The Concept

TJ approached Utah Contract Sewing with a concept for a luxury outdoor chair intended primarily for women.

The vision combined sophisticated aesthetics, intentional color blocking, comfort, and portability. Its visual direction drew inspiration from the premium colors and finishes commonly associated with high-end reusable water bottles.

The Design Challenge

The HERA Chair needed to feel visually distinct from conventional camping chairs while remaining comfortable, portable, and practical for outdoor use.

The project also included TJ’s original folding-frame concept. The frame and soft seat architecture needed to be developed together so the chair could fold efficiently while providing the intended shape, support, and overall experience.

Our Approach

UCS developed the chair’s overall architecture and individual soft-goods components while simultaneously refining the custom folding-frame system.

Our team created patterns, produced physical prototypes, and tested how the upholstered seat interacted with the frame. Each stage helped refine the chair’s proportions, panel shapes, construction, comfort, and folding behavior.

Frame Development and Prototyping

TJ’s distinctive frame concept was developed through iterative prototyping and testing. The process focused on translating the initial folding mechanism into a clearly defined frame system that could support the chair’s structure, pack down for transportation, and be communicated to a manufacturing partner.

Technical Documentation

Following development, UCS created comprehensive CAD drawings for the folding-frame system and a complete production-ready tech pack for the chair. The documentation captured the approved design, components, dimensions, materials, construction details, and frame information needed to support overseas manufacturing.

The Result

UCS delivered a high-fidelity chair prototype, comprehensive CAD drawings for the custom folding frame, and a complete tech pack. Together, these deliverables gave TJ a physical representation of the final concept and the technical foundation needed to begin the overseas manufacturing process.