thumb|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
Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, when the sellers of cloth operated out of drapers' shops.
- Thomas Burberry, founder of fashion brand "Burberry"
- Eleanor Coade (1733–1821), successful businesswoman with Coade stone, who ran her own business as a linen draper in the City of London
- John Graunt (1620–1674), founder of the science of demography, became a freeman of the Drapers' Company at the age of 21 and worked in his father's drapery shop until his father died in 1662
- Antonie van Leeuwenhoek
- John Spedan Lewis (1885–1963), founder of the John Lewis Partnership
- William McGregor (1846–1911), chairman of Aston Villa Football Club and founder of the Football League
- Anthony Munday (1560?–1633), playwright
- Hector MacDonald, was a draper's 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
- John Woodward (1665–1728), geologist and physician to King Charles II. At the age of 16 he went to London to be apprenticed to a linen draper.
Current usage
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
- 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