Amberjack was a new, direct to consumer footwear brand still in development when I was contacted by the founder and CEO. He had already spent a lot of time and money and wasn’t happy with the prototypes. He asked if I could take a look at what had been done and give my feedback on what needed to change for him to have a shoe closer to his vision and able to be competitive in the growing sneaker/dress shoe direct to consumer market. The short answer was a lot. The shoe needed a redesign if it was going to successfully capture the detail and refinement needed in a dress/casual style. It needed a new last, new pattern, and a factory with the proper “hand” to execute it all. It also needed a proper sourcing and supply chain more accustom to the style requirements. I ended up redesigning the shoe and helping them find a new factory and country of origin for production. The end result was level change in both design and quality, resulting in a solid building block for the brand’s ongoing business.