Branded Magazine: The Formation

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oh won de r FI N DI NG T HE S HUI PEOPLE + THE I R SPACES S N E AK E R CULT UR E L IVI NG T RAN SG E NDER SLICE OF HE AVE N

ISSUE 10: THE formation

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l e t t e r from t he ed i tor To be a creator of any kind is an incredibly vulnerable path to choose. Commonly uncomfortable in the chaos of our own heads, creators take huge risks sharing our work.

Often judged and criticized before truly understood, these vulnerable moments are where creatives learn to thrive.

Once a creator is able to set criticism free, an enchanted state opens up where anything can happen. A bright opportunity is revealed and a big idea can take form. ‘The Formation’ is the action of forming, or the process of being formed. It’s an emergence, a development, an evolution, and a celebration of the enduring process it takes to create something.

The intention behind this issue, ‘The Formation,’ is to celebrate the creative era that we’re so blessed to be living in. A time when you can start just about anything with the right combination of desire and commitment to manifest your ideas into actions.

We are so excited to share the stories of a handful of inspiring creatives – from interior designers, to sneakerheads, to a musical duo selling out shows on multiple continents. These unconventional careers demonstrate what it means to create a path you love.

For some, leading a life by design is easily done, for others, it takes practice (falling on your face kind of practice). Creativity in failure is the key to innovation. Something new can arise only if we dare to fail. Like the last piece of LEGO that causes the structure to fall apart, start over and a more wonderful, even better one will appear.

We’re committed to putting our best work in your hands and issue by issue we’ve taken form. It’s your life, it’s your design, and you get to decide how to formulate it.

OK Calgary, let’s get in formation – the best is yet to come.

Mandy Balak CEO & Editor-in-chief

our tea m CEO & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mandy Balak MANAGING EDITOR Hanna McLean LEAD DESIGNER Ivy Truong JUNIOR EDITOR Lauren Steeves JUNIOR DESIGNER Ayra Peredo RESIDENT PHOTOGRAPHERS Brittany Back, Krystal Boyd, Shane Arsenault DIGITAL MARKETER Courtney Manson ILLUSTRATOR Shayne Donlevy PARTNER RELATIONS MANAGER Brie Pettigrew

the FORMATION ISSUE 10: THE formation

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on the cover

Heather Buchanan, local artist from our feature people + their spaces. Read her story on page 23.

Photo by Allison Seto

contributors Adam Culligan, Allison Seto, Andrew Gault, Asim Overstands, Carl Abad, Chris Sattlegger, Dean Norris, Hayden Pattullo, Janis Nicolay, Jamie Hyatt, Kim Noseworthy, Lana Cuthbertson, Lee Orr, Lourdes Juan, Lucky Hipolito, Mila Madison, Milena Petrovic, Michelle Lazo, Nathan Elson, Shannon Lau, Shelby Stewart, Shirley Vuong, Teslin Ward

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IN THIS ISSUE If you’re feeling off, try checking your shui. It could be the difference between a happy life and devastating one.

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LOVE THIS CITY Step into the spaces of four wildly different Calgary creatives and see how their surroundings inspire their work.

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BRANDED | 15

INSIGHT + INSPIRATION We love unique creatives. Whether you’re behind the scenes, on top, or upand-coming, we will track you down.

Here’s who caught our eye this issue.

photos by LK Visuals and Lucky Hipolito

16 | LOVE THIS CITY

When did you first get involved with art?

“Art has always been in my blood since I was born, from elementary school to high school and up until today. I would draw every day as a child, and I guess it was kind of my escape from reality. I wanted to utilize my gift of creativity by going to culinary school and design school because I wanted to stay outside the box. I think that helped me with my creative side. Then I moved to Vancouver and went to design school. It was stressful. Once I finished my program, I moved back to Calgary.”

How did you get into tactile design?

“It started in Vancouver when I was in school. In my advertising class, we had to create an ad for a magazine. My instructor showed the class examples of tactile design, so I went home, started to work on it, and after that I immediately fell in love with it. It was so intriguing, how something so simple that is overlooked by everyone, like a piece of paper can be turned into something so incredible. The very first piece that I did was a scene of Mario and his pals. That piece took me two to three weeks with no sleep, a lot of patience, and a ton of glue.”

Can you explain the process of creating a paper design?

“Once an idea hits me I do one of two things: I sketch it out and scan it, or I just hit the computer and do it. When that’s done, I use a 3D program called Blender to build my piece. However, sometimes I skip the whole computer process and I just grab a piece of paper and build it myself. After I’m happy with it, I use another program that unfolds it for me. But 90 per cent of the time it’s a complete mess when it unfolds so I use Illustrator to perfect it. This step involves a lot of trial and error. Depending on how big the piece is I will take the template apart, print it on individual papers, and piece it together like a puzzle.”

SHIRLEY VUONG Instagram: @elsie.artdesigns Portfolio: shirleyvuong.com Age: 23

How long does the average piece take to make?

“It depends on what I am doing. For example, the unicorn head that I did took two months to do. Building paper sculptures takes a lot of patience, dedication, and heart. Sometimes I get frustrated when I build my pieces because it doesn’t turn out the first few times. But I never give up until I get it right. After all, success isn’t as rewarding if it comes easy.”

What would people be most surpirsed to learn about your craft?

“That from something so simple, you can create something so incredible. Plus building [the designs] and making the templates – that’s always a challenge. But I like that it clears my head from everything else that’s going on in my life, and it makes me happy.

Tactile design is so different from other types of design too. Most types of design are done on the computer, and tactile isn’t – I’m really hands on with it.”

What inspires you?

“I get inspired by a lot things like painting, street art, graffiti, and cooking. These things help me a lot since they use bright and bold colours to help them stand out from any other kind of art. This inspiration is shown in my paintings and tactile projects. I also get inspired being surrounded by people like my family, friends, and coworkers. Working and spending time with creative people that are taking big steps forward is vital to my own personal and professional growth. People mostly prefer to stay in their comfort zone where they feel safe and have some security. But the ones who do take risks, don’t follow the system, and colour outside the lines – they’re the ones who have a huge opportunity to succeed. They’re the ones that keep me moving forward.”

BRANDED | 17

18 | LOVE THIS CITY

Designing a Cultural Landmark portrait by Andrew Gault 3D renderings by Allied Works

Studio Bell is the home of the National Music Centre and it’s also our city’s newest structural wonder. We figured whom better to ask about the meaning behind this dreamy design than the lead architect of the building himself, Brad Cloepfil.

Where did you find the inspiration for the design of Studio Bell?

“We wanted the building to reflect both the form and function of musical instruments. The design itself is inspired by the curves of brass instruments, which were incorporated into one of our original models for the building. The building itself became a vessel for music, its spaces are designed to either carry or contain the music created within.”

Did the neighbourhood where Studio Bell is located influence the design?

“Highlighting the beauty of the Calgary landscape was central to the design of Studio Bell. The building’s subtly curved design creates sweeping views of the Bow River and surrounding cityscape. The skybridge that spans 4th Ave SE will allow visitors to walk above the streets, creating a new experience within the urban grid.”

What was your greatest challenge when conceptualizing and designing Studio Bell?

“It was an honour to conceptualize a building that celebrates the impact and legacy of Canadian music. The first facility of its kind in North America, Studio Bell is at once a performance hall, a recording facility, a broadcast studio, a live music venue, and a museum. The greatest challenge was to incorporate these very distinctive functions into a cohesive program – to grant them their own space yet maintain an open and fluid transition between them.”

BRANDED | 19

What mediums were used for the preliminary sketches of Studio Bell?

“In addition to customary architectural renderings and material and architectural studies, at Allied Works, we approach the preliminary creative process through gestural sketches and tactile architectural sculptures that are developed to articulate and inform the creative vision behind each project. For Studio Bell, one process we explored was casting concrete around salvaged pieces of different brass musical instruments to create geometric forms that also reference modernist sculpture. Some of these preliminary sculptures for Studio Bell are on view as part of the firm’s traveling exhibition, Case Work: Studies in Form, Space & Construction by Brad Cloepfil/ Allied Works Architecture.”

What are your favourite design aspects of this structure?

“We particularly enjoyed designing the exhibition galleries – or “stages” – spread across Studio Bell’s second, third, and fourth floors. These stages showcase highlights of the NMC’s 2,000-plus piece collection of instruments, textiles, and technology. We have designed exhibition galleries for many museums, but this was our first opportunity to design spaces meant to accommodate a visual and an auditory experience in equal measure. As such, each stage is envisioned as a space of performance, where music is heard and experienced, and each may be customized or tuned to suit the needs of its specific collection.”

What is the significance of the shiny exterior of the building?

“Studio Bell is clad in glazed terra cotta; a material we chose for a number of reasons. The colour and opacity of the tiles were inspired from natural resources in the region – particularly the minerals found in the land. These tiles were created and designed specifically for this building. Their shape and luminosity complement the structure, creating varying visual effects as they move along the buildings curvatures, constantly changing as the viewer moves their eye or shifts their vantage point.”

The King Eddy Hotel was revived with the construction of the Studio Bell project. Was it difficult to incorporate into your design?

“No, not at all – we drew direct inspiration from the King Eddy. As one of Calgary’s oldest buildings, and home to a legendary blues club,

20 | LOVE THIS CITY

the hotel itself played an important role in the architectural narrative that combines the city’s urban history and musical traditions with today’s innovators. As an integral part of Studio Bell, the King Eddy will now feature a radio station, recording studios, space for artists-inresidence, and classrooms.”

How do you want people to feel when they step into Studio Bell?

“I want people to feel an immersion in sound and structure. Visitors will come to feel inspired by Canada’s rich and diverse musical heritage, and I want them to absorb and encounter all the possibilities that lie within the building’s diverse facilities. Whether a visitor has come to Studio Bell to see a live performance, to view the collections, or to partake in the educational programming, I want the architecture to fully support and enhance their experience.”

How do you design cultural institutions as opposed to other public buildings?

“Allied Works Architecture is among the foremost architectural firms for museums and cultural spaces active today, having designed institutions such as the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Seattle Art Museum, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. In all of our designs for buildings with cultural significance, you can see our firm’s researchbased approach, which distills the elemental principles behind each institution’s mission and goals. These buildings, while a symbol of the institution and the community they serve, are most importantly spaces that serve the art within and the people who visit – people who are seeking inspiration from this visual and/or the sensory experience it houses.”

In your opinion, how will Studio Bell change the architectural and design landscape in the city of Calgary?

“Allied Works specializes in architectural designs that engage public imagination and amplify a city’s cultural legacy. The NMC is the first institution in Canada devoted entirely to the preservation and promotion of the country’s musical history, and the distinct design of Studio Bell reflects the innovative spirit behind this unique mission.”

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people + their spaces When you find a place that’s yours, it turns into way more than four simple walls. It’s a visual expression through décor, objects, tools, and design. It’s a space that fosters your ideas and creativity; you customize it to suit your needs. Maybe it’s a calming sanctuary, a get-shit-done zone, a place to get messy, or perhaps a blast-Kesha-fist-pump personal paradise – whatever it is, it’s yours. One of the best ways to get to know someone is by observing their space. The style and state of a room can communicate preferences, personality traits, and even habits, all from a visual aesthetic.

We invite you to step into four spaces resided in by Calgary creatives doing wildly different things. These individuals are a part of a broader cultural creative movement that transcends the borders of the city. This movement is one that is burgeoning in the creative era we currently live in – one where openmindedness and accepting those who are different is not only expected, but celebrated.

words by Hanna McLean + photos by Allison Seto

BRANDED | 23

John Fache

Camp & City “I guess I just like getting my

hands dirty everyday.

There’s something to be said about being able to fall asleep knowing that you’ve done good work that day, however small it may be.”

24 | LOVE THIS CITY

A week prior to my chat with woodworker John Fache, he sent me a message suggesting we craft something during our interview.

When I first read it, I paused and thought – Me? Make a tangible object? Out of wood?

This notion had never occurred to me. Maybe it’s because woodworking is a ‘lost art’ in many respects, or maybe it’s because I’ve hardly held a tool in my entire life – unless you’re talking about a cheese knife, that is one tool I know how to use.

The fact that Fache would be willing to let a clumsy individual such as myself work with his power tools was a little scary, really thoughtful on his part, and also quite exciting in general.

When I showed up to Fache’s studio on the day of our interview I was a bit uneasy – I was no craftsman, and he definitely was. His finished pieces look like they’d been molded in clay. He transforms a raw, rough medium into something resembling spotless porcelain or hand-blown glass, which is awe-inspiring.

His workspace is a detached, repurposed two-door garage located behind his home in South Calgary. I stepped into the studio to the sound of country music, the smell of wood, and Fache excitedly greeting me.

At just 25, Fache is the founder and sole owner of Camp & City, his company titled so because of its fluidity in terms of meaning and style. Basically, this name means he has one metaphorical foot in the forest and one in the urban metropolis, allowing him the flexibility to make whatever style of product he wants without veering ‘off brand’.

“I don’t just design rustic furniture and I don’t just design modern furniture, I touch on both, and I think that’s perfectly OK,” he says.

Fache’s interest in woodworking flourished after being mentored by an open-minded 26-year-old university shop tech, whom he fondly remembers as his favourite teacher.

“I called her a teacher because I learned more from her than anyone else in my faculty. She just gave me opportunities,” he says.

“She taught me that is was OK to build mundane things like a spatula.”

He mentions this as I’m drawing the first cut for my own spatulalike creation. Clearly, the creative freedom he was allotted four years ago has stuck with him. Fache makes more than just an array of kitchen utensils, although he genuinely makes the dreamiest rolling pin I’ve ever seen, and I don’t even bake.

Creating jewelry, bowls, and of course custom projects and commissions keeps him busy. This packed schedule is a relief for Fache, considering he was basically channeling Evel Knievel when he left his stable job at an architecture firm in September 2015 (aka the beginning of our local economy self-destructing) in order to pursue Camp & City full-time.

Fache labels this career-move as one of the scariest things he’s ever done, but he’s found that being a risk-taker is rewarding – challenging at times – but still, really rewarding.

“I think every single person in Calgary is feeling challenged in the economy, but for me, it just means I need to get more creative.”

This creativity stems from Fache’s emphasis on design for Camp & City products. He says the best part of his job is when he’s crafting a piece with thought and meaning behind it. Even though these personal projects only come along once in a while, he says that when creating them he feels most connected to his profession.

For example, take the time one of his best buddies was tying the knot. Fache was determined to build a side table that would be more than a place to set take-out Taco Bell.

“I did a herringbone inlay that was actually wood that I found from various places that he and his fiancé had experienced special moments at. I got wood from where they had their first kiss, and the cabin where they spent so much time together. He had proposed in a

helicopter, so we got a piece of wood from the helicopter pad,” he says.

“It was just a simple two by four, but there’s meaning behind it. You can actually create a lot of meaning if you’re looking for it.”

I was now in one of the three-ish sanding stages for my spatula, and it was looking less like a block and more like a blob, serious progress. As I begin using the belt sander (a very loud tool) and Fache half-shouts-half-explains what his next business move is going to be.

“Instead of trying to compete with that world [of readymade furniture], because you can’t – you’ll never be able to go up against a Wal-Mart or an IKEA, it’s just impossible. You have to seek out clients who want something particular from you.”

Without a formal showroom, Fache generates many of his customers from word of mouth and he says there is a certain tactic one needs to use as a local maker – one that involves mastering social media and attending creative gatherings like markets.

“I need to get out and try to promote my work. If I could never leave these walls, just work and have someone else promote it – I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

The four walls of his shop foster his creativity wonderfully, and even though he says the size of his studio may limit him as he gets bigger projects, he’s not going to ditch his humble abode just yet.

“At the same time the size is almost a plus, it’s a way to constrain your designs and make you think creatively,” he says. “I’m also a huge fan of Japanese design – it’s really thoughtful – they make things to last. In Japan their shops can be so tiny, maybe a quarter of the size of this space. So this shop is huge in some comparisons, I always have to remember that.”

One of Fache’s most ambitious (and impressive) projects to date is the Cru Juice location in Southcentre Mall. The daunting commission took about two months from design to finish, of which two weeks were intensive building.

Continuing the sanding process for my spatula, I mention how cool it is to be able to see something transform using my own hands, Fache echoed that sentiment tenfold.

“I guess I just like getting my hands dirty everyday. There’s something to be said about being able to fall asleep knowing that you’ve done good work that day, however small it may be.”

It’s clear he possesses some seriously bygone skills in this Internet age. It doesn’t go unnoticed that Fache focuses on making beautiful woodwork while a lot of people his age are creating drones or computer codes.

“I get made fun of that I’m just a woodworker by my buddies – but at the end of the day I come out of here with a smile on my face,” he says. “Well, most of the time – sometimes I’m swearing and cursing.”

The woodworking process? Tedious and time consuming, but also truly rewarding. After cutting, curving, sanding, and polishing, my spatula was finished. It definitely didn’t look as good as any of Fache’s designs, but making it was inspiring. I now had something I made myself, and it’s the perfect size to reach the bottom of the family-sized peanut butter jar, #winning.

I was starting to see why Fache chooses to spend day in and day out creating in this studio – and I can’t wait to see what he crafts next.

“I like being able to design and build what I want and not have someone tell me there’s no meaning in that, or there’s no connection – I’m really stoked about what I’m doing.”

BRANDED | 25

Heather Buchanan

visual artist “Even the old

ladies roar with laughter – which is like the funniest thing ever to see an old lady holding a penis card just giggling away.”

26 | LOVE THIS CITY

Heather Buchanan has completed more Bill Murray paintings than she can count.

As I stepped into her home studio, which is the spare bedroom in her fabulously quirky Calgary home, I came face to face with one of them.

There he was in all his glory – Mr. Murray as Carl Spackler gopher hunting in Caddyshack. He was poking out of a leafy shrub with that signature suspicious expression. This is a scene many of us know well, yet Buchanan has managed to capture the actor in a totally original and fresh manner.

She paints in colourful, broad yet calculated strokes; there’s really no other way to describe it than the ‘Buchanan lens’ – a signature style which often portrays famous pop culture scenes with a refreshing twist. Her paintings make you feel like you’re witnessing an organic and unplanned moment. The movements and expressions in her work look unsuspecting and spontaneous, as if they were on film.

After I view the Caddyshack painting for a few more seconds my gaze travels around her studio: painted black and white checkered floors, nice. A crocheted wall hanging of a lady farmer feeding chickens, tight. A large, half-finished painting of a striking man with an even more striking man-bun, awesome. These were just a few of the curious and incredible things Buchanan has adorned her space with.

That same quirkiness can be seen in her work, just check out her ‘Drake In The Grass’ card with Drizzy emerging from some high blades, or her drawing of a jolly pair of testicles reading ‘I’m Just Nuts About You’ underneath them.

Her drawings and paintings focus on a variety of subjects and styles ranging from traditional ‘fine art’ as she reluctantly labels it (she thinks it sounds kind of pompous), to a series of prints and cards centred on representations of pop-culture, as well as a series ironically titled ‘bad puns,’ only ironic because the ‘bad puns’ are actually really good.

“A lot of them are irritating my husband now because he gets so annoyed at how bad they are,” laughs Buchanan. “It’s like the more he rolls his eyes the more I know I’m onto something.”

The native Calgarian seems comfortable in her skin and confident in her art. So it was pretty surprising to learn that in elementary school Buchanan was discouraged by a few ‘awful’ teachers who gave negative feedback to the young aspiring artist.

However, she still managed to refine her creative side at home, often painting abstract pieces on the back of deconstructed cereal boxes from the recycling bin.

After initially attending the University of Calgary to study English and taking a few optional art classes, Buchanan eventually opted to pursue an art degree instead. The artist realized she spent virtually all of her spare time drawing and painting, so she worked hard after university to allow herself to practice art as her full-time career, or “mostly full-time” as she says.

“Sometimes you need to like wait a few tables, or do this and that,” she says.

She’s sitting on a stool in front of her easel in her studio. The space we’re chatting in used to be a room dedicated to NASCAR memorabilia, hence the checkered floor.

“It used to be a fire engine red,” she waves her hands around the room to emphasize. “I want to do something to honour the room for what it was, because it was so amazing. It was very special.”

Buchanan has me in stitches – mostly because I can tell she is probably not kidding about manifesting an ode to the former shrine of sports racing. She sees opportunity for art in even the most unlikely of places, and her home is just one example of this creativity.

Working from home for Buchanan is clearly the dream – she lists off some perks: the fridge is near, there’s room to breathe, and there’s

no dress code whatsoever, “Every time a FedEx person comes here I’m working in my pajamas.”

Another big plus about working from home is she can control her environment. The 30-year-old has struggled with an anxiety disorder since she was a teenager, sometimes inhibiting her from getting to class in high school, and even making if difficult for her to keep a fulltime job as an adult.

“Every time I’d get a full-time job, I’d be so miserable. Because right out of school I got this awesome job with awesome people at a really wonderful ad agency, and it seemed like the perfect thing. But I got so unhappy with my life.”

This is when it became clear that art was her calling, “It was more like ‘This is the thing I can do – I can always be happy if I do this one thing.”

Buchanan has worked hard to overcome her anxieties, and sitting in front of me now, she’s a pretty outgoing individual.

“Market Collective has been a great way to connect with people. I don’t think I expected to have felt such an amazing sense of community and support from people I barely know. For someone who’s a little bit more introverted and not necessarily out there shaking hands and kissing babies – the hardest part has been getting out there.”

The artist has definitely managed to get her name out there. Her playful works have been a huge hit in Calgary and all over the globe thanks to platforms like Instagram and her Etsy shop. She lights up as she tells me about all the far away places she’s sent her work – and she’s even more animated as she recalls an instance involving a silent auction, two feisty couples, and one stellar painting.

“I think someone body checked the other to get it at the last second at this silent auction,” Buchanan erupts in laughter. “The people that bought it were so nice and sincere in their joy for having this ridiculous Billy Murray portrait. Their plan was to frame it in gold – it was nice.”

Even though she has natural talent, Buchanan says there’s a misconception about her stumbling into creative success by luck.

“Sometimes in general conversations people will be like, ‘You’re so lucky to have that talent,’ and it’s like – dude. I have worked so hard for so many hours to get here.”

At one point she was working 120-hour weeks – that’s some serious dedication. But all that practice has allowed her to explore a wide variety of creative faculties, including the ones that are rated R. The artist has spent a great deal of time painting and drawing “wildly inappropriate things,” including many nude self-portraits – which eventually desensitized her to naughty humour.

“I did a Virgin Mary that was a giant vagina. It was just ridiculous.”

“Enormous, giant nudes” and a sacrilegious Virgin Mary are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Buchanan’s more edgy work.

She accepts that some people may be offended, but most seem to enjoy the dirty jokes and the imagery that accompanies them.

“Even the old ladies roar with laughter – which is like the funniest thing ever to see an old lady holding a penis card just giggling away.”

Making people laugh is one of Buchanan’s many talents – I know because she’s had me snickering for 45 minutes straight. But that’s not to say the artist doesn’t take a more serious tone sometimes; she is currently developing her fine art and doing a bit less pop-culture work.

She wants to have a gallery exhibit, one with little-to-no celebrities in sight…or maybe some, she doesn’t quite know yet.

“You can get a job, or you can paint Bill Murray a bunch – one of those seems a lot more fun.”

BRANDED | 27

Misha White

Amborella Floral Studio “Our mission is to open the eyes of the general consumer to see that yes, flowers are a luxurious product, but they don’t have to be too expensive.”

28 | LOVE THIS CITY

Misha White likes her flowers au naturel.

This means in her floral shop, there’s one golden rule: No. Fake.

Flowers.

Her devotion to naturalistic truth means anything you receive from Amborella Floral Studio will have a foreseeable lifespan – but it’s a seriously good-looking lifespan if you ask me.

I am standing at the front of the store, which is inconspicuously nestled in a southwest Calgary plaza. I immediately feel at ease.

Looking around at the light, neutral palette of the space I can confidently say it’s giving off some seriously good vibes.

“There was one lady who came in and sat in that chair to eat her Subway,” White laughs pointing to an antique–looking seat. “She didn’t just wander in of course – she bought flowers first, but then she just stayed a while.”

White’s knack for interior design has made this space a bit of a sanctuary. It doesn’t surprise me that customers have meandered around to unwind from their busy lives. Most of the shop’s furniture and display cases are secondhand findings that White salvaged from alleyways, giving off a lived-in chic look that’s inviting.

“I like that it’s not stuffy,” says the 30-year-old leading me around the shop.

By choosing to exclude the cliché balloon rack and selection of teddy bears, Amborella is a space that is primarily about living, breathing product. Along with quality flowers, the shop offers a minimal yet beautiful array of floral accessories such as pots and boxes. From the china cabinet with handmade soaps and dainty jewelry, to the chalkboards placed around the space with prices neatly displayed – this store was a far cry from the floral section at Safeway tucked next to the two-for-three-dollar avocado display.

“We don’t have a HomeSense gallery of vases, containers, and fake crap,” White laughs.

I immediately know what she’s talking about – I mean, everyone has probably had their mother return from Michaels with fake hummingbirds lightly dusted in glitter to add some ‘charm’ to the dining room table centerpiece, right?

After she wraps up with a customer, White leads me into the back room. This is the place where the Amborella Girls, aka White and her team of badass petal pushers, construct orders, arrangements, and bouquets. We sat on two stools and I quickly checked out the space.

It had a super high ceiling and a computer in the corner where one of the girls, Lacey, was presumably sorting through incoming orders.

I ask White why she’s titled ‘The Master’ on the shops’ website.

She nervously laughs and blushes, “I don’t even know…”

I feel like she’s been asked to explain this before judging by how quickly she dismisses the notion.

Lacey overhears her boss struggling for words and interjects, “She taught us everything we know! She made us into florists – she’s not the ‘boss’ she’s the leader.”

White’s leadership style is very chill and a bit unconventional.

She hires her team members based on their enthusiasm and willingness to learn, not their experience or credentials. Her outlook on the floral industry is refreshing: anyone can be a pro.

“Our mission is to open the eyes of the general consumer to see that yes, flowers are a luxurious product, but they don’t have to be too expensive.”

For White, overthought, overdone, and overpriced flowers were never her thing – even at the beginning of her career, a career she admits she stumbled into by complete fluke. She was 14 when she humbly began as a bucket and vase washer, a water tube filler, and a greens cutter, and she’s been engulfed in the industry ever since. She moved from Ontario to Calgary in 2007 and proceeded to work in several shops throughout the years, until about three and a half years

ago when she needed something more.

“There was a point in my career where I was doing stage presentations, doing design trends for the floral industry, travelling a little bit, and doing floral shows. That was path A,” she holds her left palm up, and then does the same with her right. “Path B, was to settle down, open a shop, and see how that went.”

By the sound of the flower room door opening and closing out front – I think it’s going well. One of the most important things for White’s business is maintaining a forward-looking focus by using as much local product as possible. Sustainability is important to her as a business owner; this is an emerging trend in the floral industry that some have coined the ‘farm-to-vase’ movement.

“The secret for us is just really great product. It’s different from what you would see at supermarkets, but not that much more expensive – it doesn’t have to be.”

This affordable price point doesn’t make the end results anything less than spectacular – in fact, these days White says brides seem to prefer far more simple arrangements and bespoke bouquets for their celebrations.

“We are seeing way more greenery this year, much looser too.

Bridesmaids bouquets of all mixed in eucalyptus or one big statement flower – it’s a cool way of being more economic.”

This laid-back and organic style of floral design suits White’s aesthetic well. So how do White and her team manage to nail the beautiful-but-not-overdone floral look over and over again? She says that’s simple – just relax.

“A lot of thought needs to be removed, and I think that’s where a lot of floral designers struggle, because they want to do so many things like put on rhinestones, spray things, fold leaves, and do stuff that doesn’t happen in nature.”

Floral design isn’t as simple as throwing a bunch of flowers into a bundle; there is an artistic and even a scientific method to modern floral arranging that includes texture, colour, bloom size, and overall shape.

“Sometimes it’s hard to communicate flowers from your brain into words and then interpret it into another person’s words,” she says.

“The best is having free range. For us, we do our best work when we’re not controlled.”

When flowers are arranged well, they are truly like art. White whole-heartedly agrees, and that’s why she offers weekly floral workshops in the studio so people can make their own arrangements with guidance from the Amborella Girls.

White is proving that not all art is found on walls – unless you’re thinking of the white rose wall at Kim and Kanye’s Versailles wedding – that’s an exception. Forget about walls though, White wants to put flowers somewhere totally new – ideally, in the back of an old pickup truck.

“This year I want to have little mobile stations around the city.

Our climate is seasonal, but that’s OK, I still really want to go for it.”

There’s not going to be anywhere for someone to sit down and eat their turkey bacon foot-long sub, but something tells me White’s future endeavours will attract a steady stream of loyal customers anyway.

“From the beginning I always wanted the shop to be super approachable, friendly, and authentic. I always wanted to capture that,” says White, gazing around the room. “And I think we have.”

White is walking me out of the shop and she mentions, “I tell people that I work here.” She laughs and shrugs, “Whenever anyone asks what I do – I just say that – not that I own the store. That just doesn’t matter.”

It’s clear that just like her flowers, the girl is 100 per cent real.

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DJ Sures

EZ-Robot “I was sent a

video of that robot pouring a glass of wine, and then navigating through the kitchen and handing it to the maker’s wife. She was talking to it, and she was conversing with it, it was awesome.”

30 | LOVE THIS CITY

On the way to the EZ-Robot headquarters I was anticipating taking a step through the door into a scene of geniuses zipping around on Segways talking codeing on Bluetooth phones. I also secretly hoped I was going to witness the creation of the real-life Terminator.

In reality, what I walked into was something completely different: a row of authentic retro arcade games, two overstuffed couches, and a giant bin full of take-out hoisin and sweet and sour sauce packets.

Clearly, my initial phantasm wasn’t exactly spot on. In retrospect, the vibe was definitely less Genisys and way more WALL-E. There are probably a lot of people who would assume the HQ of a build-it-yourself robotics company would be ultra-modern in every aspect, but EZ-Robot founder and CEO DJ Sures wanted the homebase to be a comfortable one, not simply a high-tech haven.

“There were a lot of sleepless nights in this space,” Sures says, looking around the open concept office. “Which is why we have all the video games and comfort – so people that are working here until three in the morning can take a break.”

We are sitting on the couches at the entry of the office, painted a crisp white colour from front to back. Even though the company is moving out of the office located in the heart of Inglewood, the space has served the EZ-Robot team for three and a half years.

“This space is formatted for makers. The office, robots, and boxes are white because it’s all about creativity. It’s a blank paper – this allows creativeness to just flow.”

He glances behind us at the row of desks and industrial shelves holding a ridiculous amount of what looks to be disassembled robot parts.

Sures begins to point out the names of the individual robots on the large counter at the front of the office. Between the ‘Adventure Bot’, the ‘Roli Rover’, the ‘Galapagos Bot’, or any of the other five robots available for purchase, there is an incredible amount of tech to choose from. He explains customers can buy entire robots, individual parts, face and motion activation sensors, and additional combos or controllers.

He’s about to show me what these bots are capable of. Sures begins controlling the ‘JD Humanoid’ robot with his Apple Watch on the floor in front of the couches. The little robot who looks like he’s in an astronaut suit begins to dance and sing – he’s got better moves than any drunk aunt at a bar mitzvah, ever.

After JD’s impeccable performance of Sir Sly’s You Haunt Me, the bot dramatically does a ‘mic drop’ gesture.

“He travels with me everywhere. If I go to a friend’s house, he’s in my car with the seatbelt on. If I go on a date, he’s in my backpack,” he smiles and looks down at the bot. “I’m connected to these things emotionally more than I should be.”

Sures set out to make the exclusive realm of artificial intelligence accessible to people who aren’t engineers and roboticists. From a makeshift lab in his basement he created different versions of what’s called a robot platform – or controller – which is the software that powers a robot. In 2011, Sures made a webpage to sell the 100-or-so controllers he’d made, and those things sold out so fast you’d think they were Kylie Lip Kits circa 2016.

Because of this success, Sures was featured in Make Magazine where he wrote a comprehensive article on how to build a robot, which received a lot of positive feedback.

“That really kicked off interest into what I was doing, which was telling anybody – whether you understood technology or not – that they could build a robot. That’s what I set out to do.”

He continued to make user-friendly robots with the release of the ‘Box Bot’ three years ago. This was basically a robot starter-kit – it included a handful of pieces like a camera, voice recognition software, and online instructions where people could speak to the

robot controller and program it themselves. This robot didn’t just come in a box, it was made out of one. Customers were instructed to create the body of the robot using an empty Kleenex box and toilet paper rolls as limbs.

At this point, Sures and his growing team decided they needed a product that had more consumer adoption, something they could use to engage education that didn’t require a glue gun or scissors.

“Other companies making modular robot kits weren’t making it with authentic robot parts, cameras, and sensors that real robots use.

My idea was to use real robot parts rather than fake ones to allow people to make robots that can do real stuff.”

The idea for a robot with real-world capabilities using Clip’n’Play parts was ahead of its time, but the concept was undeniably brilliant.

The only problem was, the technology Sures was promising his investors didn’t even exist in component form at the time. Therefore, essentially everything a robot needs to function had to be created or tweaked for the EZ-Robot platform: cameras, operating systems, Wi-Fi modules and code, algorithms for vision and machine learning, and apps to list a few.

“If EZ-Robot was an extension cord, it would 100 per cent be covered in band aids – we patched it up quickly to get it out the door.”

Thanks to some seriously smart people who developed the technology and debugged it along the way, EZ-Robot now offers powerful robots for experimentation, research and development, recreation, hobby, and STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

I’m not going to pretend I understand all the tech lingo Sures is laying down in our current convo – but building a robot seems way more approachable than it did before I stepped into the building, and people in 106 countries would echo this approachability. In 2015, EZRobot sold around 15,000 units worldwide, pretty good for a start-up.

The popularity of the products can be seen in posts and videos on the company’s Facebook page, and even in a television series based out of Ghana called Scrapbot, which centres on kids creating robots out of EZ-Robots and garbage.

“I saw a video of a child in the States with his EZ-Robot helping him clean him room – grabbing things with his hand and putting into a toy box,” he says shaking his hands for emphasis. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

Customers have been able to produce some surreal-sounding futuristic scenarios. One of Sures’ most challenging requests came from client who wanted to build a ‘butler-bot’ – basically like Rosie the robot-maid from The Jetsons – but way more manly.

As he’s recalling this project he gestures toward the real-life butler-bot chilling by the front door of the HQ. It resembled one of those human-shaped punching bags that dudes with buzz cuts have in their unfinished basements.

“I was sent a video of that robot pouring a glass of wine, and then navigating through the kitchen and handing it to the maker’s wife.

She was talking to it, and she was conversing with it, it was awesome.

The client gave that one to us and he made another one.” Even though this butler robot is no Terminator – it’s still pretty damn cool.

Sures says this particular robot was a great example of why he continues to do what he does – people use his technology to make the seemingly unimaginable, a reality. “Every time I see a robot go, I know I just sold a smile to somebody.”

Even though he didn’t create robots for some fantastical reason like world domination, or protection from an evil artificial intelligence system, Sures made them to enhance education and understanding, which is sweet too. And really, who needs a cyborg-assassinSchwarzenegger when you have a wine-pouring butler robot at your disposal?

BRANDED | 31

LIVING Fall into the luscious harmonies of London-based alt-pop duo Oh Wonder – millions of people already have.

pg.

42

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&

c re at o r

Thoughts and anecdotes from some of YYC’s most motivational peeps

i nn ova tor

Lourdes Juan director of LMJ Consultants

Ten years ago, when I was taking Urban Studies at the University of Calgary, people thought I was studying hip-hop. And, although a career in urban planning has not been full of video vixens, it’s been exciting to participate in the shaping of today’s Calgary.

I have always found it fitting that, as a city planner, I am named after the city of Lourdes, France (although, it’s pronounced the Spanish way, complete with the rolling “r”). Potentially in part because of my name, I have always been fascinated by cities. I am fascinated by what it is that makes New York the city that never sleeps, and what it is that makes Paris the City of Light. Early in my career, I turned my gaze to my home city of Calgary, and began to wonder what makes us so special. How are we recognized globally?

What do we want to be known for? How did we land the world’s #1 mayor? For me, many of these answers lie in the complexities of urban planning. The endless potential of exploring the intricacies of what makes Calgary, Calgary, is what keeps me firmly grounded in the urban planning world.

Many people think that the popular game SimCity is what urban planners do.

Building roads, schools, parks, and creating zones for people to inhabit. As it does a good

job in identifying the elements of a city, the virtual world lacks some real-life complexities.

There are no multi-use zones, parking is nonexistent, there are no politics, and you can bulldoze the failed built environment at will.

SimCity does teach us though, that planning is too complex to simulate. Understanding and working with these complexities is what an urban planner does. Planners look at the big picture and help make decisions on how our city functions and grows.

Calgary’s urban fabric is going through some major changes. With the rise of Santiago Calatrava’s Peace Bridge, Norman Foster’s Bow Building, the ‘Giant Blue Ring’, the creatively planned East Village, and the change in municipal leadership, Calgary’s urban identity is evolving. I believe that this evolution helps Calgary stay progressive and improves our built environment.

An urban planner’s vision centres on key concepts and components such as: sustainability, transportation, social, and economic impact, and cultural aspects of the built environment in order to facilitate a city’s life and evolution. The planning profession works with politicians, citizens, local businesses, and other stakeholders to integrate all of the above listed considerations into new developments and makes a city tick.

We are a profession that helps decision makers decide.

After receiving a Masters Degree in Environmental Design from the U of C, spending a semester abroad in Barcelona, spending time in Germany writing a thesis on public engagement, and being an independent development consultant for six years, I am still learning about the world of urban planning.

Keeping up with Calgary’s development scene has been about connection and relationship building. My portfolio has myriad experiences, from facilitating contentious applications for strip clubs, the methadone clinic, and secondary suites to writing public engagement documents, zoning research to keep a local beer hall, and assembling land to

increase density on main streets. Currently, we are working on giving a local Calgary favourite, Lukes Drug Mart, a facelift in the community of Killarney. These projects, big or small, add to creating a vibrant Calgary.

Moving forward, my hopes for the future of urban planning in Calgary include the people of the city participating in real public engagement. When I was in Germany, I studied the City of Freiburg, specifically the community of Vauban, a former French barracks site. The neighbourhood was planned and developed in a co-operative way through a ‘planning that learns’ principle that met several environmental, social, and economic goals. Public engagement was one of the basic principles underlying political action in Freiburg. The city first educated the public on sustainable development and the city’s goals for growth, then facilitated group interviewing, discussions, and mapping exercises. Because of these actions, the city was able to co-create collaborative design solutions with the populace and increase civic engagement.

What I took away from Freiburg was not the desire to replicate the process in Calgary, as it wouldn’t be fair to transplant a process that worked in a city much different from Calgary. It taught me that the planning professions’ biggest challenge is how to engage citizens to contribute to our evolving city in a respectful, participatory manner.

How do we engage citizens in co-creating spaces? How do we ask Calgarians to critically think about what their neighbourhoods look like, without having a NIMBY (not in my backyard) attitude?

Planning is so multifaceted and there are no simple solutions. By creating a respectful dialogue between a city and its citizens, we can better understand our city to help shape what it looks like and how it functions to create an identity for Calgary that we can all be proud of.

“My hopes for the future of urban planning in Calgary include the people of the city participating in real public engagement.“

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M O D E R N SHO PPE R S L E F T TO T H E I R OW N D E V I C E S

Chasing your dreams, changing the game, choosing adventures – there’s a lot to think about when you’re an up and coming Calgarian. When it comes to making your ambitions a reality, the struggle is real. So here’s a column that aims to inspire action and provide advice. It’s not your typical financial advice – it’s more like cool stories that sometimes happen to be about money.

“I saw one guy open an account who was clearly at an oil and gas camp. He had his reflective vest on. You could tell from the background. He was opening an account at 2 a.m. That’s what I call success.”

Those words are from Rita Sly, who is a managing director in the channels and payments area at ATB Financial. She’s describing some early results from ATB’s new online shopping platform. The process, as many people know, usually involves a credit card and a few clicks.

But what do you use when you’re shopping online and what you’re buying is a credit card?

“Basically you take a selfie,” Sly says.

Taking a selfie, as basic as it might seem, actually involves advanced facial recognition technology, since that photo is compared to the photo on your driver’s license.

The ease of this process is why Sly has become a champion of online shopping in an unexpected place – a financial institution.

With ATB’s new platform, “we didn’t look to other banks to see what they’re doing. We looked to companies like Amazon, which have made the digital shopping experience extremely easy,” Sly says.

That explains the selfie – no other bank is doing that.

Kyle Murray, a professor in retailing and marketing at the University of Alberta’s School of Business says these days, people can and do buy almost anything they need online.

“In the last two or three years, retailers and other businesses have seen online shopping grow from 25-30 per cent a year, while traditional business is growing two to three per cent a year,” Murray says.

“Some of the early adopters of online technology were brokerage firms, where you could make investments and conduct trades online.

Banking products have been online since the beginning of the Internet really, and now they’re starting to expand,” he says.

Jennifer Chiesa, 29, works in communications in Calgary and can attest to that. She shops online almost exclusively and calls herself an online shopping fanatic.

“I purchase almost everything except for food online. I’m constantly buying tickets and trips, so that’s my lifestyle and culture part of it. But then I’ve gotten so good about knowing my size, so I can order all my clothes, beauty products, pretty much everything that makes me, me,” says Chiesa.

“I absolutely prefer to do everything online. It’s so much more convenient with our devices and everything,” she says.

For Chiesa, not only is online shopping an example of a smart, simple and convenient tool, but it’s another way to keep track of her spending and manage her finances.

“I think it helps us stay more in control of our expenses, the more we’re monitoring and doing things on our own. I think we’re more aware fiscally – that’s true for me, anyway,” she says.

For this reason, online shopping and banking are a natural fit, especially since banks were some of the early adopters of online services. And it makes sense to Chiesa.

“I’m managing my banking online daily, paying all my bills and such,” she says. “In the last few years, I opened a TFSA. And I did that online.”

For Sly, online shopping is ultimately about meeting Albertans where they’re at, and that’s online. Soon customers will even be able to get a mortgage online just by clicking a button.

“Every bit of research we have says customers want choice, and digital has to be a choice, and it has to be deadly simple,” she says.

Sly says in the future, things are going to get even more convenient for customers, if that’s even possible.

“We’ll also know the right time and place for them, that fits their preferences.”

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38 | LIVING

Living Tiny words by Hanna McLean photos by Lee Orr

Kathleen Ennis has been laid-off several times.

Her story is not an uncommon one. The 52-year-old has worked in the oil and gas industry providing engineering consulting for 26 years – and after she was laid off for the third time, she knew she had to do something.

“I either had to keep up with this rat race, chasing a mortgage and buying this, that, and the other, or I had to make a change,” says Ennis.

The decision she made turned out to be a drastic one.

“I went from a suburban Calgary neighbourhood, to living on the side of a mountain in an off-grid tiny house.”

Some call it ‘micro living’, some call it ‘the tiny revolution’, and some – well, they call it crazy. Whatever you want to label it – living in a tiny home is one trend that’s making a big global impact. The small structures are proving to be more than just getaways for city slickers.

Tiny home villages are even being implemented in some places in the States as a practical solution for homelessness.

This simple way of life has become increasingly appealing to those drowning in piles of material possessions and mortgage payments.

Ennis caught “tiny home fever,” as she describes it, a few years back. Initially just downsizing her belongings, she eventually decided to ditch city life for a 380 square-foot gooseneck trailer – her custommade tiny home. The arctic blue cottage was towed to an 11-acre lot in the Central Kootenay area upon completion in August 2015, and she’s contently lived there ever since.

Anything less than 1,000 square feet is considered tiny – but don’t be fooled, tiny homes still manage to be spacious havens in the eyes of their owners.

Ennis’ home is approximately one-third of the size of an average Canadian home (around 2,000 square feet). That average space comes along with a large price tag. Rising real estate prices have spiked up 17 per cent, making the new national average $470,297 a home. These numbers are intimidating for first-time buyers, which may be a reason for the increase in tiny homeowners in Canada.

“I think we’re being sold on the fact that we need bigger, bigger, and bigger,” says Ennis over the phone. She’s currently parked outside the library in the town closest to her home – around 25km away. Ennis doesn’t get service on her property. Her satellite phone is finicky at best, so she ventures into the hub of the city whenever she needs solid reception or a Wi-Fi connection.

“People are starting to realize that we don’t necessarily need bigger – we need more of a quality lifestyle.”

She’s not the only one who’s repulsed by the consumerism and materialism that define our modern culture. There are dozens of tiny homebuilders, developers, and communities in Canada which are listed on the Tiny Home Alliance website (a resource for anything and anyone into tiny homes) that are dedicated to providing information and services to grow the tiny home community.

If you’re not convinced micro living is stealing people’s hearts,

check out the selection of TV shows which focus on this curiously wonderful lifestyle. There are almost as many to choose from as there are Real Housewives franchises: Tiny House Hunters, Tiny House Builders, Tiny House Big Living, Tiny House Nation – you could ‘tiny home and chill’ for like a week with all of those options.

So why is this suddenly such a popular idea? Ennis answers plainly.

“We’re being really dumb the way we’re gobbling up the earth’s resources, people are seeing this. Living tiny is definitely a bit of a social wave…maybe even an evolution – we’re getting smarter.”

This social wave swept up Ennis, and her daughter too, who now resides in Halifax in her own tiny home. Both women customdesigned their homes to fit their respective needs after becoming enamoured with the idea. Ennis’ home is actually on the larger side compared to other tiny homes. She opted for some wiggle room: a bedroom with a door and a full-sized bathtub – something she said was a bit of an “arm wrestle” to land during negotiations with her builder, Nelson Tiny Homes.

From start to finish, the building process took eight months.

Ennis would drive down every month to check out how her home was progressing until finally the finished house was unveiled and delivered to site: a rustic-chic structure with a million dollar view and not a nosey neighbour, lawnmower, or Car2Go in sight.

She’s now been a tiny home resident for nine months and Ennis lives much differently than before. It’s not just her surroundings that have changed, her attitude and outlook on life have too. She actually enjoyed winter this year – shocking, right?

“I’m spending much more time outside playing and enjoying instead of running through the wind to get into my car and driving through traffic.”

Ennis predicts that unlike MySpace, hoverboards, and dropcrotch pants – living in a tiny home is one trend that isn’t going to fade. At first she anticipated getting cabin fever because she’s so isolated, but it turns out it’s been quite the opposite.

She’s been connecting to people in the community, and networking in preparation of starting a business venture – growing and selling completely organic produce year-round in three geodesic domes located on the same lot as her home.

“I might not feel connected if I just sat alone on the mountain, but, getting involved in the community, launching a business, and getting to know people – I’m just amazed at how I’ve been welcomed and encouraged. It’s a nice sense of community that I was missing in my life before.”

This life is not for everyone though. Ennis mentions trendiness is probably a big contributing factor in the growing popularity of tiny homes. But she warns anyone who is about to jump on the bandwagon that the disconnect from current events and news isn’t something everyone would be comfortable with – luckily, she is.

“There’s a lot to be said for silence. To unplug is a very interesting feeling,” she says. “I’ll come out and go to Kelowna and it’s like, ‘Wow, BRANDED | 39

to some people there saying things like, ‘A cougar attacked a kid,’ ‘A Justin Trudeau is Prime Minister? That’s wild’.”

Being able to go an entire election season without being wolf attacked a woman’ – so now I have a lot of fears to work through bombarded with candidates’ commercials, political lingo, and again.”

Ultimately, Ennis would rather face and overcome anxieties that commentary? That is wild. The thought of not knowing the political climate of our country let alone missing the new episode of Scandal come with living in a tiny home, than be faced with troubling news would drive most of us mad. For Ennis, she just misses the simple events happening daily – news which can also prompt fear on some things in life: family, friends, movie theatres, and McDonald’s french level.

“It’s nice not being subjected to the negative and violent stuff fries. However, what she really doesn’t miss, is bustling around doing you’re used to in the news errands in her down time. Ennis because you feel bad about spends a lot of time chopping what’s going on in the world, wood, something she describes but you can’t do a lot about it,” as a “Zen activity”.

To unplug is a very interesting feeling as well. I’ll she says. “When it’s being fed to It hasn’t been all smiles you everyday it has an effect on and chopping-wood-serenity; it come out and go to Kelowna and it’s like, ‘Wow, your psyche, and when you get took Ennis some time to adjust a break from that it’s like – wow. to the extreme isolation. She Justin Trudeau is Prime Minister? That’s wild.’

It’s a lot easier to be happy and worked through a lot of fear in smile everyday now.” order to remain at peace in the Ennis will not only avoid remote location of her home. hearing about tragedies and After a frightening midnight-incident with Floyd, a dog from the nearby town who has a saddening news, she’s going to miss out on experiencing so many tendency to wander, Ennis realized she needed to get real about what future social trends – but judging by the amount of man buns and selfie sticks kicking around, being ‘out of the loop’ is arguably a good she was actually afraid of, and face it.

“You have to sort through what is something to be scared of, thing – Ennis thinks so anyways.

“I felt led out here and led to this lifestyle. Really, I was just kind what you’re making up, and what people have suggested you should of choosing to follow my soul’s path.” fear. It’s been an interesting exercise. Now, I genuinely feel safe.”

It’s safe to say that Ennis chose the right path for her – one with After a while her animal instincts kicked in, and she’s now familiar with the sounds of her environment. She’s able to separate a absolutely no McDonald’s, outlet malls, or political debates present to creaking tree from falling snow, a knock on the door from sweeping distract her from her killer view and her content state of mind. Sounds wind, and most importantly – a roaming wolf from friendly Floyd. But like her small home has allowed her to live a pretty big life. not all of her caution has been lifted.

“I took a gun course this weekend actually, and I was listening

“ ”

40 | LIVING

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OH WONDER WORDS BY HANNA MCLEAN

42 | LIVING

It’s hard to fight the goose bumps you get when first listening to Oh Wonder. The voices of Londonbased artists Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West collide in perfect techno-pop unison – it’s a pretty enchanting audio experience to say the least.

The pair is redefining the typical business model for up-and-coming musicians. Beginning in September 2014, they wrote and released their songs one month at a time for a year on SoundCloud. By the time they released their self-produced and self-titled debut album in September 2015 – a culmination of all previously released material with two bonus songs – they had established a loyal worldwide fandom before even stepping on stage.

With more than 100 million plays on SoundCloud and 2.5 million monthly Spotify listeners, it’s obvious that Oh Wonder’s sincere, mellow, and honest sound has seeped into our souls and stolen our hearts, which is why the duo’s North American tour (one they’re currently embarked on) sold out in a matter of minutes.

Between getting signed to a label, getting ready to open for Halsey this summer on the July-August leg of her tour, and currently playing their own tour, these two have managed to adjust and stay as humble and down to earth as ever.

We caught up with the U.K. natives over the phone to see how touring is treating them, ask about their novel approach to music, and see how they’re feeling about their sudden rise to stardom.

First of all, how are you guys?

A: “We’re really good, we’re currently in Vancouver in our awesome hotel room that looks over the city.”

J: “We’ve both come and just been like, ‘Oh my god Vancouver is so beautiful.’ I think Canada in general is just the best country in the world – and we’re not just saying that because we’re talking to a Canadian.”

Is this your first trip to Canada?

A: “We were actually on a North American tour a few months ago in January, and we played in Toronto – that was our little taste of Canada. I used to live here when I was a kid. I lived in Nova Scotia for a year, in Digby.”

J: “I’ve been to Calgary before, I went on holiday about 10 years ago with my family. My dad loves mountains and his dream was to drive to see the Rockies, so we all just drove through the mountains and went to Calgary – it was just unbelievable.”

How did you two meet?

A: “We first met in London. I had a studio in North London and Josephine came to record when I was producing at the time. After the session we kind of just hung out and listened to our favourite songs, and realized that we both had exactly the same music taste. It was bizarre – our iTunes were mirror images. From that point we just started casually hanging out together and writing songs occasionally. It was really just because we enjoyed it – it still is. It was a very accidental meeting. We started Oh Wonder off the back of that.”

You have an insane chemistry when you sing in unison; do you remember the first time you sang together?

J: “I did a few solo records before this, and Anthony had done some backing vocals on some of my songs – which I listen to now and it just sounds like Oh Wonder – it’s really weird. So when we recorded our first ever song, Body Gold, for some reason, I can’t even work out why we thought of it [singing together] in that moment. We were just going to pitch the song to other artists, so that’s why we both sang on it. And people were like, ‘That sounds pretty good maybe you should just leave it like that,’ and we just put it up online. We’ve tried singing with other people and it just doesn’t work as well. There’s something in our voices, clearly, that align.”

How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard your music before?

J: “Someone once described us as a musical comfort blanket, which we always go back to. It’s a lovely sentiment that our music can be there for people, be a soundtrack to their lives, and be a source of comfort. We aspire to write songs that are classic in terms of their structure – catchy melodies and pop hooks – but meaningful lyrics, and observational stories all set to electronic and piano-based production. Alternative pop – whatever you want.”

How do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?

A: “My favourite artists that I listen to, I feel comforted by.”

J: “And inspired to do bigger things, you know what I mean?”

A: “I love it when you put on a record and feel good – like one of my favourite records is Plans by Death Cab For Cutie. As soon as I put on that album I feel so centred.”

J: “So nostalgic, focused, and centred I guess.”

Why did you choose to release your music in such an unconventional way?

A: “We were solo long before we started Oh Wonder, and we’ve always performed as well, but we never really thought about performing together. So Oh Wonder was a way for us to be solo artists initially, but then as it progressed we thought we could actually turn this into performing. We started writing and releasing one song a month. We’d write a track, sit on it for a while, and see if it worked. If we liked it, then we’d produce and mix the track. We released a song on SoundCloud, and more and more people started listening. We were kind of wondering why – it was just a way for us to get our music out there.

It was a way to push ourselves too, because as a musician you don’t really have structure, you don’t have a boss breathing down your neck being like ‘Give me songs.’ You have to do it yourself, and that was just a way for us to really structure our days.”

Have relationships in your lives changed since becoming ‘accidental pop stars’?

J: “I don’t think the relationship between the two of us has changed, I would say it’s just solidified.”

A: ”There’s more dependence in a good way – there’s always someone to bounce off.”

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J: “It’s nice to have somebody to go through this with.”

A: “The highs and the lows.”

J: “I can’t imagine doing this on my own – it would be terrifying.

Nobody – even if they read your schedule on paper – quite understands what touring is like.”

A: “In terms of our relationship with ourselves, we get to look at ourselves a lot more now.”

J: “It’s so indulgent this lifestyle – I don’t like it. You’re just talking about yourself the whole time it makes me very uncomfortable.”

A: “I miss normal life decisions. Like what to eat in to morning.”

J: “Should I have scrambled or poached eggs? Ah, to make those decisions, that’d be awesome. Instead it’s decisions like, ‘Do you want to do this show in Mexico that would involve you getting two hours of sleep?’ It’s a big workload, but we’re relishing it.”

What’s been the best moment of this experience so far?

J: “I could give you a list of hundreds – it’s all been such magic. For me, there was nothing quite like the feeling of our first show in Los Angeles. I had never played in America before, or outside Europe, and I was overwhelmed when we played at the Troubadour. When I came out there was this sea of people who knew every single word to every single one of our songs. Their reactions were so different – there was a middle-aged dude like dancing on his own, there were people in a balcony kissing, there were people filming stuff, and there were people just closing their eyes and being themselves in the moment.

That was the minute I think, in this whole thing, which still stands out. Music is amazing; it has so much potential to change peoples’ lives in such a profound and positive way. That was a really affirming and humbling moment. I realized it’s not just about me writing songs and sharing them, we’re building relationships across continents. It sounds so cheesy, but it’s honestly one of the most miraculous things about technology today, that you can build strings between people through music.”

What’s been the most surprising thing about this journey?

A: “One big thing that still shocks me is the amount of plays that we get online on a daily basis, it’s just bizarre. We thought it would kind of wear off, that we’d release these initial songs –” J: “That we’d just fizzle out.”

A: “It gets bigger and bigger everyday, we just don’t know how our music just keeps on spreading. I just find it bizarre that there are millions of people listening to us.”

J: “Yeah it freaks me out a bit if you think about it too much.”

Do you worry about straying from your down-to-earth roots as you continue in the music industry?

A: “You have to constantly remind yourself, to be yourself.”

J: “Yeah that’s more it – it’s not trying ground yourself, it’s trying to be yourself.”

A: “And surround yourself with people who reflect who we are.”

J: “I always say, I can kind of see how people – not that we’re famous or anything – but I can see how people who experience real fame on a day-to-day basis, how it would impair their life, how they can turn into crazy people. I would not wish that on anybody, to be famous or have a plethora of people wanting to have a piece of them. I think that can be very damaging and a dangerous thing. So yeah, we’re trying to avoid that.”

What do you love about what you’re doing right now?

J: “Starting your day with nothing and ending it with a song is one of the best feelings in the world.”

A: “Whilst we’re on the road the best part is just being on stage for that hour. Your whole day, the 23 other hours, just lead to that one moment.”

J: “It’s a constant countdown – at the moment we’re just counting down until we’re on stage in a few hours.”

We’re counting down the hours until these two take the stage in Calgary, and if we knew when they’d be releasing new music, we’d be steadily counting down the hours until that moment too.

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finding the shui why it’s time to make room for feng shui words by Lauren Steeves photos by Shane Arsenault

“If you have a toilet on the upper level and you are sitting directly underneath it in your office, then you will never find a good job and you will be very unlucky.”

Um, come again?

Well apparently when it comes to the art of Feng Shui, there’s always one dreaded object you need to fear – the toilet. And judging by that statement, we don’t think you’d want to take your chances.

But what if you can’t move the toilet, what do you do?

Well lucky for you, we got advice from Feng Shui expert, David Lai. Lai has practiced the art of Feng Shui for over 47 years and has used it to help cure illnesses, boost careers, and restore relationships. Consider him the answer to your prayers. He suggests putting a mirror the size of the toilet against the wall it faces. This causes the mirror to reflect back on the toilet, so that bitch can’t kill your vibe.

But before you get ready to call bullshit on Feng Shui, you need to recognize the success of the people who practice it religiously like Bill Gates, Oprah, Tory Burch, and Donald Trump.

And considering much to our own horror, that Trump has managed to convince millions of people that he’s worthy of being the next American president, we’d say when it comes to Feng Shui there may be more than meets the eye. the mystery of its history Feng Shui may seem like a relatively new phenomenon to the western world, but it actually has ancient beginnings. Recent scientific research has linked the practice of Feng Shui back 28,000 years to the days of the cavemen. They were extremely strategic in choosing which cave to live in and based their selection on three key criteria: it needed to be located on higher ground, it needed to be close to water, and its entrance needed to provide a prime view to the external environment.

But it wasn’t just cavemen that practiced this art, as Lai explains that ancient Feng Shui documents can be traced back to over 3,000 years ago buried in the tombs of the Kings of China.

Chinese Kings used this scientific practice to effectively rule their country by ensuring that all their citizens were looked after.

Since the country was so large, they divided it into four quadrants helping them gain understanding on the current and future needs of their country, allowing them to allocate resources accordingly.

From there, Feng Shui evolved to be used, studied, and practiced in homes, offices, and buildings all over the world becoming an art that helped bring everyday people happiness.

So how does Feng Shui work exactly?

Lai explains how it works off the foundation of each person’s predetermined four pillars, which include one’s birth year, month, day, and time. This helps people like Lai understand how a person survives with the balance of the five elements of earth, metal, water, wood, and fire. He says the average person is born with all five elements.

But what happens if you aren’t so lucky. Does this mean you’re bound to be an unemployed spinster? Lai clears that assumption up.

“For example, some people may not have metal. So they will come to do metal work. Metal work does not specifically mean using metal. For instance, metal workers might be accountants or they might be stock experts. So in order for this person to be balanced in life, they must search for work related to metal, and then this person’s life will be improved. This is how we arrange people.”

He says once a person’s elements and pillars are revealed, Feng Shui helps restore balance in one’s living space by examining what you need more of in your life and arranging it accordingly.

For example, it could be as simple as needing more earth. So Lai would add crystals to your living space to help keep the element in BRANDED | 47

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check. Or maybe you just really need more wood in your life. But let’s be real, who doesn’t? the blueprint Just like Jay Z has his masterpiece album The Blueprint, Feng Shui has a blueprint too, but it’s called a bagua. The bagua is key in determining how your home should be built and how your furniture should be arranged, as it ultimately impacts your relationships, health, prosperity, and career. Essentially your bagua can take you from 0 to 100, real quick.

Lai explains that the bagua is divided into nine zones: prosperity, fame, love, family, health, creativity, skill, career, and travel. During consultations, Feng Shui experts use the compass and bagua to help restore balance in your home and maximize the flow of energy. These tools can help take your career from a 2014 Justin Bieber, to, well, a 2016 Justin Bieber, or can take your love life from a series of one night stands to full-on Bey and Jay status.

And in case you weren’t born with the key to success like DJ Khaled, we got Lai to give us tips on how to use Feng Shui in the most common rooms in your personal and professional life, so you can get your space in formation and truly slay Feng Shui. the bedroom Drake says, “You’re too fine to be laying down in bed alone,” and we couldn’t agree with him more. According to the bagua in order to make the most of your love life, the master bedroom should be located in the back right quadrant of your home since this is the “love quadrant”. Bad news for all you king-sized bed

lovers, Lai says that a couple should have no larger than a queensized bed.

“We don’t want the bed to be too large. We want everyone to have a queen-sized bed because it is a one-unit box. We don’t want split energy. If you have a king-sized bed, you need to put a piece of red silk on top of the box, underneath your mattress to reduce the split.”

Lai goes on to explain that everything on either side of your bed, like your bedside table and lamp should be identical to your partner’s. He also stresses the importance of having a headboard, despite how much you might curse it every time you bang your head on it.

“Your headboard should back up on a solid wall and not the window. If you have a window above your bed, it will cause energy to leak out. Some people may not have a headboard, and if you don’t have a headboard, you don’t have support. No matter how hard you work, your partner may not feel like you are working hard enough.”

He adds the bed itself should not interfere with the pathway of the door. And despite any sexual desires you may have, you shouldn’t place a mirror in front of your bed as it causes bad energy.

And like in any bad breakup, where we shred the social media evidence of the relationship ever existing, it’s important we do the same with our mattress. Bringing a new relationship into a previously used bed can breed bad luck. So if you go through relationships more than Lindsay Lohan goes to rehab, don’t worry – you don’t have to necessarily break the bank. Lai says you can also rid your mattress of your old relationship by placing it out in

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the sun for the afternoon, giving your new relationship the fresh start it deserves. the office I’m sure we’d all love to be 25 sitting on $25 mill, so how can Feng Shui help us get there? Well, Lai says where you place your office should be in relation to what type of work you do and how it fits into the bagua. So if you’re in HR, he recommends your office be placed in the family zone, so you can bring together your team.

And if you’re more of a creative genius like Mr. West, you’ll want your office in the creativity zone. Much like the bedroom, your desk should be placed against a solid wall and shouldn’t back a hallway or interfere with the doorway.

If you’re looking to make some serious bank, Lai says that your prosperity zone needs to be safely enclosed. This means having no windows or back doors in this area, as it can cause your wealth to slip away as fast as Kanye’s $53 million. the living room According to Feng Shui practices, if your living room is smaller than your master bedroom the woman will have all the power and control in the household. So watch out guys, because when it comes to Feng Shui, size in the bedroom really does matter.

Lai explains that you should place your furniture in a semi circle so your guests can sit close together and all have a view of the TV and doorway. He also stresses the importance of keeping the Yin and Yang in balance in your living room. This means that the amount of light in the room should be equal to the amount of furniture you have.

And if you have a sunken living room, consider your career aboard the Titanic and it won’t be long before it’s sinking too. So rather than risk plowing straight into the iceberg, you’re going to want to use Feng Shui as your lifeboat. This means adding potted plants and overhead lighting to up the energy in the room, repairing the split of energy that the uneven floors cause. Or you can choose to risk it like Leo did, but we all know how that story ends.

hard to deny the power of Feng Shui. Lai recounts one experience in particular that’s stuck with him, when he was asked to help a woman sell her home. Her house was on the market for months and had numerous walkthroughs, but she could not sell it. Lai performed Feng Shui on her home and later that night the woman experienced something seriously unexpected.

“I arranged her home. I placed a monkey horse ornament, a glass of water and green leaves near her doorway. This allowed the horse to jump and eat the leaves. Later that evening a gentleman walked by her home and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign. He went up to the house, rang the doorbell and asked if he could come in. The owner let him in and he walked through the house. When he finished he asked, ‘How can I purchase this house?’ So in one day the house sold,” says Lai. Lai holds many more Feng Shui success stories and says the average person can expect to see results within four weeks.

However, he is the first to acknowledge that Feng Shui does not guarantee success.

“You have to understand that at the very beginning of it all comes your life. If your life is very good, you will be okay. Or if your fortune cycle is good, you’ll be all right. If your life is not good and your cycle is not good, then you need to have Feng Shui. If the Feng Shui is not good, you need to look at your virtue – how good is your behaviour? After that, comes education. Sometimes you may not have good virtue, and then you will not have good luck. Your life and life cycle override Feng Shui. I cannot change these two factors, which is why I have a disclaimer that Feng Shui cannot be guaranteed. I try my best to help, but I don’t know what you’ve done in your previous life,” says Lai. In simple terms, Lai cannot change who you are as person, so to increase the likelihood of Feng Shui having an impact on your life, you need to be a good person, and unlike Drake, be on your best behaviour.

I ask Lai if he has any more advice to offer.

He laughs and says, “I’ve done Feng Shui on some casinos. So don’t visit them, you won’t win.”

And with everything we’ve learned, we’re willing to place our bets on Feng Shui.

Disagree?

Well, may the odds be ever in your favour.

“I’ve done Feng Shui on some casinos. So don’t visit them, you won’t win.”

more than a feeling With over 47 years of Feng Shui practice under his belt, Lai understands that some people may think there’s no science behind this art. However after listening to his success stories it’s

50 | LIVING

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a celestial seasoning Not to be blunt, but cooking with cannabis is the biggest thing since back bacon.

words by Hanna McLean / photos by Asim Overstands

54 | TASTING

You don’t have to be a ganjapreneur to know that cannabisinfused edibles have come much farther than the amateur potent pot brownies of the ‘70s. Now, expertly made delicacies such as artisanal chocolates, kombucha teas, and even barbeque sauce are just a few examples of the unconventional pot products one can make or buy – that is, if you’re lucky enough to live in a place that legally allows it.

This wonderful alternative to smoking raw product is appealing for many who use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

First things first, let’s get something straight – those of us who reside in Canada, we can’t legally buy edibles anywhere from anyone; not from licensed producers, not from seemingly legal storefront dispensaries (cough, B.C., cough), and definitely not your buddy’s uncle who made cookies out of his medical marijuana – all illegal.

Those involved in the burgeoning marijuana industry see this changing relatively soon, and now with a weed-friendly PM in office, the chances of this plant being legalized in different forms, medically and recreationally, has just been upped considerably. For now though, cannabis derivatives can only be legally consumed by patients with a medical prescription.

This illegality hasn’t deterred those who own cannabusinesses from moving forward by informing people about the benefits of cooking with cannabis, in spite of the constraining laws surrounding the plant.

The Culture + Community Despite what some may think, people don’t only use marijuana to get super high, binge on Doritos, and watch Pineapple Express (although that’s a really good time). More than ever, marijuana is being used as a powerful and effective remedy – something Crystal, a 34-year-old practicing weed chef believes is the plant’s true purpose.

After a car accident in 2001, Crystal (last name omitted by request) was in an incredible amount of pain due to nerve damage.

Between that, and having a close friend who was suffering from cancer – she began to experiment with making edibles. Over the last 15 years she’s been making them sporadically, but after running into an old colleague about a year ago – Jeff Mooji, the owner of Calgary’s 420 Clinic – her passion for making edibles was ignited once again.

Jeff and Crystal teamed up with the intention of providing medical marijuana patients with a free monthly cooking class at the clinic, and she’s been steadily creating regularly ever since.

The 420 Clinic serves as a consulting and support centre for those who want to obtain or already possess their medical marijuana cards. His team helps determine customers’ ailments and works to find the right strain of the plant to best aid their symptoms.

Jeff is set on reversing the social taboo the marijuana industry faces, actively working to help the plant shed its illicit past by offering educational resources to his customers and the public.

“Sometimes, people won’t change their minds until someone they love – or they themselves – need it,” he says.

The business-owner finds the best method of application for every individual, whether that’s smoking, vaping, or ingesting. If a client wants to take their dose by ingesting cannabis-infused edibles, there is no legal way they can purchase product in this form, so they have to fend for themselves in their own kitchens.

So what about those who can’t even bake pre-made Pillsbury cookies right? Crystal to the rescue.

Crystal offers an all-encompassing, straightforward breakdown of how to make a variety of canna-cooking staples. For some, this description and demonstration of techniques is more approachable in person than locating reliable info online, or flipping through entire cookbooks dedicated to edibles.

“The Internet is filled with like a billion different ways to do it,

but some of them can blow up your house, and some of them can leave remnants of things that you don’t want in it,” says Jeff.

True…so don’t grab the first recipe you come across on the Internet. After hearing that, Crystal’s class seems even more necessary. Her session allows newcomers to wrap their heads around the cooking process, and allows experienced bakers to ask more advanced questions and share their tips.

The Class The weed chef can’t actually bring in herb to the class, but she brings in all of her equipment for teaching purposes, and an example bag of ‘product’.

“It’s a bag of parsley,” laughs Crystal. “So if this brings back bad memories of getting ripped off when you were a teenager, I’m sorry.”

The room erupts in laughter. She’s teaching her sixth class at 420, and it’s completely packed. But not with baggy-pant wearing drug dealers that your Nana warned you about – most of the 40-or-so people here are regular folks aged 50 plus.

A lot of these people are suffering from severe ailments.

Fibromyalgia, cancer, MS, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, chronic nerve pain, arthritis – the list goes on and on. Many of them have tried a variety of pharmaceutical supplements prior to turning to the plant.

Jeff says his goal is to compel people to choose marijuana as a first option, instead of a last, “While we sit here and talk, two Canadians will die from prescription drugs, it happens just about every 15 minutes in this country, it’s sick.”

While he admits marijuana is no miracle drug, he notes that it goes into the nervous system, which affects a plethora of different illnesses and functions in the body, making it a bit of a super plant.

Suddenly, edibles look a little less ‘dealer’ and a little more ‘healer’.

The Cooking Process Dosage is the most important thing to keep in mind when cooking – it’s a powerful ingredient. The average dose per edible is about half a gram, but many people take less their first few times. Remember, the average edible can take anywhere from half an hour to two hours to take effect. Try not to eat your edibles on an empty stomach – or be prepared for lift off. Crystal suggests eating something with some fat in it, like cheese, to avoid this whirlwind feeling.

So let’s get all Bill Nye for a second and break down what’s happening to the plant when you make edibles with it.

When cooking with cannabis, there is a chemical process that is critical to making an effective product – the decarboxylation process.

Decarboxylation turns THCA (present in the plant in raw form) to THC. In simple terms this process is the THCA atom breaking off and converting into THC, which can then be absorbed into your system making you feel the euphoric effects.

This process is made possible by heat – so instead of creating a combustion by lighting plant matter on fire and inhaling the THC immediately (like from a joint), you eat it after it’s been converted by the decarboxylation process in the form of an edible. Cannabis molecules automatically adhere to a fat, so when eating them combined with a fat, it’s absorbed into your liver and you’re digesting it in a different way than when you smoke it.

Depending on what strain of cannabis you are cooking with, the product may contain more CBD than THCA. The lesser-known CBD is the non-euphoric component of the plant, which focuses on physical ailments. CBD is anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive, antinausea, and it’s currently being tested for anti-cancer properties. This cannabinoid has no conversion, but you’ll still want to put it through the decarboxylation process by heating it.

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So right now if you’re like, ‘Yo, this is science, where’s the food?’ no worries – coming right up. The point is, you have to know what you’re doing or you’re wasting you time. If you follow unreliable instructions, you run the risk of failing to convert and wasting your product, or even worse as Jeff mentioned – infusing unwanted things into your edibles. Gross.

The Goods Crystal is a culinary force. She works full time in the food industry, and admits after the class that the only thing she’d leave her current sector for, is the cannabis industry. The chef believes in the product fully, and she’s now a pro at infusing cannabis into a variety of cooking staples.

Butter, common household oils, flour, you name it – she’s done it. During her class she explained how to make regular cooking oil (canola, etc.), coconut oil, butter, flour, brownies, and caramels. Each product had a slightly different process; the most time consuming is cannacoconut oil.

Crystal’s personal favourite cannafused product? Glycerin. It sounds like something you feed your plants, but no, it’s a super tasty sweetener that’s found in a lot of things you probably eat already.

“I was really impressed with the glycerin because it’s such a neat food item. Chemically speaking it is an alcohol, but the FDA deems it as a carbohydrate because it provides calories but it’s not a fat or a protein. The fact that diabetics can have it and it doesn’t spike their blood sugar levels is incredible.”

She uses it in smoothies, which is a way healthier option when cooking with marijuana than taking down a brownie each day. Crystal isn’t into the idea of buying bigger clothes, so finding healthier alternatives for edibles has been great.

56 | TASTING

The Aftermath + Future If you Google ‘edible high’ you’ll probably get some results that communicate horror stories of overdoing it and becoming immobile and terrified. Everyone has a different tolerance, so take it slow when it comes to edibles and you will be successful. Cannafused grub causes a much more intense and longer experience than smoking or vaping marijuana does.

“You cannot overdose on cannabis, you don’t have to worry about that,” Crystal reassures, debunking the notion that many antimarijuana advocates have claimed.

Edibles are a top-seller when it comes to dispensaries and retail stores. This niche of the industry is burgeoning, making the products from licensed edibles producers and weed chefs more and more creative each year. There’s huge opportunity when it comes to edibles, and whenever there’s opportunity for expansion and money to be made there seems to be a surge of backlash – this sitch is no different.

Ever-tightening regulations, political opposition, and barrages from communities and medical professionals have not made the cannabis industry’s growth smooth sailing, but edibles are continuing to grow in popularity, and Crystal thinks this is due to the approachability of the method.

“I think for some reason it’s less threatening. Food has a level of comfort to everyone – we all love food.”

Amen to that sister.

And just like you don’t need to be a ganjapreneur to understand the big things coming in the cannabis industry, you don’t need to be Snoop Dogg to enjoy cannabis-infused food now and again either. So if you haven’t set-off on your maiden voyage with edibles yet, take it from us, it will be a great trip when you do.

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atmosphere is everything words by Milena Petrovic

Much like how a chef plays with colours and textures to spark an emotional response when creating a dish, interior designers utilize the same elements when designing the space of a restaurant.

When walking into a restaurant, your appetite often makes you grab a menu and place your order ASAP. Controlled by your hunger, sometimes it takes a few bites of your appetizers before you notice the ambience of the space you’re in. The atmosphere of a restaurant is complex, and it goes way beyond what’s on your plate. A successful design combines many elements in order to woo guests during their visit, and make sure they come back.

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We aimed to evoke a sense of curiosity through the design. We love the central banquette seating and how it anchors the space, also the subtly of the details and how they all work together.

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Jaime Holland (Holland Design) Monogram Fifth Avenue

photo by Shannon Lau

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“We strived to create visual and physical connection amongst the businesses. For instance, if you order a coffee in charbar you see that it is coming from

Phil & Sebastian. It is this interconnection between

vendors and the marketplace vibe that we attribute to the success of the building and spaces.”

Diane Cassidy (Mckinley Burkart Architecture and Interior Design) Simmons Building

The décor The décor of a space gives it its character. This element of atmosphere infuses personality, creates harmony, and engages the senses.

Designer Jaime Holland from Holland Design is behind Monogram’s airy and fresh design for Fifth Avenue Place. The space uses natural white oak, ceramic tile, and quartz countertops as its primary materials against a vivid white backdrop. This bright design utilizes the simple and stark white background and the gloss of the tiles laid out in crisp geometric pattern, to awaken your senses and overall mood even before taking a sip of coffee. Jaime adds, “Intentional simplicity is demonstrated in the design through the unique layout itself and the use of modest materials.”

Décor is about layering and curating pieces to unify the space.

We might not often ponder the importance of a sturdy utensil or plate, but the silverware and dishes used can make a big difference. If you were ever at a steakhouse that served a steak dinner with a butter knife, you’d probably describe the dining experience as lousy as the cheap knife itself.

FRANK Architecture (formally RAD), is the design firm that conceived the whimsical design for Pigeonhole, creating a Parisian wine bar and café ambience. A restaurant known for small, tapasinspired plates made sure to make a big impact by serving its snacksized portions on delicate mismatched plates that undoubtedly continue to catch the eyes of guests. The eclectic, elegant mix of dishware shows the attention to detail design requires and the effort it takes to carefully curate the pieces. Kate Allen, FRANK Architecture’s director adds, “We believe the Pigeonhole concept relied on a specific approach to the curation of interior elements that was unique and fresh, while offering nostalgic comforts at the same time.”

Décor is the element that is comprised of so many details that shape the space to give it its unique charisma. At Blanco Cantina, the principle of layering much like the levels of flavours in its ‘Big Ass Burrito’ is reflected in the layering of its design. Kasey Sterling from Korr Design says, “It is not just one part that made that room. It’s

the layering of fabrics and pieces. The more times the owners go to Mexico and bring back pieces, the more the room will become more luxurious and fun – it’s kind of alive.“ The lighting Aside from being able to see what you’re eating, lighting is a key component to setting a relaxed atmosphere. There are three essential parts of lighting design to achieve a rich setting: tasking, ambient and decorative accent lighting. The layers of light create depth in the space and help highlight structural features of the establishment while creating warmth that welcomes guests and captivates their mood, appetites and wallets. Unlike fast food joints where fluorescent lights are used to encourage a quick turn over as patrons devour their combo meals quickly – low-lit ambient lighting encourages guests to eat leisurely, desire a second (…third or even fourth) drink, heighten their sense of taste and smell and, overall, it makes patrons want to stay longer.

Blanco Cantina-the younger, laid-back little sister to Añejo- uses tequila bottles as accent lighting that acts as a conversation starter for the amigos that visit. The vision for the rustic Mexican pub lighting came from Añejo’s owner, Jeff Hines who gathered the empty tequila bottles consumed at Añejo and collaborated with Kasey Sterling from Korr Design and Cory Nespor of Reclaimed Trading Company who crafted his vision. The result is an industrial, soft lighting that makes you crave a shot of tequila.

The seating We all go out for dinner and drinks to not only be with the people we came with, but also to be a part of a social setting. The seating arrangement is an important component of restaurant design as it sets up the way people interact in the space. A way to increase the success of a restaurant is to boost the social quality of the space to keep conversations between patrons flowing (along with their drinks), bringing people together. Booths help create a more private feel for a small group while communal tables with benches bring you closer to BRANDED | 69

photo by Janis Nicolay

“We love the story behind Rodney’s, as it creates soul in the space. There was also an importance placed on reusing salvages materials, sourcing vintage décor, and engaging trades and artisans who were passionate about their trade. There are curiosities sprinkled about the restaurant, our favourite being the vintage prison door that we used for the secondary oyster cooler near the main bar.”

Madilynn Chieduch (Amanda Hamilton Interior Designs) Rodney’s Oyster House

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We want people to feel a little bit of nostalgia reflecting youth, play, and fun. I feel that restaurants are all about the details through to the execution. From branding, to graphics, to marketing, down to the interior and the food – it’s about having a continuous and strong brand.

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Sarah Ward (Sarah Ward Interiors)

Home and Away

“ photo by Jamie Hyatt

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“It is not just one part that made that room. It’s the layering of fabrics and pieces. The more times the owners go to Mexico and bring back pieces, the more the room will become luxurious and fun – it’s kind of alive.”

Korr Design (Kasey Sterling Interiors) Blanco Cantina

photo by Shelby Stewart

fellow guests and encourage you to start new conversations. Having varied types of seats available increases the versatility of the space encouraging larger groups to come in, as merging the furniture together can accommodate them.

Everything in restaurant design has a thoroughly plotted purpose including how the seating plan is constructed. Sarah Ward of Sarah Ward Interiors, the designer for Home and Away, strategically positioned tables and 170 chairs to allow guests to view the TVs for this for-the-love-of-the-game sports bar. With a vintage time clock as the focal point and a skateboard wall, the sense of nostalgia is apparent all the way down to the high-top wooden school chairinspired stools. “The banquette in the middle is intentionally tall so that the patrons sitting in those seats can see above the people sitting at the bar,” Ward adds.

The food The content of the menu acts as the muse for the overall aesthetic of the restaurant. The intention of the design rests on the style of food served that shaping the dining experience. At Blanco Cantina, your taste buds take a trip with Tex-Mex mouthfuls of Frito pie, tortilla soup, and fajitas, not to mention everything on the menu goes well with tequila.

When it comes to the design of the menu, the medium used suggests how frequently the restaurant changes its dishes. Graphics 72 | TASTING

and lively typography suggest a laidback casual establishment like Home and Away, where it plays up the sports theme by listing PB&J Brownies under ‘extra innings’.

Tapas style menu items inspire sharing and work well at having guests stay longer. At Pigeonhole, you’re encouraged to have a glass of wine and share bites of ricotta dumplings, chicken liver mousse with seed bread or nori crumpets with shrimp butter. The menu is on stock paper with minimal text and graphics. The short descriptions prompt guests to ask the staff to elaborate on the components of the dish.

The restroom This is the telltale space of how much the restaurant values ambience. It is a space that shouldn’t be underestimated, as almost every guest will walk through those doors. If the guests remember the washroom, even after having a few drinks, the design is deemed successful.

Restaurants like Rodney’s Oyster House pique patrons’ curiosity and add playfulness to its washrooms by decking out its walls with erotic sea-creature inspired photographs by Ken Villeneuve. Madilynn Chieduch from Amanda Hamilton Interior Designs says, “We have a soft spot for creating unusual washrooms as they should still be a part of the entire experience, and you also have the opportunity for somewhat of a departure from the rest of the restaurant.”

photos by Nathan Elson

designer at the McKinley Burkart firm who participated in peeling Integrating new and old design When working with any space, designers have the opportunity away at the layers of the building’s history.

“An interesting element is the ceiling chute located on the to preserve parts of the pre-existing design. This pays homage to second floor. The the previous owners original Simmons and to the history Factory would use of the building. By It gives the feeling that it’s been there forever, and has this chute to fill the revitalizing a space slowly evolved over time; each layer telling a story. We’d mattresses. We hoped and showcasing parts like every guest to feel like they are a part of the narrative that by re-inventing of its past, designers as they experience the space, offering a unique opportunity this space as a private mesh old with the new that takes you away from the bleakness of everyday life. dining room, that it and give the space would create a more a new identity with intimate setting for design details that Kate Allen (FRANK Architecture) people to admire this have stories to tell to Pigeonhole piece of history,” says intrigue their guests.

Cassidy.

M c K i n l e y Whether it is Burkart, the design inspired by nostalgia, firm behind the Simmons Building, strived to create an openness in the former simplicity, history, culture, or the love of oysters, there is nothing warehouse to connect the collaborative project between charbar, about design that is accidental. The art of creating atmosphere is Phil & Sebastian and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery. The firm decided to carefully crafted through the power of collaboration between owners, leave the brick walls, 100+-year-old floors and wood plank ceilings architects, designers, the space and the passion fuel the atmosphere. of the building essentially untouched. The firm deliberately decided As each intricate design detail is layered, the ambience becomes a to highlight the building’s rich history. Diane Cassidy is an interior craving guests desire as much as the meals.

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DATING First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes‌transition?

Mila Madison shares her incredible story about how true love concurs all.

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photo by Allison Seto BRANDED | 75

Grindin’ On That Wood words by Adam Culligan illustration by Shayne Donlevy

Sitting on the balcony of our apartment in Manly, Australia a little over three years ago, I decided to heed the invitation from a great friend and do something truly artistic. We loaded up a van and headed south to Woollongong, NSW to take part in a surfboard shaping school; ‘The School of Shape’.

Over the next 48 hours I took a 9x3 foot piece of foam and turned it into a personal treasure – The Backhand Sauce. This surfboard was an extension of who I was and what I valued. It was a flat tracker, single-fin 76 | DATING

style speaking to my desire to keep things simple and classic. It was a little shorter than its brethren to show I had a desire to get a little fast and a little nuts. I gave it a rounded pintail to pay homage to the artistic shapers of the past, showing I wouldn’t forget where I came from either. It got its name from my days on the ice trying to perfect the backhand saucer pass. It was a 7-foot-11 inch expression of who I am.

When it came back from the ‘glasser’, costing about $900, it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I drew the sketch. I shaved the foam. I created something beautiful. It was my Mona Lisa.

Enter the parallel.

Even though you might have to Google some of the terminology above, I am convinced you will see where I’m headed.

Whoever you are in this moment, whoever you have become over the years, you have taken a boatload of shaping, honing, and

even some drastic exercising. Sometimes the shaping hurt, and sometimes it was gloriously liberating. Sometimes it was by design, while other times it was completely unintended.

This is the Formation.

With spring and summer love just around the corner, let’s think about applying the same logic to a relationship. You start with a blank piece of paper (and maybe Google images) and start drawing out what you’re hoping to end up with. This probably means sitting down with a glass of red and your best friend to discuss your needs, wants, and options.

Then you move to a blank piece of foam (probably Tinder, or maybe even Bumble) and start swiping off big chunks to see if you can find what you want. This can mean easy questions like are they looking for Mr. Right or Mr. ‘Swipe Right’? Is their spirit animal a panda or a sex panther? Do they like the

Flames, the Oilers or those god-awful Maple Leafs? All important questions and easy to answer.

Now it gets interesting. You’re happy in principle, but you want to get this ‘thing’ a little closer to your finished product. You start working on the detailed shaping. You begin discovering who they are from their family and how they treat their friends. You get clearer on what kind of career they are looking for. You get closer to their values and see if they connect with yours. You essentially start to see the ‘untindered’ version of them.

This can be where the magic happens as you actually start seeing your vision become a reality. Ask any artist…this is the incredible part.

Then you make your first mistake. You get overzealous as it’s all coming together and get a little heavy handed with the sanding block (this happened). Now there’s a giant gouge on one of the rails and you don’t think you can fix it. Your expectations got the better of you, you got ahead of yourself, and things are in real trouble.

This is where ‘Dave’ (my ambassador of shaping) comes in and says “Don’t worry about it, shave a little more off the other rail to balance it out and then we can change the glass colour slightly. It will look brilliant.”

Seeing I wasn’t totally convinced he adds, “Sometimes you shape the board…sometimes the board shapes you.” Whoa.

This is the critical part of the shaping.

You have to realize that no matter what your vision is, it will likely be altered slightly. It might be you, it might be them and really, it doesn’t matter. It just needs to happen. Maybe you took too big of a chunk out and need to start hunting for another slab of foam. Maybe you can fix it and you get something even more beautiful than you originally planned.

Either way, it needs more work and you have to know it will pay off.

You won’t get it right every time. That’s fine. Sometimes you need to be a little selfish, and sometimes you need to be a little selfaware. You will always need to be ready for that magic moment when the collection of elements, ideas, and vision come together in one brilliant masterpiece.

So let’s say you found Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Let’s say you are about to sit down with that glass of red and your best friend to start shaping your board or painting your canvas.

Here are five provocative questions to get the foam flying: 1. What sort of extended family are you hoping for? It will be the two of you against the world at some point, but it’s nice to know you have a few more soldiers in your army if the family gets along.

2. What does ‘success’ look like for you?

Is it a big house with a big yard filled with kids and toys and laughter? Or is it a storage unit full of your things and a passport full of stamps? Or is it both??

3. How attached are you to your individual goals? While creating natural energy for you, they can create resentment and spite for them and do so faster than a lyric from Kanye. Decide what is imperative and what can be altered.

4. How do you want to support their goals? If they are anything like you and want to grab their own slice of the delicious pie of success, you want to be a part of it, not just near it.

“This can be where the magic happens as you actually start seeing your vision become a reality.

Ask any artist…this is the incredible part.”

And finally…

5. What kind of humour are you looking for? Because when it’s darkest it will be the laughter that saves you both.

Should these questions be too much for you right now, that’s cool. Go out there and shape as many boards as you can. After all, how many paintings did Leonardo Da Vinci get wrong in his life? A lot. How many surfboards did Donald Takayama toss off the rack? A lot. How many relationships will you blow up with a picture of your crotch?

Hopefully not many more.

The real point here is whatever you end up with needs to be a masterpiece. Your masterpiece. Complete with imperfections.

When you get it home and hang it on the wall, you can’t help but just want to stare at it.

It should be the most beautiful thing in the world. It should be your Backhand Sauce that you can look at whenever you want. It should be your Mona Lisa, just without the line-ups.

words by Mila Madison

When your bell rings. For a transgender person, that is the moment of realization. In that instant your entire life comes together. Everything from your childhood on, all of a sudden makes sense.

It is not every day someone realizes they were born in the wrong gender, but here I was. I realized I was always female. It was the reason every mirror I ever looked at was like being in a funhouse. The warped image of myself, the constant depression and the reason I just could not get out of bed most days. It was something I ran from my entire life, never knowing exactly what it was. My bell rang, and there was no turning back. I was to live as my true self or not live at all.

I experienced an entire life as Michael. I had an amazing wife and three beautiful step-daughters. Step is the technical term, but they are my daughters as far as I am concerned. I had a good job, a pretty successful past in the music business and a life that I should have enjoyed more than I was able to. I was a father and a husband. We were the perfect family. You know the one everyone looks at as the example of what love should be?

My wife was out of town with the kids when my bell ringing moment occurred.

I was thrown into a state of euphoria, wrapped with fear and panic. I needed to tell her, the love of my life, my new truth as I now understood it to be. But how do you tell your wife you are transgender? What about the kids? Everything was about to be turned upside down.

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We were the perfect love story. It was the end of the 1980’s. I was a 15-year-old aspiring musician, and I just started at a new school in New York which specialized in the performing arts. That is where I met her. She was a ballerina and her name was Ursula. It was that kind of moment you see in the movies. You know the one where everything is in slow motion? When I first looked into her eyes I fell in love with her, and I knew it would be forever. I just knew she was the one. She would be my first everything.

We went our separate ways not long after Ursula graduated. I still had a few years to go with school and she needed things at the time that I just could not give her. We lost touch over the years. She got married and had the girls. I was out playing with bands and making music. I was doing what I dreamed to do, but there was always something missing. I would often think of Ursula and look for her in the crowds I played, with the hope she would one day just appear.

We reconnected over a decade later and fell in love all over again. It was the new millennium and we got married in 2006. It was an amazing wedding. In the ceremony I gave my three new daughters their own wedding rings, pledging my love to them as their father. I remember everyone was crying. It was simply beautiful. The five of us would end up going through everything together over the next 10 years. Nothing was going to break our love for each other. We passed

every test, survived everything that was thrown at us, until now. It was November of 2013. What I was about to tell Ursula would push us in directions we could have never imagined.

When you come out as transgender, one thing you learn quickly is who really loves you. It is quite a freeing feeling when you think about it. In my heart I knew Ursula loved me. I hoped that our love went beyond the confines of gender or gay and straight. I was going to find out. I would know without a doubt as I laid out my soul that night she got home.

Ursula was always the stronger one out of the two of us. She had been through so much in her life. When I told her I was transgender she was not shocked at all.

She was even relieved to find out that she was not the reason I was so miserable and why I couldn’t enjoy my life.

In time we would tell the kids. They were actually more concerned that Ursula and I would break up. We let them know we were still very much in love and that we planned to stay together. We all did not know what was ahead of us, but at least we were willing to find out. You see the thing is, that when you transition, your whole family transitions with you. They go through a sense of loss even though you are still around. It is difficult to watch the people you love go through it. For my youngest it was the easiest. I was all she ever knew. I raised her since she was in diapers. In her own words, it didn’t matter to her if I was an elephant, she would still

love me the same and I would always be her father. For my two oldest daughters the road was a little tougher. They had lived with an alcoholic father who Ursula had to get them away from. For my oldest, I had given her back the belief that good men exist in the world after her only father figure before me let her down. His drinking would eventually get the best of him. For my middle daughter it was also difficult. She was too young to really understand what went on when she was little, and his loss was something she had trouble dealing with. I had just opened the door for a whole range of father issues and I felt horrible. I never wanted to hurt them or anyone else.

My wife would confide in her sister and let her know what was going on. I had just started to see a gender therapist who would help me sort things out.

Meanwhile my sister-in-law outted me to my wife’s entire family. I was now in a rush to tell everyone closest to me that I was transgender before the news got to them through one of my in-laws.

My wife called her parents and they already knew before she said a word.

They seemed more upset that she would be perceived as lesbian than me being transgender. They never spoke to either of us about the subject again. My in-laws would only say things to my kids, which really upset me. I heard everything from “I was abusing my wife,” and that “I lied to everyone and should have told them what I was.” I was in a rush, trying to figure myself out before the news broke out everywhere. Up until that point I thought everyone questioned gender but were afraid to admit it. I finally realized that everyone did not have the thoughts that went through my head. My therapist would diagnose me with Gender Dysphoria. This is the condition where one’s mind does not match their physical body. What most people don’t realize is that it’s a physical condition. I had a female brain in a male body, a female identity. This physical condition was the cause of identity issues I experienced.

I began to transition as female in the

summer of 2014. To this day we still receive messages from my brother-inlaw telling us how disgusting we are. It is a sad reality of being transgender. Most people do not understand it.

Ursula took it upon herself to give me everything I missed in my life. We had my first birthday as the real me and she made it really special. Over time my relationship with Ursula would grow deeper than I ever would have imagined.

She took me out on our anniversary for the first time as the real me. The experience of transition somehow allowed us to both be our true selves. We knew each other’s deepest and darkest secrets. Our relationship went beyond honesty.

“The experience of transition somehow allowed us to both be our true selves. We knew each other’s deepest and darkest secrets. Our relationship went beyond honesty.”

It is not easy for Ursula though. I know seeing me so happy makes her ecstatic, but when I started transitioning it was like living with a 13-year-old girl.

You go through a second puberty and all the emotions that come with it. I had more in common with my youngest daughter as we were going through the same changes. The only difference was I had a lifetime of experience as Michael. I had his life and his responsibilities, but now as a woman. My Gender Dysphoria could strike at any moment. I would bounce from mirror to mirror throughout my house, hoping to find one where I looked okay enough to get myself out of the house. Ursula would build me a vanity to help with my condition. It had great lighting, it helped with my dysphoria, and it was really romantic.

Another year passed, it was 2015, and I was fully out. On this anniversary

Ursula would propose to me. She wanted to give me the wedding I never had and my chance to walk down the aisle. She bought me the most amazing ruby red engagement ring. I never knew how important it was to me until she did it.

All my wildest dreams were coming true.

Over time my children and I realized that our real issue was that we were helping each other avoid the things we had to deal with in life. In having me for a father, I was a male figure who allowed them to not think about their birth father. I was so wrapped up in them I never cared to figure myself out.

We helped each other avoid what was in the end the things we had to face. We are all in a much better place now as we face them. I am happy to be alive. I live each moment as it is the first time. Ursula ended up becoming my first everything, for the second time. I realize I am the exception. Most people like me lose everything when they transition. It was all because of her. The love of my life, Ursula. In time I realized that she always truly loved me for who I really was. It was my female self that she loved and she helped bring her out into the light.

Thanks to her I am finally me, and my name is Mila.

Mila Madison is the founder of transgenderuniverse.com and the Director of The Transgender Resource Center of Long Island in New York.

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#xoyyc #wearethenobles

Dr. Louis Grondin MD, MBA, MScPd, FACPh

STYLING Stay a step ahead of the sneaker game by understanding the movements’ origins and place in our local shoe scene.

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CONCRETE JUNGLE PHOTO: CHRIS SATTLEGGER STYLIST: CARL ABAD HAIR: MICHELLE LAZO MAKEUP: TESLIN WARD EDITOR: KIM NOSEWORTHY MODELS: AMBER (THE NOBLES), ASHLEY (MIM), BRIAN (NUMA), LIAM (SOPHIA), SEAN (IMODEL)

AMBER: Opening Ceremony bomber jacket, Leo Boutique.

Fisaly sunglasses, Sol Optix.

ASH: Divided hoodie, H&M. Adidas by Stella McCartney jacket, The Bay. Fisaly sunglasses, Sol Optix.

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Adidas long-sleeve, The Bay. Steven Alan button-up, Leo Boutique. Moschino backpack, Ooh La La Boutique.

Topshop necklace & pants. New Balance sneakers, Gravity Pope.

LEFT PAGE: LIAM: Maison Kitsune sweater, Leo Boutique.

Hoodie, H&M. Benson shorts, Henry Singer.

BRIAN: S.P. Badu zip-up & jacket. Zanerobe shorts, Leo Boutique.

SEAN: Topman sweater. Divided hoodie, H&M. BRANDED | 85

Topshop bralette. Oak + Fort cardigan. Noul pants, Oak + Fort.

H&M necklace. Jil Sander Navy slip-ons, Gravity Pope. Unicorn mask, Shirley Vuong.

RIGHT PAGE ASH: Rag & Bone top, Gravity Pope. Topshop track pants. H&M belt. Slack London shoes, Gravity Pope.

SEAN: Divided tank, H&M. Kaadiki sweatshirt. CMMN pants, Leo Boutique. Want high-tops, Gravity Pope.

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BRIAN: Divided t-shirt and pants, H&M. Adidas Superstar 80s sneakers, Ugly Duckling.

LIAM: Palace sweatshirt, Less 17. Divided pants, H&M. Adidas ZX Flux Plus sneakers, Less 17.

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SWEAT IN STYLE 20+ AC TIV EW EA R BR A N D S AVA I L A B L E AT H E M M. C A

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Chronicles of sneaker culture from Michael Jordan to YYC. The Air Jordan was the sneaker that started it all. When the original red and black Air Jordan 1 was first designed in 1985 and given to Michael Jordan, they didn’t conform to the NBA player uniform. NBA commissioner David Stern decreed that Jordan would be fined $5,000 every time he stepped on the court wearing them. He still wore them, and Nike paid the fines on his behalf. Despite Nike shelling out every game for a large portion of the season, and the sneaker being the most expensive basketball shoe of the time at $65, the publicity itself was enough to help Nike stay in the black. By May of that same year, Nike had received $70 million worth of orders, and the company’s total profits increased by a staggering 37 per cent. As a result, the Air Jordan would almost immediately become the most iconic sneaker of all time.

words by Hayden Pattullo photos by Asim Overstands shoes custom by Jack the Ripper 90 | STYLING

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You don’t have to own rare sneakers to be cool, you don’t have to spend over $300 to be respected, and you don’t have to camp in front of a store for days to be a part of the

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movement.

That sneaker started a revolution that would go on to transcend basketball and even fashion. In fact, last year Jordan himself was quoted as saying that “[sneakers] are going to outlive me in terms of what I did for the game of basketball.” However, he may be a bit late putting that in future tense, as it has already happened. Consider, for a moment, that the 16-year-olds lining up for sneakers today would have been toddlers when MJ played his last game in 2003. Some would even say more people own Air Jordans than know how many NBA championships Michael Jordan has won (six, by the way).

Jordans were just the beginning. Since then, a multitude of sneaker subcultures have emerged to form an endearing movement that has survived decades of trend cycles and produced some of the best and most unlikely collaborations. Coca-Cola and Nike collaborated on the Nike Kukini in 2000, Chanel and Reebok joined forces on the Pump Fury sneaker in 2003, and Black Sabbath linked up with Converse in 2014 to create a unique All Star High.

More recently, we’ve seen big names in music and culture like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams launch huge sneaker collaborations (Pharrell put out 50 colours of the Adidas Superstar). Today the sneaker movement is no longer limited to the realms of fashion and art.

Take stockx.com (formerly campless.com) for example. Giving a platform for investors to view real time market values and a platform to buy and sell assets, Stock X could soon rival the TSX in the amount of money passing through it each day. Stock X doesn’t show the market values of gold or oil, but it does for sneakers. In one place, you can check the index-value shift of Air Jordans over the last 24 92 | STYLING

hours, monitor the average resale value of the Adidas NMD, check the historical resale trends of the Ronnie Fieg Gel Lyte IIIs, and buy or sell your own kicks. In October of 2015, Campless founder Josh Luber gave a Ted Talk detailing the sheer scale of the sneaker resale market on the global economic scale. According to Luber, between fall 2014 and 2015, nine million shoes were resold for a total of $1.2 billion in the United States alone.

Calgary has only recently fully jumped on the sneaker train.

Before sneakers were even big in the public realm, individuals like Andrew Phung, head of YYC Solediers, and Lex Clarke, owner of Lexington Ave Culture Spot, were growing up in Calgary setting the foundations for the movement today. Clarke recalls the early days when Jordans were first getting popular, “Back then, wearing Jordans was a privilege; if you showed up to the court as a kid in Jordans, your game had to reflect that.”

In Phung’s world, Jordans were the pinnacle of coolness. Getting a pair as a present for his 14th birthday is still one of the fondest memories from of his youth. Phung recalls waiting in line later in his life for a single-release pair of sneakers thinking, “Wow, I’m a grownass man waiting in line for sneakers, I guess not much has changed.”

While sneakers have long since transgressed the narrow realm of Jordans and basketball, Clarke and Phung have kept the same levels of passion and community alive today, even as the culture grows exponentially.

Phung explains the issue of growth as something that local sneaker culture has struggled with, particularly recently. As more people start to see the money-making ability of sneakers, more people

jump into the scene without having real passion for it. This leads to the idea of ‘accumulation over appreciation,’ a mindset that is evident all over social media today. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Phung is a real OG sneakerhead collector; someone who does it purely for the love. In his own words, “The real sneakerheads are people who just appreciate a nice looking shoe, and that’s what really matters, the appreciation of a shoe. I try my best to avoid any hype; instead, I look at the shoe and if it calls to me, it will be mine.” It’s exactly this passion-driven attitude that’s led to the unique identity and success of our community.

Thanks to efforts of local enthusiasts, this past year was filled with some big milestones. We saw the first sneaker raffle to purchase the Yeezy Boost 350, we had the first sneaker expo hosted by YYC Solediers, and Lexington Ave Culture Spot opened our city’s first deadstock sneaker resale store. Calgary’s social media sneaker game is getting stronger too. Just look up the #yycsolediers hashtag on Instagram to see guys like @justkalby and @cognacandjordans putting on for our city with their unique and rare collections. Clearly, there are those in our community who are changing that and pushing our culture forward in unprecedented new ways.

Perhaps the best example of this is Jack the Ripper (@j. theripper). Using classic Nike and Air Jordan silhouettes, Jack constructs custom sneakers from top-to-bottom using an infinite variety of unique materials and treatments such as blue crocskin on a pair of Jordan 1 “Royal Blues”. According to Jack, “An anti-sneaker culture is rapidly emerging, which is epitomized by the 15-year-old kids in America using programmed buying-bots to snatch all the

limited release shoes just to resell them and make millions, without having any interest in them.” It is this accessibility to the shoes, and the aforementioned mentality of “accumulation over appreciation” that is moving real sneakerheads into the realm of customization, where their shoe can be truly unique.

As of this year, Jack’s art just might be one of the single most valuable exports from Calgary, with clients and recognition coming in from all around the world. Jack first got into this sneaker world through an utmost respect and passion for art in all forms. He feels right at home in Calgary where he says, “The community members support, rather than compete with local enthusiasts.” Looking to the future, it’s hard to tell where the culture will go, however Jack agrees that Calgary is definitely on a path for the better. And what will keep us going along that path is our tight knit community where members from every facet of society can unite in one common passion.

Because on any given day, you can go down to Lexington Avenue Culture Spot and meet entrepreneurs, musicians, actors, engineers, bloggers, and photographers all brought together by sneakers.

Whether your preference is for Air Jordans, Yeezy Boosts, Adidas Stan Smiths, or Puma 698s – if you have a passion, the community will welcome you with open arms. You don’t have to own rare sneakers to be cool, you don’t have to spend over $300 to be respected, and you don’t have to camp in front of a store for days to be a part of the movement. All you have to do is lace up your sneakers, just like Michael Jordan did 31 years ago.

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102 | BACK BAR

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104 | BACK BAR

Wine, you fear?

Dean Norris is here words by Lauren Steeves, photo by Krystal Boyd

Dean Norris fell into his career as a sommelier similarly to how one begins their personal relationship with wine – it began with some uncertainty. But before he knew it, he was drunk in love. After being in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, Norris is now the corporate sommelier and beverage director for Vintage Group. While the wine industry can be pretentious and intimidating, Norris is anything but.

Instead, he sees the value of building relationships with clientele and wants everyone to feel comfortable to explore the world of wine. And while most of us have no problems polishing off a bottle, we still come to fear the daunting task of ordering off the wine menu. Luckily for you, Norris is here to ease our fears and teach us a thing or two about our favourite beverage.

What is the biggest rookie mistake people make when choosing a wine?

What exactly is a sommelier?

“The thing to keep in mind is what is the purpose of drinking that wine. Are you drinking it with dinner, or not? Are you sitting around the table playing cards with people drinking it? The occasion for drinking the wine determines what you should drink.”

“Some people call it a wine waiter or a wine steward, but I actually find those terms demeaning to all the years of studying that I’ve done to get where I’m at. For me, it’s an expertise and my expertise is wine. Wine is my specialty. I’m responsible for all the wine lists, the cocktail lists, and training and education for the Vintage Group. I also travel to vineyards, and those are the best experiences. You can study Bordeaux as much as you want, but when you spend a week and a half driving, biking, and walking around seeing it with your own eyes – it’s like anything else, it transfers different, it becomes more real. People don’t really realize what goes into it, they’ll take a course and call themselves a sommelier and they’re not. It’s like someone not finishing their undergraduate degree and saying that they did. For those of us who have gone through the process and have put the years of studying in – there’s more to it.”

Tell me about ‘The Dean’s List,’ how did it come about?

“Our wine list here at Vintage is 30 pages long, and people are intimidated and overwhelmed by it. It’s not meant to do that; it’s meant to be a showpiece really. So right after the house boards and wines by the glass, you turn the page and the first thing you get is the Dean’s List. It’s a Coles notes version of the wine list. So I try to cover most grapes, most regions and most price points and really narrow it down so people that don’t want to bother looking through can easily select a wine. It’s meant to be user friendly. We’re not neurologists, no one is going to die on the operating table. So I really like to keep it in perspective, and ultimately the customer is the most important aspect. Without them, we would not exist – so your wine list has to be approachable.”

What’s your advice to a total wine newbie?

“To remember that you’re drinking grape juice, so don’t overthink it.

If you’re in an environment where there’s somebody there to help you, ask for it. We [sommeliers] are tools for the consumer, and we are tools to help you along the way. So if you know nothing, don’t be afraid to admit you know nothing. Because in a situation like that I’d ask you, ‘What kinds of wine do you drink?’ I know the industry, and I’ll know where to direct you.”

“Being afraid to seek out information and ask for the sommelier. Being afraid to be embarrassed about not knowing anything. Another one of the biggest mistakes is that people think grapes – a chardonnay tastes a certain way, a cabernet tastes a certain way. While they do have cassis notes, a cabernet from a cold climate, a warm climate, a coastal climate, a river climate, and a continental climate are all so different. Grapes, like people, are very different when they come from different regions – they have a different accent.”

What is the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a wine?

Do you believe more expensive wines taste better?

“No, not at all. There are a lot of reasons for why wines are expensive, and it’s basic supply-demand equilibrium. Like anything in this world, the more demand there is for it, that determines the price. There are good wines that are way more expensive than wines that are better because they are in such high demand and people love them for whatever reason, but that doesn’t mean they are better. Prices vary on many factors, sometimes it’s because it’s a collector’s item, sometimes it’s because there are not that many bottles in the world, and sometimes it’s based on popularity.”

What does the year mean when it comes to the taste of wine?

“That’s such a varied question and it depends on the quality of the grape you’re drinking. Some wines are meant to be drunk in the first five to 10 years and they are not meant to age. I’ve held onto wines for too long, and then I’ve opened them up and thought, ‘Damn I missed it.’ Overall, the better the fruit, the better it ages.”

How do you feel about boxed wine?

“Well apparently they are making good boxed wine now. I’m not against anything. The technology of boxed wine has gotten much better, and they are selling wine in kegs now, but for me, I love a cork.

I love the whole process [of uncorking a bottle]. But boxed wine, I’m open to it.”

Some of Dean’s favourite wines under $30:

1. Antech, Blanquette de Limoux, Reserve Brut, Languedoc, France (Sparkling) 2. Le G de Château Guiraud, Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, Bordeaux, France 3. St. Supery, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California, USA 4. Martin’s Lane, Riesling, Okanagan Valley, Canada 5. Hartford Court, Chardonnay, Russian River, Sonoma County, USA

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