About Us

Make It Better was established by Sheena Denmead in 2019. In 2023 James Chapman joined the team. Sheena and James are both qualified Industrial Designers with a deep understanding of both softgoods and hardgoods design. If there is a specialty aspect to your project, we can call on our extensive network of consultants, production partners, and sustainability professionals to support it.

We work with lifestyle, wellness, and outdoor brands that seek to produce more responsible products.

With our deep category knowledge, broad network of supply chain partners, and positivity, brands trust us to jump in and relieve constraints without missing a beat.

SMALL TEAM, BIG IMPACT We work with agility and effectiveness to grow your business through new products.

LEARN RAPIDLY We love to test and prototype. To implement learning early and achieve a great user and brand outcome.

MAKE IT BETTER But make it. Managing to production is our specialty. We can connect you with the right materials suppliers and factory partners.

We would love to help you by:

Designing a best-selling bag, backpack, outdoor product or accessory.
Executing your concept by applying efficacy in sourcing suppliers, materials or undertaking product development.
Working on product strategy or process improvements with your exec or design team
Helping you to map, develop, and execute product circularity projects.
Connecting you with other subject matter experts to support your vision.

Our Services

Brand Strategy

Crafting compelling brand DNA for your products

Sourcing

From materials to manufacturers we have a wide ranging sourcing network

Product Design

Designing unique products that visually communicate your brand's essence and values. Projects big and small.

Sustainability & Circularity

We aim to work with brands who value these aspects in the design process.

Product Development

Developing designs through to production with suppliers.

Network

Let us help you find the right team for your project.

Testimonials

"I was always impressed at Sheena’s ability to look at old problems with fresh eyes and come up with new and interesting solutions from a design perspective. Beyond that Sheena is a great problem solver and can rapidly shape a concept into a commercial ready product through the development process by being customer- centric, sensitive to vendor capability and quality and is always outcome oriented." Anneliese Carlson - Head of Product Development, Kathmandu

"Sheena has excellent first-hand experience developing and implementing large-scale sustainability strategies. I had the opportunity to work with Sheena at Kathmandu during the early stages of our sustainability journey. Sheena’s can-do attitude, industry connections and well-organized approach to change management was critical to the early adoption and success of our strategy."

Tim Loftus - GM Sales & Marketing, NZ Merino Company (former Global Marketing Manager Kathmandu)