning the fabric onto the mannequin as perceived through specific design. The pinning process requires the draper to follow the measurements according to the style of the design and to achieve the silhouette or the outline that will result in the perfect pattern. The desired draped silhouette is either traced onto a sheet of paper or onto the fabric itself for final pattern making. The draper examines the falls and folds of the fabric as it defines the overall look and feel of the design. Virtually, the draping method converts the loose fabric into desired pattern of the couture. The art of draping requires a smart approach from the draper as it gives a language of unspoken excellence to the body. Playing with combination of fabrics according to their textures and looks as a costume prior to its stitching makes draping as the superiority technique ( Figure  1). To explore the possibilities of styles, the draping is done on a gray fabric initially that later can be converted into patterns for a successful fashion clothing article [1].

Figure 1:
The draping on gray fabric to explore styles [1].
The concept and origin of draping has an ancient historic background. Traces of draping method can be observed in the ancient race of the Egyptians, if not in its purest of form and meaning but surely as a dress draping had its existence in this timeline. The folds and falls of loose garment pieces hanging from shoulder to toes are a definite earliest raw form of draping. Many pictures that were secured and studied of the era show the use of linen as material and clothing that seems to be draped over the body making it the couture [2-3]. Figure 2 predicts the body drapes smartly used as main piece of clothing in its simplest of forms. The class system theory as observed throughout the history must have played its role in the ancient Egypt with reference to using and promoting the style of draped cloth for the rich upper class including the pharos and the queens. The clothing material mostly "linen" a form of fine clothing with its quality of softness must have allowed the draped cloth to follow the form of the body creating unconsciously the earliest concept of couture. Ancient Egyptian race is not only the one where the resemblance of main clothing piece to draping is

Current Trends in Fashion Technology & Textile Engineering
found but ancient classic antiquity civilizations including Greeks and Romans also used clothing which can be referred to as ancient existence of drape concept. Surely, the lack of technology restricted many possibilities of creatively exploring the couture. Ancient Greeks clothing has been a great source of inspiration for future designers, using the drape styles as a reference during the process of draping has enabled contemporary designers to create couture and fashion clothing collections with flawless mastery [4]. The Roman civilization is looked upon as a strong ancient race which explored and developed numerous concepts that carries a strong reference for future creative minds. Romans utilized the clothing style similar to Greeks, folds were pinned together to give form to the draped fabric turning it into a couture. The material like cotton and silks allowed the draped fabric to display the quality of flow. They creatively used the combination of materials and colors to give the draped piece of clothing value and richness. The Romans very much like the Greeks experimented with loose fabric to give it a shape that covered the bodies in various styles for both men and women. At times, the professionally draped style of clothing differentiated according to the ranks and positions. A large number of references are available in literature of art that clearly defines the draped clothing style. Interestingly, the drapes that played main clothing function for the ancient race of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans turned out to be a stage or a phase in fashion couture design. Important enough to help later stages like pattern cutting and stitching till the finished couture article (Figure 4).
Contemporary designers experiment and explore their creative approach through draping to give themselves better and clear idea of the final article in a fashion collection line. Draping phase allows the fashion designers and students to explore the possibilities of merging and combining two different fabrics. These fabrics can have the same or different texture and construction specifications. Many tools and technologies in contemporary times have been assisting the draping designers to put them in comfort working zone. The availability of such instruments restricted the ancient civilization to produce attire with ease and diversity, but still they opted for the available materials and working tools [5]. The modern world has appreciated, promoted and practiced fashion from many different perspectives. The demand over the years to produce creative minds in fashion couture field has without doubts raised the quality and approach in teaching fashion as an art of profitable value in educational institutions. The strategic integration of study modules in fashion design curricula now make sure the student's stepping into the professional field successfully understand and display their creative concepts and efforts. The knowledge and application of systematic following of procedures in "made to order" fashion design industry is a requirement that has to be fulfilled without compromise ( Figure 5). A true and smart professional understand the processes that must be performed one after the other to achieve the end product in clothing fashion industry, draping among the rest is the key method of making sure the garment has a flawless pattern delivered before a stitcher can show his magic of masterfully producing any garment.