Fashion Draping Basics Every Aspiring Designer Should Know

Draping is an important part of fashion design. The method includes positioning and stitching fabric to develop a soft structure. If draping is done right, it can transform the way a garment looks. Draping techniques are taught in most fashion designing courses in Pune and other cities across India. Learning to drape a fabric properly requires practice so that designers can understand exact fittings, falls and fullness of various types of fabrics.

When deciding on the right fabric to use, designers need to consider various aspects of the fabric such as the material and GSM. This plays a significant role in how it will drape on a garment. Flexible materials like chiffon, satin, and silk are great fabrics to use when you want to create a draping effect.

However, as new designers, it's best if you experiment with various fabrics to understand and see how they hang. There are various aspects that you can check to understand how a fabric will fall. Start by checking the thickness and stiffness of the fabric and then move on to using a drape meter. Drape meters are used to determine a drape coefficient. It is the ratio of pleating formed by a piece of fabric. The higher the drape coefficient the lower the fabric drapability. For instance, satin and muslin have a good ratio than hosiery.

Draping is usually done in sections i.e.: the front and back bodice, front and back skirt, etc. and only the right side of the garment is draped unless the garment is supposed to be asymmetrical. Those aiming to design high fashion, couture fashion, and evening dresses must learn how to drape fabric since most garments are created through draping.

Another important factor fashion designers need to think about is how the fabric will move on the wearer's body. It's important to create a corset with space for ease of movement and then add complex draping details on top of the corset.

All this information might make draping seem daunting and tedious but it's one of the most creative aspects of fashion designing. Many designing colleges in Pune and all over India take the time to teach their students the art of draping. This is because they understand that the essence of fashion is experimenting with fabrics and patterns. Playing with different fabrics and witnessing how it folds and hangs on the body is a great way to create something that you could never draw on your sketchbook.

Sukanta kumar I am a Professional Blogger and Content writer for sidpune.