Product Collaboration | Double Oven Mitts
In collaboration with skilled craftsperson Colleen Babb, I designed an innovative, hand-knit double oven mitt as a product extension and brand storytelling piece for the cookware industry. We also developed a line of thick cotton steaming cloths as strategic product extensions for the beauty industry.
Product Strategy
Opportunity
Create innovative high search results product as product line extensions for cookware, kitchen gadgets and lifestyle to improve e-commerce visitors, basket size and story telling.
Product Strategy
Product Development
Adapted traditional craft techniques for a commercially appealing mass-market product. Clearly communicated detailed design specifications, enabling successful artisan collaboration and consistent production.
Product Strategy
Impact and Outcomes
Developed a unique, market-ready product extension for cookware and lifestyle brands that generated strong consumer interest and positive market reception. The project also created ongoing part-time, home-based employment for skilled knitters in vulnerable Cape Flats communities in Cape Town.
Collaboration
Expert Needle Crafter Colleen Babb
Colleen Babb has been knitting since age seven, when a physical disability led her to discover her passion for the craft. Her exceptional skill in pattern design enabled our collaboration to strategically create innovative products, like our hand-knit double oven mitt, establishing home-based employment for mothers living in vulnerable communities on the Cape Flats, Cape Town.