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Industry Opinion
The Silent Crisis in Garment Engineering: The Industry’s Vanishing Expertise
By Dr. Pat Trautman, Global Expert & Educator in the Pre-Production Apparel Process, Highlighting TV & Film Character Costuming, Product Development, and Technical Design.
After the overwhelming response to Part 1 of this Opinion, we knew the conversation couldn’t end there. Part 2 continues the dialogue on the critical need for mentorship, hands-on experience, and cross-generational collaboration in garment engineering. This follow-up weaves in insights from industry professionals who commented on the original piece—offering a richer, more urgent call to action for preserving knowledge before it’s gone.
And what they had to say confirmed something critical: this isn’t just a quiet concern—it’s an industry-wide reckoning.
We’re not just losing skills. We’re losing the structure that allows those skills to be passed on.
So, where do we go from here?
- We need intentional cross-generational mentorship—not just lip service.
- We need to reimagine training structures that make sense for both the factory and the studio.
- We need universities and technical programs to teach fit, construction, patterning, and troubleshooting—not just design.
- We need leaders to stop asking, “What’s the ROI of mentorship?” and start asking, “What’s the cost of not doing it?”
I’ll leave you with this: The smartest thing any company could do right now? Pair every junior hire with a seasoned pro. This isn’t just to teach them how to sew or fit—but how to think, how to adapt, and how to make something work when everything’s going wrong. Because that’s not just a skill; that’s the difference between a good product and a great product.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
What would it take to build an industry that truly honors and uses all its knowledge?
Renee T Bavineau: Chief Fit Officer, Creator of MiddleSisters, RTBsoftWEAR said, “We can’t leave the next generation to ‘Google it.’ We need to build systems that let knowledge transfer happen before it’s too late.”
June Evans, Director of Technical Design of Evans Creative Studios, aptly pointed out, “Mentorship isn’t a luxury—it’s a lifeline. Yet too many companies are chasing short-term savings by letting go of their most experienced employees, replacing decades of hands-on knowledge with junior hires expected to ‘figure it out’ in two weeks.”
Melinda K. Miller, Manager of Sizing and Fitting at Humanetics Digital North America, said, “It’s impossible to replicate 20+ years of expertise in just two weeks of training. There’s no replacement for touching fabric, cutting a pattern, fitting a garment—and knowing what to do when it doesn’t work. These aren’t just tasks; they’re instincts built through time, failure, and iteration. This is bigger than garment engineering. This is about rebuilding the connective tissue of our industry."
Sherri Finlay, VP Technical Design at New York & Company reminded us that, “Technology has a place—but it isn’t a substitute for experience. The magic happens when professionals can straddle both worlds: old-school craft and next-gen tools. It’s not about resisting change. It’s about anchoring it in something real.”
Preston Plowman: Co-Founder & CEO @ Onbrand | Ex-BCG“Thanks for sharing. I just read part 1 also! I speak with design and PD (Product Development) teams from across the industry every day, and it’s very, very rare to see anyone with true in-house sample rooms or even pattern-making. For better or worse, most of that responsibility now sits with overseas factories. The ongoing tariff situation has actually exposed how risky that strategy is.”
Mark Da Silva: Senior Technical Designer @ Nike | 3D Apparel Expert | 3D Master Trainer | Ex. Adidas, Browzwear“Could not agree more! Let’s keep moving the sewing needle forward! Knowledge is power.”
- Christina Lemm-Adams: Retired Clothing Manufacturing Specialist
- “I was fortunate to start in the clothing industry when the U.S. still had many fabric mills and factories that I was able to work with. It allowed me to learn about so many aspects of the industry – dyeing, spinning, weaving, knitting, and how trims were manufactured. Being able to work with sample makers to hone my pattern-making and construction skills and with factories mass-producing garments enabled me to understand their abilities and any limitations that a factory could have. This is what I wish our Junior Technical people could experience. Since they can’t, mentoring is very important. I hope that companies can appreciate that in order to have fast fashion turnaround that they want, they need to invest in the transfer of knowledge.”
- Elizabeth Vester: Co-Owner at Shamah Blocks Pty Ltd
- “Absolutely 100% in agreement. We need to look at reviving the industry with skills development and industry-related training. We had qualitative organisations like Western Cape Clothing Textiles Service Centre that fell through the cracks due to mismanagement. The departments that supported the organisation weren’t interested in looking into this very serious matter. Very Sad!”
- Bruce Burns: Clothing Consultant at Self-Employed
- “These articles are like ‘music to my ears.’ TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN. Without constructive mentorship given to the potential supervisors and production managers, all will be lost.”
- Danielle Steman: Freelance Patternmaker | Latex & Made-to-Measure Specialist
- “So true. This is the outcome: immediate financial gain is prioritized over long-term quality.”
- Arena Page: Founder & CEO
- “I couldn’t agree more. For those of us who want to pass on our skills to the next generation, there’s currently no clear pathway to do so. We urgently need apprenticeships and mentorship structures to return—especially for technical skills like pattern cutting, which are no longer being taught to a sufficient level in most universities. At the same time, the industry is prioritising speed and short-term output, with little budget or space for hiring juniors or nurturing new talent. As a result, more and more senior technical professionals like myself are leaving the industry, and sadly, much of that hard-earned knowledge is leaving with us. This is a loss we can’t afford—not just for fashion, but for the future of craft.”
- Silvia López Balmaseda: Senior Pattern Maker | Size & Fit Expert | Building Engineer | Ayudo a las marcas a encontrar patronista | Comparto información sobre patronaje
- “I totally agree with you. That was one of the main reasons why I launched the Pattern Maker Career project. After years of analysing the sector, the result is that the sector doesn’t care about quality, not as we specialists understand it. Cheaper labour and garments that sell quickly. That is the goal. I have offered companies the possibility of hiring a junior with my senior supervision during the first year of the contract. For the moment, there is no interest.”