Brooke Anderson ’17, Engineering Textiles for Performance Sports

If you were one of the 5 billion people who tuned into the Paris Olympics this past summer, you witnessed the work of a textile engineering alumna.  

As a textile developer for Nike, Brooke Anderson worked on creating exciting and functional textiles for Olympic athletes. Now, she works at Marolina Outdoor, where she has a hands-on role developing performance fishing gear.  

Creating Olympic-worthy sportswear

After graduation, Anderson started her career with Gildan’s product development team. A few years later, she landed her first textile developer job with Nike in Beaverton, Oregon. 

In her first role, she specialized in performance testing, making sure textile materials performed to Nike’s standards. 

“If a garment is Dri-FIT, it has to meet certain requirements in terms of wicking and moving moisture, so my job was heavily invested in the technical performance testing of materials,” Anderson says. 

A year later, she moved into a different role at Nike as a golf material developer, engineering knits designed for PGA Tour athletes.

“I was responsible for developing the textile material and fabricating the garment,” she says. “I had to factor in everything from the performance properties of the material to the drape and the way it felt and fit.”

Since the athletes and garments would be outside rain or shine, her team created stormwear with waterproof materials and polos with Ultraviolet Protection Factor fabrics to block UV rays. 

One of Anderson’s favorite projects was developing Nike’s Paris 2024 Olympic clothing for skateboarding and breakdancing athletes from the U.S., Japan and Korea. She developed unique prints and created athlete T-shirts, jerseys, hoodies and bottoms that highlighted the two sports’ histories.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she says. “A lot of people were pulled together to collaborate and turn products on a really tight timeline and it pushed the bounds of what had normally been done.”

Developing products for performance fishing and hunting 

After several years at Nike’s headquarters on the West Coast, Anderson moved to the port city of Charleston, South Carolina, for a job with Marolina Outdoor. The company houses performance fishing brand Huk and hunting brand Nomad. 

In her role as a product development manager, she primarily focuses on developing the company’s woven textiles, but she also works on accessories like hats and footwear. 

“My job is essentially to develop everything on a garment from the textile to the trims,” she says. “This includes small parts like buttons and zippers, as well as working with factories overseas to create all components of the garment.”

When creating a product for Huk, Anderson takes into account how a material supports someone spending long days out on the water. This means choosing lightweight, sun-protective materials and creating garments that allow for a full range of motion when casting a fishing pole. 

Moving from Nike to a smaller company like Marolina Outdoor means she is included in the entire product development process. She regularly meets with design, merchandise and sales teams, and even takes international trips to visit factories and vendors.  

“I loved Nike – it had an incredible culture where I was surrounded by top innovators and designers. The environment challenged me and elevated my material expertise. I sought out an opportunity where I could bring my lessons from an incredible corporation like Nike to a smaller company and have a big impact.”

The Wilson College’s lasting impact

While at NC State, Anderson’s own interest in sports and health pushed her to take classes in physiology and sports science. These classes, in addition to her Senior Design course where her group designed a wellness garment for Hanesbrands, helped prepare her for the sportswear industry.

“Having a class that taught product development and presentation skills was super valuable and translates directly to what I do in industry now.” 

Anderson recommends students take advantage of the Wilson College’s connections through their peers, faculty members and alumni. Since graduating, she has stayed involved as part of the Dean’s Young Alumni Leadership Council and volunteers her time by reviewing applications and interviewing prospective recipients of the Centennial Scholarship and Textile Pioneer Scholarship programs.

“The best thing about the Wilson College is that everyone wants to help you. Reach out to people to learn about their career, and those conversations will open doors and opportunities,” she says. “That networking piece has taken me so far in my career by gaining insight into different companies and roles.”