#WomensMonth | Nicole Hapgood-Strikland on engineering corporate wear for real-world use

Following her move from a small fashion boutique where she had built her experience before deciding it was time to step outside her comfort zone, Hapgood-Strikland has spent 13 years at Imagemakers, a second-generation family business and supplier of corporate wear.

She describes herself as loyal, adventurous and passionate about quality – characteristics that have shaped her career in an industry where attention to detail is critical.

The engineer behind the garment

While the role of a garment technologist may be unfamiliar to many people, Hapgood-Strikland describes it simply: "We are the engineers of the fashion world."

Her role is to take a designer's creative concept and turn it into a high-quality, wearable garment that can be manufactured efficiently and within budget.

"A sketch is great, but trying to put the garment together is a whole other ballgame," she says.

That process involves significantly more work than many consumers or business professionals realise. From pattern making and fabric selection to technical drawings and precise measurements, Hapgood-Strikland says at least 50 people can be involved in producing a garment from start to finish.

Nicole Hapgood-Strikland at her table. Image supplied

Rethinking corporate wear

One of the biggest misconceptions she encounters is that corporate clothing has to be dull or old-fashioned.

At Imagemakers, the focus is on creating stylish and fashionable options that cater to different professions, body shapes and needs, including maternity wear.

For Hapgood-Strikland, quality and functionality are equally important. While businesses may be tempted to select the cheapest supplier, she warns that low-quality garments can become more expensive over time.

"Low-quality fabrics shrink, fade, and tear rapidly after frequent washes, which forces premature and expensive re-ordering cycles," she explains.

Investing in durable corporate wear, she argues, can reduce cost-per-wear and ultimately provide better value for businesses.

Designing for the real world

Fabric selection is another area where business buyers need to consider the needs of the end user.

Hapgood-Strikland points out that not everyone can dry clean their clothing, making washability an important consideration. Polyester offers benefits around creasing and ease of care, while cotton is cooler but requires more attention when ironing.

Her personal favourite is Tencel, which she says provides movement, while denim stands out for its durability.

The same focus on practicality extends to sustainability. With concerns around fashion waste, Hapgood-Strikland says Imagemakers considers garment longevity through its "one hundred washes" approach.

"It breaks my heart every time I see those piles of clothes thrown away," she says, adding that the corporate wear sector has a responsibility to research more durable and sustainable solutions.

She is particularly interested in innovations that turn recycled plastic bottles into fabric, demonstrating how technology can create new possibilities for textile manufacturing.

Technology reshaping garment production

Technology is also changing how garments are designed and produced.

Imagemakers already uses digital pattern-making systems, while 3D computer-aided design is opening up further possibilities. The technology allows designers and technologists to visualise garments on digital avatars before fabric is cut, potentially reducing the number of physical samples required.

Hapgood-Strikland's own dream innovation would take this even further: a scanning machine capable of creating a 2D pattern directly from a 3D garment.

Building a career with confidence

For women considering careers in the technical side of fashion and manufacturing, Hapgood-Strikland believes success requires determination, diligence and a willingness to get involved in the detail.

"You have to be a people person because you work with so many people on a daily basis," she says.

The role also requires the confidence to challenge ideas when they won't work, while maintaining the curiosity to understand how garments are constructed and how every component comes together.

For Hapgood-Strikland, that combination of technical expertise, creativity and people skills has made garment technology a rewarding 13-year career – and one that continues to evolve alongside fashion, manufacturing and technology.

Her story offers a reminder during Women's Month that the fashion industry is built not only by the people designing what we see, but also by the women working behind the scenes to make those ideas commercially viable, durable and fit for purpose.