Hi, I'm Erin. 👋🏻

I’m an experienced design leader specializing in Men’s and Women’s footwear. I bring a unique ability to merge tradition with innovation, crafting designs that exceed market expectations.

With global experience leading design teams at Wolverine and VF, I excel at translating brand identities into captivating, sales-driving products. My design philosophy blends comfort and style seamlessly, always keeping the consumer in mind.

I’m your go to for:
• Footwear Design
• Creative Direction
• Storytelling
• Strategy
• Trend Analysis
• Color & Materials
• Team Leadership
• Consumer Insights
• Product Development
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Presentation & Communication

Some of my career highlights:
• Launched a private label in just 1 month.
• Designed a sneaker franchise that generated $550K in its first season.
• Boosted product margins by 3% in one year for a global brand.
• Elevated consumer sentiment from 30% to 95% in just 12 months.
• Completed the Harvard Leadership Essentials program in 2023.

I use strategic design to help footwear brands and entrepreneurs stand out and grow their bottom line.

Ready to create the next big shoe sensation? Let’s collaborate.

☕️ Book a coffee chat: https://lnkd.in/eBMicF29

📂 Submit your portfolio/catalog: https://lnkd.in/epb2QsG7

📅 Schedule a FREE 30-minute Discovery Call: https://www.reborndesignsct.com/discoverycall

WEBSITE: www.reborndesignsct.com
EMAIL: erin@reborndesigns.com

Erin Bornstein 👟

A single conversation can shift everything instantly

Last week reminded me how powerful those moments can be.

Earlier in the week, I watched Marisa Byrne speak on a panel at Stride USA.

I’ve known her name in the industry for years.

Sharp thinking.
Clear leadership.

One of those people you quietly respect from a distance.

Then the week kept moving.

Meetings.
Conversations.
Miles across the show floor.

Later in the week, we ended up in the same place.

And in the middle of the chaos… we actually had a real moment to talk.

She shared she was a fan of my work.
Which honestly shocked me.

Because the truth is…

I’ve been rooting for her from afar too.

It reminded me of something of this:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Sometimes the best moments aren’t the panels.
Or the trend forecasts.
Or the big meetings.

They’re the unexpected connections.

The ones where you realize you’ve both been cheering each other on… without knowing it.

Who in your industry are you rooting for from afar?

-----------------

I’ll be sharing more reflections from the week, including Stride USA PI - Fashion's Technology Community and the The Materials Show in next month’s newsletter.

Want the undocumented LinkedIn scoop before everyone else?

Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3CSwCwe

Chief Decision Maker & Footwear Design Director, Delivering holistic, market-ready footwear solutions through strategy, design, and development.

Only 12% of footwear founders scale past year one.

Most don’t fail from lack of vision

they fail from skipping what comes after the launch.

A founder I worked with had the hype

Sharp branding, buzzy rollout.

But three months in, they were out $100K with no traction.

Why? No strategy. Rushed samples.
No system to scale.

This can be fixed with 3 non-negotiables:

1. Slow is smooth.
Speed without structure = rework. Iconic brands take time.

2. Time is money.
Smart momentum beats panic pivots.

3. Perfect is a myth.
The first sample will suck. Learn. Adapt. Repeat.

The founders who scale?
They embrace the grind after the launch.

Ready to do the same?
DM me and let’s map your path.

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4 Steps to Identify What Works, Fast

1. Test small, test fast.
Launch quick experiments with measurable outcomes.

2. Listen to feedback.
Ask: What’s slowing us down? What’s driving wins?

3. Pivot early, pivot often.
Spotting what’s off-track isn’t failure, it’s clarity.

4. Build trust for agility.
Empower your team to try, fail, and refine.

As a footwear designer, I’ve seen agility transform ideas into standout products, quickly.

The future belongs to leaders who adapt fast.

Want to see this approach in action? 

At ReBorn Designs, we specialize in helping brands refine ideas, pivot with speed, and bring innovative products to life.

Let’s work together to create something extraordinary. 

Visit our site or DM me to get started.

Material shows are way more fun when you don’t look at materials.

Day 1 was a blast.

Reconnecting with old friends.
Meeting so many new ones.

Finally meeting industry professionals I’ve admired for years.
In person for the first time.

Those moments never get old.

I’ll be back at the material show again today.

If I missed you on day 1, I hope we get the chance to say hello!

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This week I’ll be moderating a panel on AI in product creation at the Stride event.

The conversation has moved well beyond “Should we use AI?”

Now the real questions look more like this:

- Who owns AI inside the organization?
- How do brands protect their design DNA?
- Which tools actually enter the workflow?
- When does experimentation become production infrastructure?
- At what point do AI guardrails protect the brand vs slow innovation?

These are the questions product teams are starting to wrestle with in real workflows.

I’ll be digging into them with industry leaders at Stride this week.

And I’ll be sharing the most important insights that come out of those conversations in my newsletter.

If you want the follow-up and what’s actually happening at the heart of the industry, sign up. 

🔗 link in the comments.

I analyzed my LinkedIn posts from the past year.

One pattern stood out.

AI posts performed far above average.

Average views: 4,700.
One post: 54,000.

Designers are paying attention.

Not because AI is trendy.

Because the pressure is real.

- Faster timelines
- Tighter budgets
- Higher expectations

Teams are asked to do more.
Without losing the magic of good design.

AI isn’t replacing craft.
It amplifies clarity.

AI can generate.

But it has no taste.
No storytelling.
No judgment.

Design still needs a point of view.

The winning teams won’t automate everything.

They’ll know when to use the machine.

And when to trust their instincts.

3 hours. 400 materials. Still zero usable options.

I’ve been that person at material shows.

When I was leading inline product, getting there was the first challenge.

Calendars packed with line reviews, sample approvals, and factory calls…

sometimes it felt impossible to even make the show.

Then you finally arrive.

And suddenly it’s hundreds of materials and thousands of options.

Lightweight wovens.
Color-shifting finishes.
Translucent layers.
Reflectives.
Custom prints.

Inspiring? Absolutely.

But also overwhelming.

Because the reality for most inline teams is this:

The system is already set.
Approved suppliers. Locked development calendars. Cost targets. Existing tooling.

So even when you find something amazing…

most of it never makes it into product.

That changed when I started freelancing and eventually running my own agency.

Now I get to go deep on the exploration.
I filter thousands of materials down to what actually works for a brand’s system, then build SMU-ready concepts that plug directly into the line.

Less overwhelm for internal teams.

More innovation that actually makes it to market.

Honestly, I love doing this work.

If your team wants fresh material ideas without adding another thing to the plate, I’m helping brands through the ReBorn SMU model.

Happy to compare notes.

I’ll also be at the NW Material Show next week.

See you there!

SMUs are suffocating your product engine.

There’s a tension building inside global footwear brands:

- SMU demand is exploding.
- Teams are maxed out.
- 18-month cycles vs. 6-month asks.
- Growth targets don’t wait.

Behind it are real people.

- VPs juggling margin and madness.
- Directors stuck in firefight mode.
- Designers drained by quick turns.
- Accounts one delay away from risk.

I’ve lived inside this machine.

Inline cycles.
Factory calendars.
Retail politics.
Margin pressure.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗠𝗨𝘀.

They build a second lane.

Not more headcount.
Not agency fluff.

A discreet, plug-in SWAT team that:
- Shields your inline engine.
- Designs brand-right exclusives fast.
- Works quietly inside your process.
- Lets you say yes without burnout.

At ReBorn Designs LLC Designs, we don’t replace your designers.

We protect them.

We handle the SMU chaos so your team can focus on the work that actually moves the brand.

Retailers win.
Your team breathes.
Your brand stays strong.

Find out how we support you:
https://lnkd.in/ezurqajX

The other night at dinner, a friend told me a story from one of his first days on the job.

Bright-eyed. First week energy. Ready to learn.

He walks into the office…feeling good.

Wearing his best pants.

His manager looks at him and says:
 “Great. Go source that material.”

No context. No brief.
Just…his pants.

Suddenly, this wasn’t an outfit.
It was a full-blown material investigation.

Fabric content? Unknown.
Mill? Not yet.
Blend? “Feels…nice?”

At one point, it was almost implied the pants might need to come off for closer inspection.

Day one.
Welcome to footwear.

But here’s the thing,
This isn’t about him.

It happens more than people admit.

Designers sketch ideas.
Call out materials.
Throw around terms like “premium leather” or “engineered mesh.”

Without ever really understanding what they’re specifying.

It’s the same energy as calling a burger a “product.”

Technically correct.
But completely disconnected.

Great design strategy doesn’t start with aesthetics.

It starts with understanding:
• What the material actually is
• How it’s made
• Where it comes from
• Why it matters

Because if you don’t understand the material…
You can’t design with intention.

You’re just guessing in nicer fonts.

And eventually, someone will ask you to source your pants.

One of my favorite entrepreneurs I’ve had the pleasure of working with is Kim Pierce, the founder of KIMEEZ .

What I admire most about Kim isn’t just the product, it’s the mindset. She saw a problem that so many people simply tolerate… sweat ruining their favorite hats… and decided it deserved a real solution.

Together, we developed a hat liner designed to absorb, wick, and protect from sweat, helping people keep their hats fresh while staying comfortable through workouts, long days outside, travel, and everything in between.

Working with founders like Kim is one of the best parts of what I do. Taking a simple, relatable problem and turning it into something thoughtful, functional, and genuinely useful.

Sometimes great entrepreneurship starts with a big idea.

And sometimes… it starts with sweat. 💧🧢

Open video: KIMEEZ | Hot take 👉 hats aren’t disposable. We just treat them like they are. Most people try to fix sweat stains after they show up. The smarter... | Instagram on instagram.com

KIMEEZ | Hot take 👉 hats aren’t disposable. We just treat them like they are. Most people try to fix sweat stains after they show up. The smarter... | Instagram

MIRKO MAGLIANESI DESIGNER 
OPERA IN AUTONOMO NELLA PROVINCIA DEL FERMANO,NEL CUORE DEL DISTRETTO CALZATURIERO MARCHIGIANO COME DESIGNER - MODELLISTA CALZATURE UOMO-DONNA-BAMBINO. LA POSIZIONE E IL CONTATTO CON AZIENDE DI ECCELLENZA MI HANNO PERMESSO NEL CORSO DEGLI ANNI DI CRESCERE E SPECIALIZZARMI NEL SETTORE OFFRENDO AI CLIENTI SEMPRE MAGGIORI SERVIZI,CHE VANNO INIZIALMENTE DALLO STUDIO ALLA RICERCA DI UNO STILE ADATTO AL CLIENTE E AL MERCATO, FINO ALLA REALIZZAZIONE TECNICA DEL PRODOTTO FINITO.


MIRKO MAGLIANESI DESIGNER
HE WORKS INDEPENDENTLY IN THE PROVINCE OF FERMANO, IN THE HEART OF THE MARCH FOOTWEAR DISTRICT AS A DESIGNER - PATTERN MAKER OF MEN'S, WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S FOOTWEAR. THE POSITION AND CONTACT WITH EXCELLENT COMPANIES HAVE ALLOWED ME OVER THE YEARS TO GROW AND SPECIALIZE IN THE SECTOR BY OFFERING CUSTOMERS MORE AND MORE SERVICES, WHICH INITIALLY RANG FROM THE STUDY TO THE SEARCH FOR A STYLE SUITABLE FOR THE CUSTOMER AND THE MARKET, UP TO TECHNICAL REALIZATION OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT.

MIRKO MAGLIANESI

https://lnkd.in/daTHUGaS 👈 
https://lnkd.in/dU4fsaJZ 👈 MADE IN 3D 💥
MIRKO MAGLIANESI

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