Designer
&
Speaker
HI! I’m Robin, a designer based in NYC. Currently working as a UX Design Engineer at Guardian Life…
As you can see, I can be a bit of a goofball, but my sensitivity, sense of fun, and nerdy curiosity has helped my excel in many avenues of design. Here is a sampling of my work…
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I started sewing when I was 10 but took an extended break from my teens into adulthood. After brushing up my skills in classes with a local designer, I fell in love with the art all over again. I have now dedicated the past decade to establishing myself as a top independent fashion designer.
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My research as an independent scholar highlights the intersection of fashion, music and film, exploring topics ranging from 1980s punk fashion scene, the impact of Blaxploitation cinema on the sexual revolution, and the connections between Orientalism, belly dance, and African American jazz musicians' engagement with the Muslim Middle East.
Independent Scholar work
What’s New!
MARCH 2025:
I had an incredible time visiting Los Angeles and presenting at the 23rd Annual Pop Conference at USC Thornton School of Music. I shared a re-edited version of my paper, ‘Bedlah Bedlam: An Exploration of Orientalist Fantasy and Fashion Via the Lens of Prince Rogers Nelson’, as part of the panel Dressed to Thrill: Tracing the Cultural Impact of Prince's Iconic Fashion and Style, curated and moderated by De Angela Duff (NYU).
It was an honor to present once again alongside Karen Turman (Harvard), and with Professor Kirsty Fairclough (Manchester Metropolitan University), Casci Ritchie (Northumbria University), who presented virtually.
Beyond my own panel, I attended several thought-provoking discussions. My favorites were Hair Choreography: The Politics of Hair in Pop Music Performance and Vibe Revisited, moderated by USC Thornton’s Dean, Jason King.
Of course, no trip to L.A. would be complete without a stop in the city’s incredible fashion district—though it’s probably for the best that my return flight kept me from buying every stunning piece I laid eyes on! (I did get some good stuff though…)
UX / UI & Product Design
I specialize in UX/UI and product design, blending visual aesthetics, interactivity, and user-centric ideation to create seamless, brand-aligned interfaces. Here’s what I’ve been working on most recently:
Guardian Life
Currently, I am a full-time User Experience Design Engineer at Guardian Life. At Guardian, I’ve led the design and delivery of multiple products within an internal distribution hub, transforming complex workflows into intuitive, user-centric experiences.
Collaborating closely with product owners, subject matter experts, and end users, I ensure these solutions meet real-world needs and deliver tangible impact.
Guardian is a financial institution committed to safeguarding user privacy. My work has focused on designing secure, internal, authenticated experiences that I can't publicly showcase. However, I'd be happy to walk you through my UX process—feel free to reach out! In the meantime, here are some testimonials from my Guardian partners:
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"Working with Robin has been a great experience.
She effectively digs into the requirements of the business and offers valuable insights into the end-user experience. Her expertise is appreciated and valued. Additionally, her collaborative spirit and relationship skills make the experience of working together not only effective but fun!”
-B. Mercer -
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“We very much appreciate Robin’s attention to detail
And desire to make the new tool user-friendly for the field and home office users. I'm very impressed with her approach to this project particularly her patience and ability to seek and understand the 'why' before just making decisions on the design. Thanks for your partnership.”
-K. Kronen -
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“[Robin] is talented, patient, thoughtful with her work.”
It has been a pleasure getting to know Robin this year as we've worked on the PCA Unit Management within Distribution Hub. She is talented, patient, thoughtful with her work, asks great questions, and is always willing to go the extra mile. She is such a wonderful team player who knows how to take feedback / ideas and turn them into a beautiful design. Thank you for all of your efforts Robin. I appreciate you.
-M. Vecchi -
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“Working with Robin on the Middle Manager UI/UX project has been exceptional.
Robin takes the time to ask questions and decipher all of the subtleties of a very complex project. She also provides feedback from a user perspective that is helpful to the business to better understand the user experience. I appreciate Robin's partnership and expertise. She is easy to work with and meets the demands of our scheduling and project deadlines.”
-M. Castro -
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"Robin was a pleasure to work with...
in helping us design the interface for our DAA project. She took time to understand our business requirements with multiple follow-ups and was flexible when we had to change plans and decisions. She had positive energy, and showed patience throughout the entire process. I would be happy to work with her on any future projects.”
-W. Wu -
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"Robin has been a great partner...
in the design of our new system to house middle manager contract terms/calculations and compensation details. She was not aware of the middle manager contract process at all when this started, but her enthusiasm to understand it so she can produce a quality product is commendable. I am grateful to have her on the design team for this project. Looking forward to more good things from Robin.
-L. Pistilli
FreeSpot
A redesign aimed at improving the user experience for a community of over 2,000 subscribers.
ONNE Beauty
A redesign incorporating subtle micro animations to enhance user engagement and visual appeal.
eleMental
A mobile app developed to help users deal with the stress of not being able to engage with nature during the days of quarantine.
Al Di La
A refreshed digital presence for this beloved Brooklyn Italian eatery.
Fashion Design
I started sewing when I was 10 but took an extended break from my teens into adulthood. After brushing up my skills in classes with a local designer, I fell in love with the art all over again. I have now dedicated the past decade to establishing myself as a top independent fashion designer.
hennaflower
I have presented at the Harlem Fashion Week shows for seasons 9 and 10, and at the Africa Fashion Week, and Fashion Envie shows in New York City. My work has garnered attention in the press due to my distinct eye for color and the merging of vibrant themes with cultural intricacies.
Independent Scholar on Fashion & Music
My research as an independent scholar highlights the intersection of fashion, music and film, exploring topics ranging from 1980s punk fashion scene, the impact of Blaxploitation cinema on the sexual revolution, and the connections between Orientalism, belly dance, and African American jazz musicians' engagement with the Muslim Middle East. Here are some of my recent presentations:
On March 31st, 2023 I presented at the TripleThreat40 symposium held at NYU Tandon. This was an academic conference highlighting Prince’s iconic 1999 album and tour. I spoke on Prince’s protege group, Vanity 6 and their hit single Nasty Girl (they also performed with Prince during that tour). I gave a brief history of female singing groups and spoke on the possible influence the civil rights movement, blaxploitation films, and the sexual revolution had on Prince’s view of women during his formative years.
Like a Nasty Girls Group?
Bedlah Bedlam: An Exploration of Orientalist Fantasy and Fashion Via the Lens of Prince Rogers Nelson.
On March 27th, 2022, I participated in the #SexyMF30 Virtual Symposium where 31 speakers, including academics, music journalists, podcasters, authors, and independent scholars, convened to discuss Prince's cherished Love Symbol/ O(+> album. During the symposium, I delivered a presentation focusing on the themes of Orientalism, Bellydance, and the interconnections between African-American Jazz musicians and the Middle East. I also delved into how Prince's clothing designers skillfully integrated Middle Eastern influences into his wardrobe throughout that era.
The O+> Paradigm
During the summer of 2020, a fun idea tossed around between two music nerds and Prince fans blossomed into an interactive webinar and podcast series that has reached a global audience!
As the Co-Host, Executive Producer, Designer, and Marketing Director of our show focusing on the life and art of Prince Rogers Nelson, we delve into introspective presentations, engage our audience with interactive games, moderated guest panels, curated themed DJ music sets, and showcase special guest stars who collaborated with Prince throughout his career. Drawing on my UX skills has enabled me to understand our audience's preferences, leading to continuous enhancements and growth of the show with every episode. Wearing numerous hats, I also serve as the Content Writer, Video Editor, and Booker & Guest Coordinator for the production.