Robin Barker was born in England of Royal Stewart blood and the son of a successful lawyer. He started his hairdressing career in London, England in the sixties and was managing a salon within two years. He immigrated to Canada, eventually becoming head stylist of Gus Caruso’s, Toronto’s number one salon.

In 1971 Robin Barker opened his own business, which became the first salon where makeovers became an integral part of the service. At this time, Robin gave Moses Znaimer, the co-founder of CityTV, an idea for a TV show, which became City Line. Robin was a regular on the show for over 30 years.