Hope’s coming exit from Forrester puts Zende’s promotion at risk.
Zende was just promoted to lead designer on HFTF on The Bold and the Beautiful but the elevation was doomed from the start. Steffy and Ridge made the decision based on their assumption that Hope would be coming back to the company. However, she’s been sitting on a huge secret. She’s working for Logan now. Her old fashion house will find out soon with the rest of the world.
Without Hope to helm the Forrester line that bears her name, Zende’s promotion doesn’t mean anything. It’s not an empty gesture, but her betrayal could set his career back. He’s expressed feeling like he isn’t as valued as Ridge’s children. Being made sole lead designer over Thomas changed that but now that position is in jeopardy.
Zende hasn’t had control over his own career. If his family decides to put him back on couture as a collaborator, he’ll once again be victim to the whims of the people around him. Though, in this case, it will have been because of Hope, someone he considered to be an underdog like himself.
She’s his friend and creative partner who he’s been advocating for in her absence. Losing out on a well deserved position because of Hope is likely to feel like a stab in the back.
Zende’s Rise at Forrester Depends on Hope
Though Forrester Creations is an internationally renowned fashion house, it regularly produces new pieces in only two collections. That’s couture and Hope for the Future. The couture team, led by Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and Eric (John McCook), is a two-man unit with everyone else providing collaborative support.
For R.J. (Brayan Nicoletti), working on the collection has been an opportunity to learn from two masters of the craft and gain more experience. But for Zende (Delon de Metz), playing an ancillary role has felt like a demotion. He went from co-leading Hope’s (Annika Noelle) line with Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) to taking notes and giving feedback on a vision that’s not his own.
Until funds are allocated to produce a new line, couture and Hope for the Future are the only brands a designer at the company can work on. With Ridge and Eric locked into couture, Zende’s only hope of establishing his own legacy is HFTF. That’s why he was so thrilled to be promoted to lead designer. He finally gets to take the lead and showcase his talent without having to compromise with two big names, plus his cousin.
The only drawback is that it’s dependent on its brand ambassador working at Forrester. The proof is in the name. There is no Hope for the Future without Hope. As the Forresters are about to find out, Hope is taking a chance on Logan, which means her line has to and will be done. That will effectively make Zende’s promotion dead on arrival and break his heart. Though there is a chance his family may surprise him by going in an unexpected direction.
