Fashion terms / Fashion Croquis
What Is a Fashion Croquis?
A fashion croquis is a quick outline drawing of a human figure that fashion designers use as a base for sketching clothing designs. It usually has stretched, stylized proportions, around 9 heads tall, so the garments drawn on it look clear and elegant.
Croquis Meaning
"Croquis" (pronounced kroh-KEE) is French for sketch. In art, it can mean any quick sketch of a person. In fashion, it means a figure template: a simple body outline that designers draw their clothes on.
What Is a Croquis Used For?
- Sketching designs: designers draw garments directly over the croquis
- Keeping proportions consistent: every design in a collection is drawn on the same figure
- Sharing ideas: a quick, clear way to show a design to a team, buyer or client
- The first design step: croquis sketches later become technical flats and a tech pack
Fashion Croquis Proportions: How Many Heads?
A real adult body is about 7.5 to 8 heads tall. A fashion croquis is usually drawn 9 heads tall, with most of the extra length in the legs and neck. This stretched figure makes garments easier to see and gives sketches an elegant look. Some designers use 8 or 10 heads, depending on their style.
Types of Fashion Croquis
By pose
- Front pose: standing straight, facing forward. Best for showing the full garment
- Three-quarter pose: body slightly turned. Shows side details and shape
- Walking (runway) pose: one leg forward. Shows movement and drape
- Back pose: for back details like zips, cut-outs and seams
By body
- Female, male and kids croquis
- Curvy and plus-size croquis: for size-inclusive design
Croquis vs Fashion Sketch vs Technical Flat
| Aspect | Croquis | Fashion sketch | Technical flat |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The body outline only | A design drawn on a croquis | A flat line drawing of the garment alone |
| Purpose | A base to draw on | Show the design idea and style | Give exact construction details |
| Style | Simple figure, stretched proportions | Expressive, often colored | Precise, black and white |
| Used by | Designers | Designers, buyers, clients | Factories, product developers |
Fashion Croquis Templates
A croquis template is a ready-made figure that designers print and draw over, or place as a layer in a drawing app like Procreate or Illustrator. Using a template saves time and keeps every sketch in a collection the same size and proportion.
Tips for choosing a template:
- Pick a pose that shows the garment's key details
- Use body types that match your customers
- Keep one template per collection, for consistency
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Start free: 3 credits, no cardRelated Terms
Tech Pack
The blueprint document a factory uses to make a garment.
Lookbook
A curated set of styled photos that shows a collection's look and story.
Fabric Drape
How a material hangs, falls and moves under its own weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a sketch and a croquis?
A croquis is the empty figure outline. A fashion sketch is the clothing design drawn on top of that figure.
How many heads tall is a fashion croquis?
Usually 9 heads tall, compared with about 7.5 to 8 heads for a real person. The extra length is mostly in the legs.
What are the different types of fashion croquis?
Croquis are grouped by pose (front, three-quarter, walking and back) and by body (female, male, kids, and curvy or plus-size).
How do you pronounce croquis?
Croquis is pronounced kroh-KEE. The final "s" is silent.
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