Heard a fashion teacher say draping is outdated and I totally disagree

I was at a workshop in Portland last month and this instructor told the class that draping on a mannequin is a waste of time now that we have CLO 3D. I've been draping for 12 years and it helps me see how fabric actually falls and moves. Digital tools are fine for flat sketches but they miss the weight and stretch of real cloth like a cotton twill or a silk crepe. Has anyone else felt like computer programs take the hands-on feel out of design work?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyclark17d ago

OH come ON, is draping REALLY that serious? I've been sewing for like 15 years and yeah digital tools are great for quick sketches but they don't replace actually touching and moving fabric around. You can't feel the weight of a wool coating or see how a silk charmeuse will slip and slide on a computer screen. People act like technology is gonna fix everything but it's just a TOOL, not a replacement for real skills. I swear fashion schools are getting too obsessed with being "modern" and forgetting the basics that make clothes fit right.

park.tara17d ago

Look at what happened with that graduate from FIT last year who won the CFDA award using CLO 3D for her entire collection. She traveled to six different factories in three countries before she even touched a swatch, and her garments fit like a dream because the software caught all the pattern issues before any fabric got cut. You can program in fabric weights and stretch percentages now, digital draping shows you how something hangs in real time with different materials. Plus the sustainability angle - no wasted muslin, no mountains of toiles ending up in landfills. Isn't it more wasteful to cut up 30 yards of cotton trying to get a sleeve cap right when a student could fix it in five minutes on screen?