Specialty Fabrics Review January 2020 - 46

GLOBAL IMPACTS

O

ne of Mary Lynn Landgraf's
favorite assignments
was of a more humanitarian
nature: helping Afghani carpet
weavers regain international
branding and recognition
they'd lost during the civil
war. She helped produce
shows with a Department of
Commerce colleague, Noor
Alam Sclafani, at the Atlanta
Rug Market, Las Vegas and
New York markets, and worked
with National Geographic at
the Atlanta Rug Market show
to highlight the culture and
artistry of Afghanistan. But
the work is about more than
just rug sales, as Landgraf
points out: "Helping them
regain the trade keeps them
employed and helps keep the
family together, and that's so
important to the strength of
a community, and ultimately
the nation."

Mary Lynn Landgraf has spent
her career promoting Americanmade textiles to the world.

46 REVIEW JANUARY 2020

manufactured without chemicals of
concern. We don't need to worry about
what is in or on the fabric."
That practical sensibility and
willingness to jump into all aspects of
product development emerged from her
level of comfort with various functions
within Milliken as well as the experience
of others. "I've been fortunate to work
with a number of wonderful female and
male mentors who helped me, maybe
because I started as an intern," she says.
"It was definitely more male-dominated
when I started. But now that's really
changed, and we have a lot more women
in all areas of the company."
A GLOBAL INFLUENCE
Mary Lynn Landgraf's charisma and
tenacity have taken her all over the
world to promote U.S. fabrics. She didn't
originally intend on making textiles her
career, but concedes that maybe it was
inevitable. "My great-grandfather owned
a woolen mill in Charlottesville, Va., that
made uniforms for military academies and
the postal service, and my father worked at
NASA as a liaison to the textile industry, so
I guess it was in my DNA," she observes.
Landgraf was studying German
linguistics in graduate school when she
was asked to consult with a local fiber
and yarn manufacturer that was trying
to increase its export business. "I didn't
know much about the industry, so it was
trial by fire, but I really enjoyed the work,"
she says. After that, she held positions in
international sales for residential fabric
companies The Rug Barn and Duralee.
Then, in 2002, a once-in-a-lifetime job
opportunity presented itself-as a trade
specialist with the U.S. Department of
Commerce Office of Textiles and Apparel,
promoting American-made fiber, yarn and
fabrics around the world. Landgraf says,
"I jumped on it because I knew it would
be stable employment, but I found that
I loved it."

Her work took her to countries where
women have limited rights, and in some
cases, where the culture doesn't permit
women to work outside the home. But
Landgraf says she wasn't treated as an
inferior. "I didn't have a lot of these
issues. I was well received because I was
a government official and knew what I
was talking about. I also represented U.S.
textiles, which are considered the best
in quality, performance and reliability."
Landgraf was one of the first women
ever to do a show in Saudi Arabia, where
she was careful to observe local customs
and dress appropriately. She also kept her
smile and sense of humor close at hand.
"A smile can transcend language barriers
and dissolve misconceptions," she adds.
Landgraf retired from the U.S.
Department of Commerce in late 2017 to
open a bed and breakfast, Southern Sighs
Inn, in Church View, Va. But retirement
didn't last long. In 2018 she was recruited
by a Swiss company, SSZ Camouflage
Technology AG, to represent its camouflage
technology, and in 2019 she joined the
Executive Advisory Board of Global Fiber
Technologies Inc. Her fated career in
textiles isn't over just yet. Landgraf's advice
to newcomers who want to succeed in
the industry is straightforward: "Jump in
headfirst, get a mentor, give presentations,
stay visible, attend conferences and
workshops, take courses in textiles, give
back to the community and, above all, have
a sense of humor. These are the building
blocks to success!"
Laurie Junker is a writer and editor
based in Minneapolis, Minn.

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Specialty Fabrics Review January 2020

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