How a retail job redefined my career
After folding more than 100 leggings and tidying up the clothing rack, I asked myself “Wait, what am I doing here?”
Before I answer how I ended up in retail, let’s rewind a bit. A few years ago, I was chatting with a mentor who told me of design opportunities at Lululemon Vancouver and I knew that’s where I wanted to grow my career. I had a few years of design experience under my belt and was ready for the next step.
However, my UK visa got approved at the same time and I made the difficult decision to pass on Lululemon’s door and move to London instead. Probably the biggest leap of faith I’d ever taken.
Life in London
The first few months in London were extremely hard. I couldn’t land any design jobs so I quickly turned to a retail job to help me get by. I started working at one of London’s Lululemon stores. Sure, it wasn’t the department I preferred but it was a brand I believed in and it gave me a community of passionate, goal-driven friends who continuously encouraged my design endeavours.
A reality check of my ego
As I was settling into my new life in London, my ego started revealing itself, ever so slightly, but enough for me to stop folding leggings and ask myself “How did I get in retail when I know I’m a great designer?” As this voice grew louder, so did my poor attitude.
One of the best feedback I got during my shift was to show up with curiosity – instead of answers. Maybe I’m not sitting behind a computer producing designs, but I can learn everything about this brand, how the store operates, what guests are looking for. So I spent the next 8 months observing and learning as much as I could to widen my experience as a person, not just as a designer.
An opportunity I didn’t see coming
The impact of COVID19 was a shock to everyone and it inevitably forced me to go back home to Vancouver. But I just came back with retail experience and nothing to add to my design portfolio – who was going to hire me now? (my negative self-doubt creeping back in). So, I reached out to my mentor at Lululemon asking if we could chat. I was hoping for some guidance, but it turned out to be one of the best interviews I ever had.
My retail experience is what we talked about during the design interview. I shared about my experience and all the ideas I had for the future of our retail stores.
And in the midst of a pandemic, I landed a role at Lululemon Vancouver as their Digital Product Designer.
What’s your superpower?
In the end, it was my humility and curiosity that allowed me to show up confidently during my interview. It was all those hours folding leggings, talking to guests, swallowing my pride and frankly, getting over myself that allowed me to be more of an empathetic designer.
We build our careers thinking we just have to collect big milestones in order to climb the ladder – that we need to add only the best of the best to our resume. But we forget to notice that every experience is an experience. And it’s a story that gets added to the person we are and how we show up. I had to take a risk and grow as a person for me to come back and land this design role.
In the middle of my design career, I worked in retail. And that is my superpower.
*A huge shoutout to my beautiful team in London. I’m a better person for knowing you and learning from your stories. Thank you.