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Industry Opinion
The Future Will Be Redesigned (Part 1)
Rekindling the Conversation on Reverse Mentorship in Garment Engineering
By Pat Trautman, President, Global Garment Engineering, LLC – Consultants in Preproduction Design Process to the Apparel Complex Worldwide
Back in the Spring, we lit a spark. We asked: What if the future of garment engineering doesn’t just hinge on the next generation learning from the past, but also on the past learning how to partner with the future?
The response was overwhelming. From Nike designers to freelance patternmakers, from retirees to early-career engineers — the message was clear:
🧵 The knowledge gap is real. 🧵 Mentorship matters. 🧵 And we can’t afford to wait.
But then time passed — production deadlines, trade shows, new seasons. And like so many important conversations, the momentum risks fading. Let’s not let it.
Here’s What We HeardWhen we asked for your thoughts, here’s what you told us:• “There’s no clear pathway to pass on skills to the next generation.” — Arena Page• “Immediate financial gain is prioritized over long-term quality.” — Danielle Steman• “Mentoring is very important. If companies want fast fashion turnaround, they need to invest in the transfer of knowledge.” — Christina Lemm-Adams
These were not complaints, far from it. They were actually field notes from people on the front lines.
Why This Still MattersEvery week, more senior experts retire. Every month, new graduates enter the workforce without the tactile, spatial, and intuitive knowledge that used to be passed down.
Meanwhile, technology accelerates — 3D, AI, and digital tools promising efficiency, but often disconnected from lived expertise.
The future won’t be inherited. It will be co-created.
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Your Call to Action
So here’s where you come in: 👉 What’s changed for you since we first raised this conversation? 👉 Have you seen new challenges — or found new solutions? 👉 What’s one better question we should be asking together?
In Part 2, I’ll be letting you in on all the details of our upcoming Reverse Mentorship in Garment Engineering Roundtable.
In the meantime, please share this with your peers, colleagues, and industry pros. Let’s pick up the thread — and stitch it into something stronger.