Update from Canada
RISD was my place to explore ideas. I had hoped to work in NYC but it didn’t happen right away. I returned to Canada and worked with Eberhard Zeidler who was Bauhaus trained. I made architectural study models and design sketches for him. I also worked with Raymond Moriyama, and did ink drawings for him. I answered an add for a design manager role with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the world’s largest purveyor of beverage alcohol. When I was hired, I was told there were over 400 applications, and I was selected because I was always thinking “outside of the box.” The drawings I am providing show a cross-section of my interests and capabilities. Some award winners like the City Lights restaurant design that I did while still a student at RISD.
I would like to explore building a model of the Puzzle Museum and Theatre. I would be happy to bring my self-constructing building to RISD, as a studio project. I am the recipient of VM&SD Store of the Year Award, Small Department Store category, for Hugo Nicholson in Hazelton Lanes, Toronto.
I also designed some RISD Fashion Show sets for Lorraine Howes, while I was a student. That was my first real introduction to fashion that led to my role as VP Design for Ontario Store Fixtures, where I led a team of 48 designers and technologists on projects for Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder, Macy’s Inc., Footlocker, Giorgio Armani, Perry Ellis, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tommy Hilfiger, Toys R Us, and other leading US retailers. I was part of a team that won Financial Post Design Effectiveness Award, ARIDO, Retail Council of Canada, and International Council of Shopping Centers Award. My retail design career took me right across the US and allowed me to work extensively in NYC. I was there working on September 11, 2001.
In 2019, I left the store design world and opened an accessories design and manufacturing business CLIKBO Labs. My accessories are sold in department stores and specialty boutiques across Canada. I hope to expand shortly into the USA.
