It is usually normal for a sari draper to be hired to do this. Traditionally, it was other women in the family or make-up artists who dressed the bride in a sari. However, more men are getting into draping saris nowadays.
Chennai has had over twelve male sari drapers emerging within two years. They get paid anything between 2,000/- and 25,000/- per drape. There are male sari drapers in India who even earn some lakhs for one drape Among many others. The local beauty parlour would charge you 500-1500 (depending on the brand) for doing that during a wedding ceremony. Besides there are those who take it as a profession where they pre-pleat the sari; pleats including the pallu are ironed intact then safety pins are used to keep them in place. All she does is put on her sari thus prepared after collecting it from them.For pre-pleating, they ask anywhere between ₹800 and ₹1,500.
Anbarasan Mahadevan also known as @style_with_anbu,13 or self-taught saree-draping artiste explains that when he started four years ago there were hardly any men in this field but now things have changed . Anbarasan who is currently twenty years old also conducts saree draping classes.According to him the dressing is quite detailed because while some prefer more folds-such matters like size of fold also matter – some people just want their pallous longer than others and still there those desiring it another way.He further comments that different materials mean each saree’s pinning down method differs.
Adithya Jaykumar (@ad.jayan),15 another Chennai-based saree-draping artist and stylist adds that women find it comfortable.“Actually today most women go through trial sessions before they reach their marriage day. So when I’m doing a trial, I explain to them how it works and then they always have women from my team around. Just before we tuck the sari in place, we ask if they would like to do that or there is someone who can assist them among their relatives.” He had learnt this trade as a child by helping out with pleating for the ladies in his home. When asked about the time taken for draping a sari, Mr. Mahadevan says that it takes 8-10 minutes to drape a silk sari; if it’s pre-pleated, the duration is 4-5 minutes.
They cater for brides and their families too. Occasionally they also drape saris on models and actors.
Karun Raman, fashion choreographer claims that men are well polished while draping sarees and the folds are neat. This trend was started on Instagram by another famous saree folder called Thivyan Jayareuben but now many people are also picking it up. Most of the sari drapers do their own marketing and take bookings through social media platforms.
Tharun V., an IT professional who hired a male sari-dresser for his wedding remarks that “When buying a wedding saree families want some top brands like Nalli, Pothys or RMKV…Similarly, associating with popular male saree dresser is like branding”. Those in the industry say the demand for the sari drapers is increasing.
