Inside design: Roots

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It all started, inauspiciously, with our feet -- the negative-heel shoe, to be precise. But Toronto-based Roots founders Michael Budman (left) and Don Green (right) -- two guys from Detroit with bohemian bents and business minds -- discovered an insatiable appetite for casual leather goods and expanded their merchandise and retail locations. Today, 33 years later, their athletic wear, accessories and home furnishings have become synonymous with weekends and laid-back cool. A new store, opening in Toronto in fall 2006, will feature certified organic home decor products. We chatted with Michael, the king of casual, who's also a fan of weekend living.

S@H: What does "weekend living" mean to you?

MB: To me, weekends are about getting away -- physically and mentally. I think Canada is a country that really embraces the notion of getting out of the city, whether you're heading to a lake or the mountains. The idea of getting away is part of the fabric of our lifestyles. It starts when we're kids and we go away to camp. As adults, we work like dogs for five days, then it's time to take off.

S@H: So which adjectives would you use to describe your idea of weekend living?

MB: Casual is a big one. Escapist is another. The pace of life has accelerated to a point where no one seems to live in the moment anymore. That philosophical shift has taken a toll -- on our health and the environment. My business partner, Don, and I have been preaching about the benefits of a casual lifestyle since the '70s. Our goal has been to deliver high-quality goods that reflect a comfortable, active way of life.

S@H: How is that casual, comfortable philosophy translated into your products?

MB: We have to wake up to a new consciousness about the world we live in. That spirit manifests itself in our decision to make genuine leather goods -- what's more practical and easy than a leather chair? -- that are naturally tanned, or coloured using vegetable dyes. You'll see more merchandise that's "green," like organic cotton sheets, and homewares made out of bamboo, a great renewable resource. We're even planning to make products out of hemp. We've also started a campaign around big bags -- totes that carry everything you need, from your laptop to gym clothes. They're representative of a new way of living: we're working, playing and socializing almost simultaneously, and we need accessories and furnishings to reflect that multifaceted existence.

S@H: What influences do you see shaping the way we spend our time on weekends?

MB: Second homes are a huge trend. The most important part of life -- after the people in it -- is lifestyle. I think we're realizing the importance of recreation. And with cellphones and laptops you can, theoretically, be plugged into the world anywhere. You can read the paper online, send messages to coworkers, run a business -- all from the end of your dock at the cottage. The line between work and play has been erased.

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