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What does a draper do?

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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Draper responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real draper resumes:

  • Administer projects including but not limit to embroidery, digitizing and preventive maintenance.
  • Construct costumes for main stage and tour productions.
  • Drape costumes for small regional theater during summer months
  • Drape and execute first Draper/Patternmaker pattern from sketch.
  • Work closely with embroidery machine operators and art department to ensure quality and consistency.
  • Utilize theory develop specifically for nonlinear and stochastic systems, and MatLab to modify relevant programs and simulations.
  • Lift raw materials, finish products, and pack items, manually or using hoists.

Compare different drapers

Draper vs. Second hand

If we compare the average draper annual salary with that of a second hand, we find that second hands typically earn a $6,248 lower salary than drapers make annually.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between drapers and second hand. For instance, draper responsibilities require skills such as "sketch," "costumes," "iatse," and "custom orders." Whereas a second hand is skilled in "payment arrangements," "gas chromatography," "api," and "customer inquiries." This is part of what separates the two careers.

On average, second hands reach similar levels of education than drapers. Second hands are 4.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Draper vs. Hooker machine tender

Hooker machine tender positions earn lower pay than draper roles. They earn a $13,242 lower salary than drapers per year.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real draper resumes. While draper responsibilities can utilize skills like "sketch," "costumes," "iatse," and "custom orders," hooker machine tenders use skills like "safety checks," "chokers," "ran," and "pre."

In general, hooker machine tenders achieve lower levels of education than drapers. They're 7.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Draper vs. Apparel embroidery digitizer

An average apparel embroidery digitizer eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of drapers. The difference in salaries amounts to apparel embroidery digitizers earning a $10,330 lower average salary than drapers.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a draper is likely to be skilled in "sketch," "costumes," "iatse," and "custom orders," while a typical apparel embroidery digitizer is skilled in "embroidery," "digitizing," "graphic design software," and "corel."

Apparel embroidery digitizers typically earn similar educational levels compared to drapers. Specifically, they're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Draper vs. Second time worker

Second time workers typically earn lower pay than drapers. On average, second time workers earn a $14,128 lower salary per year.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A draper uses "sketch," "costumes," "iatse," and "custom orders." Second time workers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "assembly line," "training sessions," "independent tasks," and "routine maintenance. "In general, second time workers hold similar degree levels compared to drapers. Second time workers are 4.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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