According to the authors, the apparel and retail industries are integral to our lives, yet they contribute to environmental issues from discarded clothing items that still have life within them. Gen Z and Millennials today are at the forefront of the pre-worn apparel movement, often documented as thrift shopping. This shift from new to pre-worn may be attributed to a large number who note that sustainability is important to them when making buying decisions. The authors maintain that apparel design curricula that address student understanding of the value of apparel, and their ability to redesign and repair garments, is necessary to transform today's apparel design programs from a 'waste' standpoint. To support the need for apparel redesign and repair skills of students, apparel design curricula should be carefully considered. At the authors' university, to support the need for developing these skill sets, they created two opportunities for students to recognize the value that a garment inherently has as well as its significance to the end user and the relevance of keeping it within a community. Creating a garment with flat pattern pieces or the draping of flat fabric is a very different learning experience from working with a 3-dimensional sewn garment. As such, apparel programs that offer different capacity building experiences can help students develop necessary and practical skill sets.