Allison Stroman - As the fashion industry needs continued change and effort to decrease the environmental impact, the future workforce is extremely important. That being said, applying to jobs is difficult, time consuming, and, at times, demoralizing. But, there is hope. Working with a mentor can improve your career and “lead to new career opportunities, a promotion, even a better work-life balance”. These opportunities stem from a conscious effort to stay on track with goals and receive valuable feedback from an experienced member of one’s target industry. After securing a job, mentorship remains important and can improve job satisfaction, making it desirable for the mentee and the mentor. This support uplifts mentees which can increase their commitment to their work and their industry. Mentorship also fosters skill development and collaboration as it asks mentors to regularly give feedback and mentees to implement that feedback for learning.
So how does this apply to the fashion industry? For the industry to make the necessary changes to reduce its environmental impact, multiple generations within the workforce need to talk to one another and these active members need to work with prospective members to conduct productive conversations and education. One method to encourage these conversations would include pairing new members in the workforce with established mentors. Within this mentorship model, mentors can encourage their mentees to engage in climate-positive practices like textile recycling and provide tangible examples on how to implement these practices to create a positive impact. This education can change the way mentees view the fashion industry such that they can implement changes to decrease environmental harm.
In The future generation of fashion: how higher education contextualizes sustainability as a key design tool, Dr. Alana M. James, Assistant Professor in Fashion at Northumbria University, outlines the importance of sustainability education in fashion to foster an informed workforce, ready to make changes. Dr. James states that incorporating sustainability into the fashion industry and fashion education can leave people “overwhelmed and confused” which does not bode well for climate-positive change. With an emphasis on a need for total change, Dr. James places education at the center. Through effective education, fashion students, and by extension the fashion industry where many eventually land, can make the shift from “compete and consume” to “care and conserve”. A key element of this evolution in sustainable fashion education comes from presenting more real examples from the industry. Not only does this effectively engage students, but it also allows students a look into the industry they are training for, which can increase their confidence in their career and abilities. Since the workforce originates in the classroom, these changes in education can lead to essential improvements in the fashion industry.
At Repurpose Wardrobe’s RENEW Program, this education influences decisions like blog titles, social media ideas, and upcycling designs in addition to the resale of luxury clothing. RENEW equips interns with skills, experiences, networking opportunities, and confidence in their abilities. Over 92% of the trainees move on to secure higher paid first jobs in the fashion industry or valuable higher education. Within each industry path, trainees create a network of active industry professionals through mentorship sessions. These sessions allow trainees to ask questions, gain important insights, and understand how the training in RENEW carries over into the professional world. The education in RENEW effectively combines learning about trade-specific skills like e-commerce photography with considerations for environmental and personal sustainability. Whether it is emphasizing using what you have in your closet or encouraging wellness practices, RENEW prepares the next generation of the fashion and design industries to implement the practices needed to move the industry forward.
Alexi Mortenson, RENEW Program Coordinator and Repurpose Associate Director, outlines the importance of mentorship and the RENEW Program in comments given for this article about her experiences at Repurpose.
“Being a part of the Repurpose workforce was and is an incredibly rewarding experience. Being one of the first interns allowed me to try on every hat and experience all aspects of the business, which is exactly what I was looking for as an Entrepreneurship major at FIT. As my grandfather always says, ‘There’s no such thing as luck, rather luck is when properness meets opportunity’. Life experiences prepared me to take on this opportunity at Repurpose that I am so grateful to have.
The greatest asset of the Repurpose program, in my opinion, is the Network. Connecting with peers, mentors, and industry professionals has truly given me the confidence and knowledge to jumpstart my career. At the end of the day, so much of life is about who you know.
Mentees are given endless opportunities for growth through RENEW. You get out of the program what you put into it. Through e-learning and hands-on-training, mentees are able to put their education to practice in a real life setting and gain experience that you can't get in a classroom. By meeting and working with mentors, trainees learn soft skills such as interpersonal communication while also creating their networks of potential partners, employers, or even friends.
Mentors are able to utilize RENEW to turn their passions and careers into valuable lessons for mentees. By working with the trainees, mentors can really touch the lives of individuals and support them in building thriving careers. For most of us, there is no better feeling than sharing your knowledge to better the life of someone else.”
Isa Martins, Social Media and Marketing Trainee, commented on her experience as a mentee:
“Laura [Elkins] gives me direction with graphics and data [analysis] and walks me through the overall brand strategy for my project. Because I want to work in marketing and she has so much experience in marketing, I think my mentorship will be helpful in finding direct and meaningful connections for job opportunities. “
In speaking to Donata Minelli Yirmiyahu, mentor to Allison Stroman, Copy and Blog Trainee, and group mentor at Repurpose Wardrobe, Donata stated that the best part of being a mentor is imparting “firsthand knowledge and experience” onto her mentees, especially knowledge that is not as easily found through general searches and information sessions. To prospective mentors, Donata says, “Do it. It’s rewarding.” This is especially powerful as mentoring “keeps you tapped into the next generation” and helps the mentor gain valuable information through “learning from observing the next generation”. The emphasis on this “two-way street” is beneficial for both parties. Donata emphasizes this in saying that she hopes to impart that working with integrity, joy, and curiosity and remaining open to learning are the keys to success. This supports the sentiments that mentorship is valuable for creating the future workforce in a way that will allow for cross-generational communication and discussion which are integral to initiating meaningful change over time.
Regardless of your career path, having or being a mentor provides a lot of value and an opportunity to learn from one another. If you are looking for a mentor, don't fear, because there are many people out there ready to work with you. Whether you find them on LinkedIn or through a mentorship program like RENEW, you can find someone to support you and foster your learning. For those wanting to mentor, as Donata said, do it! It is rewarding and provides the perfect opportunity to learn from young innovators and thinkers excited to advance their respective industry. All in all, mentorship is a key pathway for bettering the different fields in fashion and design through learning from one another and listening intently.