Forgotten Tribes
// Head of Design & Product Development //
Brand Transformation · Collection Design · Fit Strategy · Creative Direction
Forgotten Tribes had traditionally relied on a predominantly sourced product offer. My responsibility was to introduce a clearer design identity while preserving the relaxed, accessible character valued by its existing customer base.
I developed the seasonal direction around an aspirational yet approachable lifestyle, using natural materials, considered proportions and a mature, design-aware customer seeking ease and individuality.
These principles guided the product range, styling and visual presentation.
My Approach
I led the collection across design, development, fitting and final campaign direction, aligning the internal team and external suppliers from concept through production and visual presentation.
To strengthen the development and fitting process, I recruited a pattern cutter I had worked with successfully in a previous role, bringing trusted technical expertise and greater consistency to product development.
I introduced clearer range planning, a critical path and structured review stages so design, technical and commercial decisions could to be made together. This helped identify range gaps earlier, resolve fit issues sooner and improve consistency across categories.
My Impact
I led the transformation of Forgotten Tribes from a predominantly sourced product model into a fully designed, developed and manufactured lifestyle brand.
Through customer and market research, I established a clear product and visual direction, presenting the strategy to the CEO and Head of Production and securing their support for a new way of working.
By delivering a cohesive identity across the collections, campaigns and wider visual content, I built confidence in the design strategy with the leadership team and established a recognisable brand DNA.
The new design and fitting strategy also helped reduce fit-related customer returns from approximately 30% to 15%, demonstrating a clear commercial value of a more considered approach to product development.