Checking Out: Emily Robin

What are your roots?
I’m from Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.

What was it like growing up in Ottawa?
It was cold! It’s the capital and a federal town; I remember taking car tours of where the ambassadors lived and the architecture was reflective of the countries they were from. I don’t know how old I was the first time my parents took me on a drive to see that, but I think it sparked some kind of influence.

How did you start working for Lululemon?
I worked there part-time while I was finishing school. Ironically, I was working in a store while it was under renovation, so it foreshadowed my future life. What I was missing at school, which was tangibility in the application of design, I was finding in my part-time job at Lululemon. I led visual merchandising training for the Toronto stores. The founder, Chip Wilson, was in Toronto and I was asked to have breakfast with him. About seven months later, I moved to Vancouver within two weeks’ notice!

Lululemon and yoga go hand-in-hand. Your thoughts on the discipline?
I’m actually a part-time barre teacher with The Dailey Method (San Francisco). It’s an exercise class and there are some ballet fundamentals to it. I’ve been doing that for three years. Before that, I was really focused on yoga and I am certified as a yoga teacher.

What are your mental steps when designing a store?
Sometimes I’m designing in places I’ve never been before and that’s challenging. I make sure I find the iconic thing for that place. And not the touristy postcard thing. It’s something only the locals would know.

Do you have an example?
I was designing a store in Winnipeg and they’re known for having the most mosquitoes [in Canada]. So, I took the pattern of the wing of a mosquito, interpreted it and made it into our storefront. I reinterpreted something that was almost obvious, something that locals had a weird or frustrating relationship with, and tried to find the beauty in it.

Any tips for ideation?
Best advice for designers: Get out of the office. A lot of my work has been done at coffee shops. It’s allowing myself to slow down, and as soon as everything’s clear, it comes to mind. Inspiration for me comes after a sweaty, tough workout as much as slowing down.

No Place Like Home
Emily’s various pastimes include cooking and eating out (her mother is a restaurant reviewer), a slight fixation with “Top Chef” and museums. She also finds unique ways to unwind:

“My friends and I call it ‘urban hiking’ and we end up being tourists in our own city. Sometimes it will end up being a six-hour walk. When you travel a lot, it’s nice to be home and not have a deadline when you’re so used to them. Random, spontaneous strolling can definitely be inspirational.”