Welcome to the UnStruktured Podcast.

In this episode my co-host, Bob Smith, and I sit down with creative apparel designer Adrienne Mercante.

Adrienne has led design at some of the most innovative brands in the performance apparel space—including Outlier, Betabrand, Western Rise, Nathan Sports, and Skechers. Moving fluidly between concept and execution, her work blends aesthetic vision with hands-on problem-solving across startups and scaling companies.

We talk about the early sparks of her creativity, the subcultures that shaped her, and what it takes to keep evolving in an industry that often tries to pigeon-hole. From freelancing to leadership, menswear to 3D prototyping, Adrienne’s story is one of risk, reinvention, and the resilience built by forging your own path.

00:00 Introduction to the UnStruktured Podcast

00:05 Meet Adrienne Mercante: A Journey in Creative Apparel Design

02:02 Early Influences and Childhood Memories

05:16 Discovering a Passion for Sewing and Creativity

08:24 High School Subcultures: Goth and Raver Fashion

13:49 College Years: Balancing Columbia and FIT

17:01 Navigating the Post-College Job Market

25:26 Freelance Bookkeeping and the Mysterious Woman with an Eye Patch

37:04 Joining Outlier: Revolutionizing Performance Apparel

43:43 In-House Production and Pattern Making at Outlier

46:54 Meeting and Career Beginnings

47:03 Betabrand Experience

47:32 Challenges at Betabrand

50:31 Transition to Freelance

51:28 Niche Career Path

51:57 Industry Challenges and Pigeonholing

52:39 Leadership and Creativity

58:34 Men’s Wear Design Rules

01:20:10 AI and 3D Technology in Fashion

01:28:42 Risk Taking and Resilience

ADRIENNE MERCANTE

Adrienne Mercante is a creative apparel designer with both aesthetic and business credentials. She holds degrees in fashion, pattern making and art history, as well as an M.B.A.

Her background and capabilities in concept and color, technical design and product development, make her a preferred choice for a start-up apparel business or an apparel business entering a growth phase.

She has worked at many such businesses, including Betabrand, Outlier, Western Rise, Nathan Sports, and Skechers. She is always on the hunt for new technologies or skills to apply to her craft and is currently engaged with 3D prototyping.

When she isn’t in full on design mode, you may spot her and her partner, the one and only Bob Smith, out in the world cracking jokes and talking shop.

STRUKTUR SOCIETY

This episode was brought to you by Struktur Society, the community for creators in art, design, and music. For almost a decade Struktur has brought together creatives from across the industrial, apparel, graphic, and sound design industries, building professional relationships, creating a platform for knowledge sharing, and raising the bar of product creation.

From live events and workshops, to publication and podcasting, Struktur continues to evolve to build the strong creator community needed to craft our future. Find us at struktursociety.com and subscribe to our Substack at struktursociety.substack.com.

© StrukturSphere llc 2025. Original music by Greg Brace Music.

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