Meet: Erin

Meet the Creator: Erin Templeton

Plenty has been a huge Erin Templeton fan and have done several collaborations with her over the years. You can find some of her handmade pieces at our Kitsilano, Metrotown, Uptown, and Park Royal locations. We had the privilege of spending the morning with Erin in her studio and storefront in the heart of Chinatown on 511 Carrall Street, just steps away from Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Her storefront has graced the Chinatown community for over 18 years with a beautiful pink exterior and a bubble machine set-up to bring joy to many who pass by daily.

Erin Templeton: Handmade Leather Goods and Curated Vintage

Erin was born and raised in the mountains outside of Vancouver, Canada. She began making leather accessories in 1999, while attending Cordwainers College in London as a student in shoemaking. From there, she continued studying leatherwork in Australia, and once she returned home to Vancouver, she dove into making handbags. By 2007, her small studio that was a rented boiler room of a local tailor shop that grew into the whole space. Here she opened her studio and storefront, which still remains today in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown.

As a vintage buyer by trade, Erin always found the masses of unloved leather inspiring. Each piece is a reminder of who it once was. All her designs are lovingly handmade in-house in recycled leather, imported cowhides, or a selection of exclusive and locally tanned elks and bisons. The biggest part of the story is recognizing and weaving together uniting elements.

Erin’s fascination with the past informs designs that aim to defy trends. She designs with minimal hardware and simple, strong construction, allowing people to adjust, change, and make pieces their own. It is her hope that each piece is able to be a lifelong friend, and to mix freely with new and vintage pieces. She welcomes everyone and their dogs to come visit her shop!

We spent the morning with Erin at her studio and the nearby Annabelle’s to hear more about the inspiration behind Erin Templeton. Read the full interview below.

Q&A with Erin

Q: What are a few words your friends or family would use to describe you?

A: Funny and late.

Q: What inspired you to start your store?

A: I had acquired an amazing studio and storefront in Chinatown and I got to work with the Modernize Tailors for 5 years and work out of their boiler room, and then when they retired I got their store, purely by being in the right place at the right time. I’m so grateful that life has worked out that I am still here and I love Chinatown so much. I’m so thankful that the community supported me and I get to do two things I love, which is vintage and making bags.

Q: What are some of your fondest memories since opening up your store?

A: When I had my first studio, that was such a dream come true. Honestly, just having your own space, painting it a different colour, and getting to go there everyday, it’s got your name on the front of it - which is kind of embarrassing - but it’s all yours. I really do love most days. It’s like you’re a little kid and your dream came true.

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

A: Part of my job is waking up at 4am on Wednesdays to pick out vintage for the store. It’s really nice because I have the business but on Wednesdays I have to go into fight mode to find new vintage pieces for the store. It’s inspiring because as I'm going through things, I have to make quick decisions and ask myself: “is it good, is it bad, what do I like about it, what do I not like about it, is it what I thought it would be?” In a day, I’ll be picking vintage for 9 or 10 hours and in that process I’m seeing different fabric types, pockets, buttons, or a cut of something and the inspiration is there because you’re seeing so many things. So, bags are kind of a by-product of me just loving vintage, because I can make a bag, it’s one size fits all, and people wanted it. Every week I get to go in and see something new and you never see the same thing twice.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give someone else looking to start a creative career?

A: Don’t get into debt. Work really hard. If you don’t want to work really hard, do something else where it doesn’t feel like you’re working really hard. Because you are going to have to work really hard. If you are going to get into debt, be very vigilant. Do yourself a favour and don’t mess around, don’t buy your boyfriend dinner, don’t pretend like it’s not real money and it’s very real and interest based. Learn about money, learn about why a line of credit is better than a credit card. Learn about all that stuff. I didn’t get into debt while going to school because I worked full time and part time and I did internships and worked for free. Internships are so valuable, I would encourage you to get to know people and put the effort in to manage your time well.

Q: What’s your favourite childhood snack?

A: My sister is 2 and a half years younger than me and she makes the best mac and cheese in the world. She’s been making it since she was 7 and it’s really good.

Q: What’s your favourite part about being in Chinatown?

A: When I was a kid, this was the one place I wanted to visit when I was little. Wonton soup was the focus of our trips. Last night I went to Magnet - which is not technically Chinatown as it’s by Victory Square but they have the best burger in Vancouver.

Q: What’s your favourite place you’ve traveled to?

A: When I was 18 I moved to Tokyo and I cannot believe my parents let me do that. I honestly didn’t know what anonymity was until I got there. I think some of my best memories are walking around Tokyo by myself and it was so incredible I got to do that at that age. It is such an incredible place. I love Mexico City too.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I’ve been dressing the same way my whole life - pretty much jeans and a t-shirt. I definitely rocked more of the bell bottoms when I was younger. It’s funny because Y2K style is really popular right now. For me, I was completely unaware of Y2K during Y2K because I was into the 70s and 80s style. So it’s all new to me now, just like it is for the 18 and 19 year olds now. It’s not my style per se but it is so fun to see.

Q: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share with us?

A: I am doing all the sewing now because my seamstress retired after 14 years and life has not been the same. I have reinvented my wallet so it’s a lot easier to sew - it has no lining and it is super simple and people really like it. I am doing fun little purses for spring and I get to take all my frustrations out on punching the tiny little holes, which is my favourite thing to do. This winter, I have a big collection of sheepskin coats I have been working on all summer and I am making recycled hats with guilt-free sheepskin. I also have a lot of new bags coming out - a bag that is kind of like a combination of three of the bags that I already make.