Concept of garment symmetry

Understanding the modes of marker making and spreading are important concepts. Garment symmetry is the fundamental concept of design that defines how a garment looks and how it is made.
In production, both forms of symmetry affect the marker modes chosen, as well as the methods of spreading and cutting that affect the cost of the product. Garments can either be Symmetric, or Asymmetric depending on the shapes of the patterns for the garment.

1. Symmetric Garment
A Garment is symmetric when all left and right parts of the garment are identical in shape and size but mirror image of each other.

For the symmetric top (except for the difference between buttonhole and button-sew) if, when dividing the garment by visualizing an imaginary vertical line drawn from the center of the neck to the bottom edge of the garment, all the patterns on the left side of the body are exactly the same but mirror image to all the patterns on the right side of the body.

For the symmetric bottom, all the garment patterns including the left leg, waistband and pockets are exactly the same but mirror image to the right leg, waistband and pocket patterns.

Symmetric garment requires half afford to produce pattern, marker, spreading, and cutting, which results in half cost. Good designers will understand the concepts of symmetry and work within the constraints of available production methods, and cost.

Above garments’ parts right and left are symmetric 

2. Asymmetric Garment

A Garment is asymmetric when all left and right parts of the garment are different from each other in shape and size and not a mirror image. Garments are considered asymmetric for two basic situations.

• First, when left side of the garment patterns are different than the right side patterns, the garment is asymmetric. Asymmetric garments require all the patterns, both left and right to be cut together as they differ.

• Second, some garments are considered asymmetric because they have a single part that spans across the body such as a one-piece back panel. As there is no matching left and right pattern part, these garments would be handled as an asymmetric style.

Unlike the symmetric garment, an asymmetric garment requires double afford to produce pattern, marker, spreading and cutting, which results double cost.

In a special situation, this type of asymmetric style may be handled as a symmetric style, when marker type is closed as discussed in marker making chapter.

Back part of shirt, and left as well as right part of pants are asymmetric