Draper

Cloth merchant

For other uses, see Draper (disambiguation).

"Drapers" redirects here. For the magazine, see Drapers (magazine).

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In the Draper's Shop by Adriaen van Bloemen

Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher.

## History

[edit]

Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, when the sellers of cloth operated out of drapers' shops.[citation needed] However the original meaning of the term has now largely fallen out of use.

In 1724, Jonathan Swift wrote a series of satirical pamphlets in the guise of a draper called the Drapier's Letters.

## Historical drapers

[edit]

A replica draper's shop at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Lincoln, England

A number of notable people who have at one time or another worked as drapers include:

* Sir Thomas Adams, 1st Baronet (1586–1667/1668), Lord Mayor of the City of London
* William Barley (1565?–1614), bookseller and publisher
* Norman Birkett
* Margaret Bondfield
* Thomas Burberry, Founder of fashion brand "Burberry"
* Eleanor Coade (1733–1821), successful businesswoman with Coade stone
* John Graunt, founder of the science of demography
* Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
* John Spedan Lewis
* William McGregor (1846–1911), chairman of Aston Villa Football Club and founder of the Football League
* Anthony Munday
* Hector MacDonald, was a drapers apprentice until at 18 he joined the army.
* Harry S. Truman, haberdasher before he became a Senator, Vice President and President of the United States
* H. G. Wells and his fictional characters Kipps and Mr Polly were draper's assistants
* Edward Whalley, regicide, cousin of Oliver Cromwell
* George Williams, founder of the YMCA[1]
* John Woodward, geologist and physician to King Charles II

## Current usage

[edit]

A draper is now defined as a highly skilled role within the fashion industry. The term is used within a fashion design or costume design studio for people tasked with creating garments or patterns by draping fabric over a dress form; draping uses a human form to physically position the cloth into a desired pattern. This is an alternative method to drafting, when the garment is initially worked out from measurements on paper.

A fashion draper may also be known as a "first hand" because they are often the most skilled creator in the workshop and the "first" to work with the cloth for a garment. However a first hand in a costume studio is often an assistant to the draper. They are responsible for cutting the fabric with the patterns and assisting in costume fittings.

## See also

[edit]

* Draper – a surname taken from the occupation
* Don Draper, fictional star of the series Mad Men
* Drapery
* Kraków Cloth Hall – Renaissance landmark of Kraków, Poland
* Millinery
* Worshipful Company of Drapers, the London guild

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "My Dear Home, I Love You, You're a House for Each of Us and Home for All of Us". World Digital Library. 1918. Retrieved 2013-10-26.

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