Oliver Cabell — Scheybeler+

Scott Gabrielson built a $33m footwear business with no outside investment. Brand and product were undifferentiated, sales had plateaued, and the business needed focus.

Scott came to us having built a direct-to-consumer business almost single-handedly, on a fast test-and-adapt method and an instinct for product and merchandising. It had produced growth and a tight range, but the brand had always come second. The business needed one simple idea that tied everything together.

We worked with Scott on his own story — looking not just for brand-market fit but for founder-concept fit. He would execute any commercial proposition; it would go further if it came from him.

strategy

We repositioned Oliver Cabell around premium orthotics: clean design and orthopaedic function as a single purpose. Foot health not as a boomer ailment but as part of a young athlete's recovery — foot pain as a badge of honour, not something to hide.

The direction draws on Scott's own athletic career and the back and foot injuries that followed it, and on his Scandinavian-American heritage for a tone that is confident and minimal. Strategy, brand, product and storytelling were all reoriented around a large market nobody had made desirable.

the work

A cultural model, an art-direction approach, a brand behavioural system and design language, and an AI copywriting engine for the brand's voice. We led a consortium — strategy, creative, ecommerce, art direction, illustration, typography — and mentored the team inside the company.

new product line
orange to signify function and performance
product photography
web design and platform rebuild
mobile-first storytelling
custom lettering for the logotype
brand system and style guide
art direction and photography
curation model for social media

photography

Recovery isn't a luxury.

Your journey is built on resilience.

result

The brand, website and a new product line relaunched. The first run sold out, with a waiting list. Website conversion is up 37%. The next phases are in planning with Scott and his team.

“Working with Luke, Patsy, and the Scheybeler team has been transformational for Oliver Cabell. Their deep cultural insight, strategic precision, exceptional creative execution, and development of efficient AI tools, helped us define a new path for our brand. Luke's thoughtful, structured approach has clarified our identity in ways that resonated powerfully with our audience. Scheybeler's guidance has genuinely reshaped the trajectory of our business.”

Scott Gabrielson, founder and CEO