N I A L L . M c C L E L L A N D . J E R E M Y . J A N S E N N A T I V E
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S H O E S
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L I L Y + J A E
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I . S . E Y E W E A R
B O O O O O O O M . C O M .S E E R .O F F I C E .B O O Y Z .J A P A N D R O I D S N A T H A N . M A T T H E W S .N O R M L .O R O N G E .S U D .S K A T E S H I G H G R A D E .T I G E R .D I S T R I B U T I O N .D A K O T A .G R O U P M I K E
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C O S T I G A N
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C O U C H M A N
[ L I F E A F T E R S K ATE]
2010
We A c t i v i s t A M Y G U N T H E R , L A DY T I G R A , B E N N Y FA I R FA X , VA N E S S A P R A G E R , N I C O L E L E M O I N E , S TA S H & C L I N T P E T E R S O N SHOT BY C H E RY L D U N N w w w. w e s c . c o m
AVAILABLE SPRING 2011
SPIKE JONZE & ANDY JENKINS LIMITED EDITION PICO MODELS AVAILABLE SPRING 2011 FOR MORE INFO CONTACT SUPRADISTRIBUTION.COM Lakai Limited Footwear / 955 Francisco Street, Torrance, CA 90502 / www.lakai.com / www.crailtap.com / photos by mueller
J U L I A N
T H E
B A L A N C E
D A V I D S O N
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O P P O S I T E S
RVCA.COM TIMEBOMBTRADING.COM FACEBOOK.COM/TIMEBOMBTRADING
timebombtrading.com facebook.com/timebombtrading
September 19, 2009 - Atlanta, Georgia timebombtrading.com facebook.com/timebombtrading
Photo: Judah Oakes
wild in the streets montreal 2010 timebombtrading.com facebook.com/timebombtrading
2010 WINTER COLLECTION
P E NF IE LD E S T. 1 9 7 5 H U D S O N M A .
W W W. P E N F I E L D U S A . C O M
DI ST RI BU TI ON
W W W.T I G E R D I S T R I B U T I O N . C O M
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ISSUE #9 SPRING / SUMMER 2011
W E L C O M E Wow its been 10 shows and it feels like just the other day I was busy writing the 1st one of these intro things. I Love that its been 10 shows and 9 issues of this magazine we have created as they say “ Time flies when your having fun”. Fun , it’s a word I often contemplate. What is fun? Making this magazine, is it fun? The answer is Hell Yeah it’s fun, it’s always entertaining picking content and dealing with our work cohorts and basically glorifying our industry cause is it one damn FUN industry to be involved in. I’d like to thank all of you for supporting our show and helping make our industry what it is.
Editorial
- Ben Couves
Editor-in-Chief Ben Couves ob1enterprises.com
For a little inspiration for this intro I took a look into my folder of files from the first show. The best thing I found was that 99% of the people that took part in our first show in are still at KNOW?SHOW in one way or another. As the show has snowballed into what it is today, it re-affirms my belief that good people gravitate towards each other. And with good people come great things. Thanks to all of the unique people who have contributed to growing this event into a bi-annual reunion more than a business tradeshow. - Perry Pugh We usually try to get our heads around the next shows concept immediately following each show. It takes some time and a few ideas back and forth amongst ourselves before the creative brainchild’s behind the branding of our show come up with something cool or messed up that we all like and run with. This show as the process began and ideas were coming out there was one thing that could not be overlooked and that was that this was going to be our 10th KNOW?SHOW. Long time staff photographer Andre Pinces shot the cake visuals and instantly nailed the concept down for us. It seems like only yesterday that the idea of doing a tradeshow over beers and chicken wings was born and looking back on the last five years I still find it hard to believe the show has gotten to the level it’s at today while staying true to our original goal in making this Canada’s Premiere Lifestyle Tradeshow. I think it is safe to say that this title is made possible by every single person involved with the show on all levels and if you are reading this I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the continued support over these past five years. - Nick Brown
Editorial Directors Paul Higgins megadestroyer.com André Paul Pinces pincesphoto.com
Executive Editor Douglas Haddow pblks.com Fashion Editor Tanus Lewis tanuslewis.com Production Controller Nick Brown lifetimecollective.com Advertising Director Perry Pugh ob1enterprises.com Features Editor Douglas Haddow pblks.com
Contact Know?Mag 130 - 49 Dunlevy Avenue Vancouver BC, Canada V6B 4E3 www.knowmag.net / www.knowshow.ca info@knowshow.ca
No part of this publication may be produced in any manner, either in whole, or in part without the written permission of the publisher. © Know?Show 2010
Bright Tradeshow Berlin July 8-10 www.brighttradeshow.com Agenda New York July 19-20 www.agendashow.com Agenda Huntington Beach August 4-5 www.agendashow.com KNOW?SHOW Vancouver August 11-13 www.knowshow.ca Project Last Vegas August 17-19 www.projectshow.com
• SS11 COLLECTION •
ISSUE #9 SPRING / SUMMER 2011
CONTENTS 24 32 34 36 38 40 48 60 68 80 82 86 88 89 90 91 92 94 96 98
U R B A N . F A R E N A T I V E . S H O E S L I L Y + J A E I . S . E Y E W E A R B O O O O O O O M . C O M I N T O . T H E . B L U E S E E R O F F I C E B O O Y Z T O P . S I D E J A P A N D R O I D S C A P T U R E D NATHAN.MATTHEWS N O R M L O R O N G E S U D . S K A T E S H I G H G R A D E TIGER.DISTRIBUTION D A K O T A . G R O U P M I K E . C O S T I G A N RUSSELL.COUCHMAN
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$10,000 ni pe g in W
e Th
ls na i F
Jul 3 - Montreal Jul 17 - Winnipeg Jul 11 - Toronto
Jul 24 - Calgary
Jul 17 - Ottawa
Jul 31 - Regina
To ro O nt t M taw o on a tr ea l
Va nc ou C v al er ga ry Re gi na
Total Prize Purse
The Finals
Aug 15 - Vancouver
ERIC IS FEATURED IN THE GONZALES SIGNATURE PANT. ANDERSON BLEDSOE BROPHY CARROLL GONZALES HOWARD MALTO MARIANO O’NEILL PUIG SCHAAF TRUJILLO / FOR THE FALL 2010 COLLECTION GO TO SUPRADISTRIBUTION.COM
URBAN FARE
Photographed by Colin Adair
Hair and Make-up by Jenna Kuchera. Fashion Editor: Tanus Lewis. Stylist’s assistant Brenna Holler
Carly: C1RCA Afrika Bambaataa t-shirt Babakul vest BB Dakota pants Matix bag Cheap Monday ring Dolce Vita shoes model’s own necklace and watch
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Tom: ĂŠS sweatshirt C1RCA chinos Clae shoes Dragon sunglasses
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Nicole: BB Dakota shirt and pants Alternative Apparel striped tank Volatile wedge sandals Vestal sunglasses model’s own bag and jewelry
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Craig: Makia sweater C1RCA plaid shirt Matix jeans Generic Surplus shoes photographer’s own Boc Choi
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Mahsa: Alternative Apparel floral tank dress C1RCA plaid shirt Super sunglasses Cheap Monday ring and necklace models’s own boots stylist’s own bag, tights and scarf
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Ryan: Commune jacket and duffle bag Makia t-shirt Emerica jeans Clae shoes model’s own PBR and necklace
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Jason: Emerica shirt and shorts Commune belt Native shoes Brixton hat
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Becky: Matix t-shirt BB Dakota trench LRG sweatpants Native shoes Super sunglasses model’s own necklace stylist’s own bag
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BRAND FEATURE
NATIVE SHOES
Interview by Doug Haddow, photo Tim Barber
The pop mystique, the featherlite EVA, the classic silhouettes, you’re licking your lips daydreaming about margaritas on the beach, footie in the park, BBQs on the boat. This is what happens when you first gaze upon a fresh pair of Natives. The appeal is so immediate that it might float right past you, but never over your head. So you do a double take, and then all of a sudden you understand, in a strange way, that the entire history of footwear has inevitably been leading up to the creation of these shoes. But although Natives evoke all the best bits from the last few decades of casual footwear, their evolution from idea to reality has been a surprisingly recent development. Startling really, considering that after just two quarters in the marketplace they’ve got distribution in twelve countries. I recently spoke to Native founder Damian Van Zyll De Jong, who brought me up to speed on how he and his team have been managing life in hyperdrive.
Take me back to the beginning, just how long has this idea been banging around in your head? Three years ago I had a concept, then last year I had my first prototype but didn’t know where it was going or how to get there. So we just did what came natural and as it happens, a lot of people embraced it from the beginning.
year, including some rainproof Galloshes the Paddington and the Fitzsimmons, a super cozy, stylish hiking boot that will be perfect for the city, the woods or both.
You launched Native globally, which I imagine is a rather heavy undertaking; did you have any reservations about this? Lots of people I talked to said that you should curate your brand in North America, but I felt really strongly about launching Native globally from the very beginning. These days, if you’re a small company with a strong brand that has the potential to be popular, it’s essential that you set your mark as quickly as possible, or else the copycats and large corporations will come and swallow you up. Is there any danger about going too fast? For sure, so you have to focus on maintaining integrity at all times, you can’t undermine your brand in any way or take short cuts, basically it’s about not getting greedy and staying true to your vision. We’ve been contacted by a lot of people for different reasons, such as Dolce & Gabbana and Nike, but for the time being we’re just focusing on the fundamentals – producing a super comfortable shoe that’s affordable and fun. When you go from a dude with a prototype to selling out in Tokyo and fielding calls from Milan, does that sort of massive shift affect your attitude towards the business? It definitely brings a smile to your face, but the main difference between a year ago and today is that now we know that our idea is one hundred percent doable, so we’re able to confidently commit ourselves and keep on making cool products, work on expand the line and building up our team.
Now that your global launch has proved a success, how do you go about approaching all the different regions you’re selling in? We basically take the same route everywhere we go. While it’s good to recognize what’s unique about the different regions and countries, the difference in attitudes between North America, Asia and Europe, what we’re interested in developing a universal approach. Our philosophy is to bring something new and fun to the market that will that will appeal to people everywhere. We’re excited about searching out that global vibe and looking at what unites people rather than what separates them. Thus far what do you think has resonated? People like how we mix style with comfort. In many cases you have to sacrifice your feet to look good or vice versa, but not with Native, and people instantly get this the first time they try on a pair. How do you go about getting the word out? As we’re still getting to know our audience we’re just having a good time, focusing more on social media and creating a culture around our shoes than putting a huge effort into traditional advertising. Tim Barber shot your newest catalog, do you have any other artist collaborations coming up? We’ve got loads of awesome collaborations that will come out in the future, very exciting stuff, but we’re keeping it hush hush at the moment, so just keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground.
I hear you’ve got a boot coming out, what’s that all about? Actually we’ve got a few new models coming out later this
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BRAND FEATURE
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BRAND FEATURE
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BRAND FEATURE
LILY+JAE “the tomboy flirting with the idea of being girly” After graduating from “Helen Lefaux’s School of Fashion Design” in 2000, Jude Feller chose film over fashion and began her career in the costume department in Vancouver. Jude would spend her time searching the racks of boutiques to find well-tailored, casual clothing that was both functional and fashionable. Due to the lack of options available to meet her sartorial tastes, the concept of lily + jae, was born. Lily would represent the feminine while Jae was the comfortable tomboy. Together they could eliminate the process of sifting through her brother’s hoodies to find the perfect one to wear with her new vintage dress. Jude took baby steps to enter the industry with the launch of a small collection of young contemporary women’s wear in the Spring of 2000. It would be available in select boutiques across Western Canada to start. With only one season under her belt the brand’s expansion throughout the country took place. By the Spring of 2008 lily+jae had spread into the US market and in 2009 Japan began to show their appreciation. Since 2007 the brand has evolved from a 9 piece collection known for cozy hoodies and girly dresses to a full 35 piece collection featuring a fine balance between femininity and masculinity, fresh prints and vintage inspired bodies. Although the collection is carefully made in North America each season Jude looks to a different country for inspiration. For Spring/Summer 2010 she chose the American Southwest and upon the icongraphic road trip imagery of Thelma and Louise. The lily+jae lookbooks are always thoughtfully produced, and as a nod to America’s well loved BFF’s turned bank robbers, the shoot was staged out in the desert where they managed to secure an aqua “Ford Thunderbird” just like the one Thelma & Louise had. This comes as no surprise considering Jude has always taken a detailed approach to the concept of each collection from start to finish. As a conceptual designer, Jude’s vision for lily+jae is focused on the mood just as much as the clothing. There is a story behind each collection that helps to represent the story behind the brand. lily+jae has become a staple in the women’s boutique market across North America and Japan and is now a favourite in shops such as Aritzia (Canada), Dolce Vita (USA) and Barneys NY (Japan). With a little help from her friends lily+jae has been spotted on some of entertainment’s top trendsetters who exemplify the look of the lily+jae girl. Celebrities such as Sarah Polley, Lily Allen, Ashlee Simpson and Amy Smart have been wearing the brand since it’s inception. Being the “new kid on the block”, it wasn’t long before the media began to take notice. Elle Canada magazine profiled Jude as “one of the next Canadian designers to know - and love”, while publications such as Teen Vogue, British Glamour and Nylon featured top looks from the brand in their glossy pages. All of which has helped to take lily+jae to where it stands today.
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BRAND FEATURE
I.S. EYEWEAR
By Karl Fhure, Photos by Colin Adair
I.S. Eyewear is an independent rider-owned Canadian brand based out of North Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1997 by Canadian snowboard icon Devun Walsh. Walsh, unsatisfied with the product available at the time, decided to take matters into his own hands and create more stylish, better-suited eyewear for snowboarders. “Back then there wasn’t really anyone making snowboard-specific goggles. All that was available at the time were ski-racing type frames with no peripheral vision and poor anti-fog systems which don’t really work for snowboarding on the coastal mountains. On top of that there wasn’t anything out there that I really wanted to wear, goggles were pretty hideous back then. We saw an opportunity to create an eyewear brand dedicated to snowboarders and went for it.” - Devun Walsh
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BRAND FEATURE
1997 marked the year snowboarders around the world would finally have aneyewear brand to call their own, they just didn’t know it yet. Walsh still had to figure out how to share his vision with the rest of snowboarding world. Witnessing the success of the Shorty’s Young Brown Walsh movie which he had not only just starred in but actually helped produce, Devun knew there was no better way to spread his new brand’s message than by film. In 1998 the idea to create the now Classic snowboard movie Lil’ Bastards was born. The film featured top talent alongside the upcoming riders of the time and quickly turned Devun’s little Canadian eyewear company into a legitimate brand amongst the core snowboard scene. In 2000 I.S. Eyewear presented its first blend of casual yet sophisticated sunglass styles to the action sports industry during a period in time ruled by sporty wrap frames. Being based in a multicultural city such as Vancouver helped to set I.S. Eyewear apart from the beginning as a well-rounded fashioninfluenced lifestyle brand. Talented Vancouver based designer, Kenta Goto has helped maintain the clean aesthetic appeal of the product line and brand since the birth of the sunglass program. Ten years of evolution and I.S. Eyewear’s sunglass line is looking better than ever. A wide variety of styles to suit everyone, fun cutting-edge colorways and competitive pricing all work together to make the current collection their strongest to date. Look for collaborations with Megadestroyer and Vivo headwear at the KnowShow this August. Shortly after the launch of the sunglass program I.S. Eyewear, originally Iris Snow, came upon trademark issues with a large corporation claiming the rights to the name Iris for eyewear. Without the resources to embark on a lengthy legal battle Iris Snow was forced to change its name to I.S. Eyewear. The ‘I’ symbolizing Iris and the ‘S’ snow. The name change seemed simple
enough, but with the golden years of snowboarding winding down along with the large marketing budgets, the transition between names proved to be a more difficult endeavor than was first anticipated. The strength of the icon portion of the logo helped bridge the gap between names for the brand’s following and Iris Snow slowly began to move on as I.S. Eyewear. Nearly fourteen years, a couple more relocations then they’d care to remember, a few hard learned business lessons later, and I.S. Eyewear seems to have come full circle, finding itself back on the North Shore where the brand first began. Some faces have changed but the core of the brand and its vision has remained the same. Now settled into a new office space and finding itself in a new partnership with Meridian to handle Canadian distribution, the tight crew is now more able to focus on I.S. Eyewear as a brand than ever before. With some big team rider news in the works on the skate and snow side of things and a new energy surrounding the brand you can count on I.S. Eyewear being around for another 14 years. “We have a pretty tight operation over here with only three full time employees - Devun Walsh owner/stunt man/product developer, Dave Bestwick Canadian/US sales manager and myself as international sales/brand manager. Obviously we have reps, team riders & consultants helping us move forward but if you call the office on any given day you’ll either get Dave or myself on the line. We’re running meaner and leaner (the company that is) than ever while remaining true to our original vision. 13 years and counting and I.S. Eyewear continues to move forward as an independent, rider-owned, rider-run Canadian brand focused on producing team-inspired premium quality products for people just like us, only skinnier. On behalf of I.S. Eyewear I’d like to thank everyone who has shown us support over the years. Without you this wouldn’t be possible.” -Karl Fuhre
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BRAND FEATURE
BOOOOOOOM.COM Jeff Hamada is blowing up.
I know you have done some very cool things; like the shoe you did for converse. What other things have you worked on? I worked on a video game called DefJam: Fight For NY that had all these rappers fighting each other, and I made the t-shirt that T-Pain is wearing in the “Low” music video. I designed some snowboards for Endeavor, and briefly freelanced for Oakley. And now I blog in my pajamas. How did Booooooom.com come about? Two years ago I had a mini-blog on a site called Hypebeast. I used to post art on it, and I was told it was one of the more popular blogs on the site eventhough Hypebeast wasn’t focused on art. Eventually they removed the blogs and I started Booooooom as a way of dealing with the pain. What is the main purpose of Booooooom.com and who does it target? I like to say that it’s not for art majors it’s for major art lovers. I want the artists that I post about to feel encouraged about their work and I love to see them get jobs because of it (this happens). I mostly just want to get the entire planet excited about art, is that too much to ask? I don’t see Booooooom as a place to critique art, mainly because I don’t really know how, but I’m trying to make it a place to enjoy art.
So Mr. Hamada where are you from? I have lived in Vancouver my entire life! Actually, I was born in Vancouver, briefly lived in Cloverdale, then Richmond, and now I’m a Mount Pleasant resident (I love that name, it sounds like such a happy place). I know you have a design background have you always been into design. When I was a kid I would tell people that I wanted to be an engineer because my dad told me they were the ones who got to make inventions all day. The only problem was that I was terrible at math. I later learned that there was actually a name for engineers who were terrible at math, they were called designers! I decided I wanted to be a designer. I tried to get into Emily Carr’s communication design program and was interviewed by the meanest lady in Canada, possibly North America, maybe the world. It was harsh. Let’s just say I was rejected from the program the way Lebron James rejects a basketball. I studied film there instead. Later, in my third year I left school to take a shot at working for Electronic Arts as a designer (just to stick it to that lady, probably also because I wanted to, but mostly to stick it to that lady). I told them that I knew how to use Photoshop, even though I didn’t, and got the job. I imagined driving to that lady’s house, her answering the door, and me laughing at her like Nelson on the Simpsons. Of course she wouldn’t know who I was but, at the time it just felt right. I guess I could still do it, but she’s probably dead now anyways.
What is Jeff Hamada’s view on social networking? If social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr didn’t exist I probably wouldn’t have been able to make Booooooom my full-time job. How has social networking changed our industry? It allows me to be at the same party as anyone. I can holler at Heidi Montag across the room, and she doesn’t have to respond, but I can be that close now. Before social networking I wasn’t invited to the party. Where do you see social networking in the future? The most successful ones will allow you to organically distance yourself from people, the way we do in real life. Google Latitude allows your friends to know where you were at any time by tracking your cell phone signal, but nobody wants that. People still want to be able to make an excuse for not coming to your birthday party! Foursquare is a fairly new locationbased technology that is pretty much the same thing but they just take it a step back and allow you to pick and choose when you pop up on the radar. You also get fancy (read: totally stupid) badges for doing so. We like updating statuses but we also like appearing offline. What else is Jeff Hamada into? Cribbage.
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BRAND FEATURE
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VITAMIN A bikini
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I N T O the B L U E HA I R MODEL: FA S HI O N
&
M AKE-UP: MELISSA
MARLAYNA
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RICHARD’S
E D ITOR:
PHO TO G RA PHE D
BY
TANUS
ANDRÉ
VITAMIN A bikini DRAGON sunglasses
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PAUL
PINCOTT MODELS LEWIS
PINCES
L*SPACE bikini top DRAGON sunglasses
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BODY GLOVE bikini VOLATILE shoes stylist’s own socks
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L*SPACE bandeau top, WeSC shorts
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RADIO FIJI monokini
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CHARLIE with hose ALTERNATIVE APPAREL t-shirt WeSC bottoms VOLATILE shoes
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S
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André Paul Pinces interviews the creative minds behind SEER, Niall McClelland and Jeremy Jansen
Where did you come up and where are you posted now? Niall - I grew up in High Park, Toronto. Moved to Vancouver when I was 19, moved back and forth for 8 years, then came back to Toronto again after a particularly rainy west coast summer. Jeremy - I was born in Calgary, schooled in Vancouver, and for now, I live in Toronto. Two part question: How did your upbringings specifically influence your decision to pursue a career in the arts, and how again does that influence show it your work? J- I was kind of a fuck-up growing up in Calgary. Skateboarding and going to shows was all I really cared about. I started thinking about photography when I first saw Glen E. Friedmans book, “Fuck You Heroes”. I related to those photos and was bummed that I never had a camera growing up to document the bands I saw or the stupid shit that my friends and I got into. Friedman had no rules to how he shot. His subject matter was what he knew, it was honest. His photos were epic because he did whatever it took to get the shot and his approach was simply bad ass. Sharing that desire, I found myself in a pawnshop buying my first camera. That was 2001. N- Definitely. My mum was an art teacher, so ...when it really comes down to it I just never really stopped making shit, to the point that people started paying me to make what I was doing on my own anyways, and that sort of propelled the pursuit... like, increased the momentum. I think the way that shows in the work is that there's a lot of exploration in what I do, experimenting with different mediums and processes, a sort of continuous development within the work. Its an everyday thing that isn't seperated from the rest of my life, I think that shows. How about education or formal training, any or none, and how and why or why not? N- I went to Emily Carr University in Vancouver. The peers I met there were great, there was a lot of teachers and students I didn't see eye to eye with, but that goes with anything. I studied Communication Design, so formally that was very
R
informative, and relatively demanding. I learned a lot from that program, as well as the interaction with peers in the art programs, both of which together has really helped bridge the gap between the art side of my work and the design end. A lot of people are pretty down on art school... which I understand, there's plenty of bullshit, but I got enough out of it to justify the time and $$$ spent. J- I started off taking the worst photos I had no idea how to shoot in manual mode or what an f-stop was. School was a must. I didn’t have $20,000 to enroll into Emily Carr so I took night classes at Langara College of Art. Langara was more technical than art driven. It forced me to learn how a camera really worked and how to properly take a photo. I had the opportunity to choose my courses within the program, which gave me the freedom to explore different facets of photography and what direction I wanted to pursue. Styles and themes - what are you exploring in your current work and what experience do you hope to give the viewer? J - I strictly shoot in high speed films, letting the grain take over the image, achieving more of a painterly effect or frottage, not unlike a session at the photocopier. I like pushing it to a point where you’re not quite sure what exactly you’re looking at. I think Niall and I share some of these aesthetics within the work we produce for Seer. We’re also inspired by historic or nostalgic images and that’s where the black and white falls into play. Like a past tense. Working with newsprint is similar to that, even though the editions that we’ve been publishing have no words, just images. Keeping people guessing, Is it a photograph? An illustration? Is it art? N- I tend to use nostalgia and personal experiences as inspiration for work. These last few years its been a lot about losers, contrariness, failing, history, the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland, fantasy, paranoia... and probably a lot of Sabbath. I'd like the viewer to be visually compelled, and mentally confused. Technically, without giving away any trade secrets, can you talk about your process?
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ARTIST FEATURE
N- I use anything I can get my hands on that's black and not on the computer. Oh, and a shit ton of photocopies. J- No rules! When working on the Teenanger LP record design, or t-shirts for Lifetime or a global Jack Daniel’s ad campaign it has to be bad ass: a term we use a lot around the studio. Combining both illustration and photography is always something we indulge in. Helps keep things slightly skewed or ambiguous, but always making sure that it’s graphic. We’re not afraid to explore and combine the different facets of our practices to create something that feels familiar but maybe you’re not quite sure how we created it. When working through each project, editing plays a huge role. Each of you has a unique identity, and here we are focusing on the two of you together. Can you talk about that relationship in terms of both the collaboration and individual efforts? N- Well... the collaborative work we do is frequently commercially based, so that would be a major distinction. We've dipped into some collaborative artwork with Seer, but its tended to be presented in a way that feels more like the commerical work, except without the inherent restrictions. It's definitely not something black and white though, like my work/his work, art/design, the individual art practices spill over into the graphic work when we start working together... we don't really try and make any distinctions between these things, there doesn't really seem to be a point... you know? J- We’re close buds for sure. I take the photos, Niall takes on the illustrative and graphic design side of things. We’ve lived and worked out of our apartment for the last couple years now so there’s constant debates, collaboration and camaraderie going on. We’re both quite critical, so commentary is always applauded and highly constructive. It’s a positive environment… it has to be. How do you see yourself within your local community and then the current art world? Showing, lecturing and other endeavors? Elaborate. J- I’m still trying to wrap my head around where I fit in with the current art world. I’m eager but still fairly green. I’ve only started showing my work seriously in the last year. I’ve been fortunate to show in couple local group shows, the largest being a group show with Niall, Richard Serra and Ellsworth Kelly. In the past 8 months I’ve donated to 3 separate Canadian art auctions, which is great, but at the moment no ones
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ARTIST FEATURE
ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE
busting down my door offering me shows outside of Toronto, and that’s cool too. I’m in a good place right now, taking my time and showing along side my peers. It’s a comfortable way for me to experiment and gives me the time to refine the work I want to be showing. It’s easy to get caught up in it all, but I don’t want to stray a long way from home to realize I left a light on and a candle burning you know? N- I try to surround myself with ambitious "do'ers", so I just try to keep up. I'd say we're part of a close knit community here that's doing very interesting work with a broad reach. Showing and making more is the plan, I have stuff lined up. With respect to fine art, what kind of work have you been involved with most recently, and what have you taken away from the experience? N- I've done a few gallery shows (Clint Roenish/Show&Tell) this year and its been a process of understanding the editing of my own work better. Understanding the gallery space... really understanding the subtleties of what I'm presenting. J- I showed 3 large photocopies (amongst a photograph and a 9 foot sculpture resembling a gig pole I crafted out of 50,000 weathered staples) at the Clint Roenisch exhibit Niall and I had this past December. As much as I stood behind those pieces at the time, I later felt that I wanted to take them a little further. When I was approached by the Drake Hotel to show some more of my photocopies for this years Contact Festival, I saw it as an opportunity to re-examine those techniques on exhibiting these large pieces of paper. Photocopied paper is extremely fickle in humidity. If you mount it, it will buckle. If you staple it to a wall, it will buckle. Somehow I convinced the Drake to let me go in and plaster 2 large scale photocopied
diptychs in their stairwells. Not the easiest place to show, a hotel’s stairwell, but they were SO flat they looked as though I had stenciled or painted them there. Commercially, what kind of work have you been involved with most recently, and what, other than a paycheck, have you taken away from the experience? J- Most recently I’ve been shooting quite a bit for Toronto Life, it’s like the equivalent to a Mcleans for the GTA. My second assignment I had a portrait shoot for the opening article, the first photograph that you see when opening up the magazine. It was to be of a young emerging photographer who’s father is notable for making some awesome tripped out films… not naming names. Anyways, I thought, hey, here’s a chance to do something exciting. I wanted these photos to be beautiful, enigmatic and monochromatic. Basically anything that didn’t look like a typical photo. So I shot film with filters and I kept most of my compositions wide or with purposeful obstructions in the foreground… it turned out great. When I sent off my final selects, I was told that they were happy with the results yet maybe I should have shot the “safe” roll (due to the fact that it’s a fairly conservative magazine). Ok, I didn’t necessarily agree, but for this particular magazine, maybe they were right. I always found my self fighting normalcy and that’s a good a thing but maybe that’s why I’ve been focusing heavily on art these days. No compromises need to be made. Needless to say, they ran the only photo I had of the subject up close and smiling. It’s cool, it was a nice shot. In the past months I’ve also photographed Michael Snow for Bad Day and was published in the NY Times, which was pretty cool.
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ARTIST FEATURE
N- We've been working with Jack Daniels on a global music campaign for the past year. They're a large brand so they're are a lot of voices that need to be heard. We've had to figure out how to keep the right momentum going on the project while it goes through all the various levels at each stage. Pretty exciting direction we ended up going with... you'll see it soon. Who are some of your favorite artists and why? N- Robert Longo, Christopher Wool, Chuck Close, Kiki Smith, Jenny Holzer, Raymond Pettibond... Pretty simple list, but they're all really badass. J- At this very moment, Jack Burman. In the last decade Jack has been traveling the world and researching the dead with his large format camera and a black velvet backdrop. He takes the most beautiful photographs of preserved faces and bodies, maybe not for the faint of hearts. His recent exhibit at Clint Roenisch was powerful to say the least. It was comprised of 10 large scale photographs that loomed over you. The show was one of the most powerful photo exhibits that I’ve seen in a long time. Staring at these 6 foot tall prints I couldn’t help but get lost in the richness of the black backdrop. Intentional or not, at different angles you could see the ghostly images of the other specimens he displayed on the adjacent walls… like a vortex or another dimension, I was sucked in.. It was astonishing. I later approached Clint and asked if I could just hang out with the work and document it. I felt the need to spend sometime gettting lost within the work and dissect the installation. I can’t fully explain it, but Jack’s work shedded a much needed light for me and my current approach to my own practice. Seriously amazing! Any shout outs? J- My dad just turned 60 today… Happy birthday you old fart! Where would you like to be in 5 years? 10? J-Ha! Such a dad question… have you every heard the NOFX song “Green Corn”? N-20? 5 - Big studio. 10 - Museum collection. 20 - Still working.
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ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE
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OFFICE B O O Y Z I N T H E W I N D
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This idea came about from the obvious; a lot of people I know are getting into motorcycles these days. It’s kind of like a secret handshake or nod, but straight up it’s a “if you know you know”. Its funny cause I have many conversations with industry peers and “THE ONES” seem to always want to talk to me about motorcycles. When you know someone is into building, riding, traveling, and enjoying a motorcycle it’s always a good conversation. So lets stop talking about it and go for a snort. I emailed a bunch of people I knew in our industry or closely related to come out for a ride up to Britannia for a scenic ride and a BBQ. So we met up at Glen Eagles skate park parking lot, kicked some tires, talked about what and when we did with what. Then 18 of us hit the highway like a pack of wild wolves. Some of the crew had not ridden in such a group before so I witnessed some interesting things go down to say the least. Good times. Thanks for all who came out. Next time lets see some more of you. Words: Ben Couves Photos: Andre Pinces, Ben Couves, Devitt Brown
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OFFICE BOOYZ
Riders on intro photo: ( Left to Right) 1 Michael & Andrea Costigan – Dollhouse Studios – 2001 Triumph Bonneville 2 Trevor Flemming – Lifetime Collective – 2004 Triumph Thruxton 3 Aron Krombholtz – Barefoot Wine & Bubbly – 1970 Norton Commando 750 S 4 The Dark – Artist – 2010 Ducati Streetfighter S 5 Oren Daryl – Sponsored by the government – 1972 Honda CB750 6 Trevor Chapman - Shredders Crew - 1978 Suzuki GS550 7 Scott Herbert – Faceshots-Mehrathon-Kitsch- 1979 Honda CB650 8 Nici Simoes – Dish Jean Family – 1979 Honda CM400T 9 Andrew Jackson - Voleurz -1979 CB750K 10 Darren Harwish - No Limits Distribution - 1997 Heritage Softail Classic 11 Matt McCormick – Best Buy Canada – 2009 Harley Iron 883 12 Brad Cashman – Face Shots Ventures Inc. – 06 Harley Sporty 1200C 13 Ben Couves – Ob1 / KNOW?SHOW – 2001 chopped Harley FXST 14 Lisa Turner – Pacific Boarder – 1970’s Honda CB 350 15 Kevin Kennedy (Not pictured)– Rock Solid Enterprises – 2009 Yamaha 1900 Raider 16 Jay Ward (Not Pictured)– Matt McCormicks buddy – 1980’s Yamaha Virago 17 Perry Pugh – OB1 / KNOW?SHOW – 2008 OB1 Chevy Tahoe photo support truck
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OFFICE BOOYZ
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T O P S I D E HA I R
&
MODEL:
C HA RL I E
FA S HI O N
M A KE-UP:
MARLAYNA
CARRICK
E D I TOR:
PHO TO G RA PHE D
BY
/
RICHARD’S
TANUS
ANDRÉ
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PAUL
PINCOTT
MODELS
LEWIS
PINCES
COPY cardigan LIFETIME shirt WeSC jeans
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WeSC shirt COPY pants BRIXTON hat
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LIFETIME linen blazer ALTERNATIVE APPAREL t-shirt COPY pants NATIVE shoes
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LRG windbreaker WeSC denim CLAE shoes
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ALTERNATIVE APPAREL polo LRG pants photographer’s own sunglasses
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LIFETIME shirt BRIXTON hat EMERICA pants
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C1RCA shirt WeSC pants ASHBURY sunglasses
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LIFETIME shirt WeSC pants
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C1RCA windbreaker ALTERNATIVE APPAREL t-shirt ALTAMONT pants
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MUSIC
J A P A N D R O I D S Words by Reid Stewart, photo by André Paul Pinces
How did your bass player die? He was embarrassed to death. Seriously though… huge sound for a two-piece. Did it sound a lot like this when the two of you first started playing or has there been a lot of fine tuning along the way? There has been substantial fine tuning with respect to the songwriting and recording, though we have always ‘sounded’ the same: drums hit hard, distorted guitar strummed hard, dual yelling. A lot of music writers say that you’re not an easy band to pin down stylistically. All musicians have influences, but is it important to both of you not to be directly compared with anyone? Not particularly. It is important to us to have some kind of musical/stylistic identity, and if it is difficult to say ‘Japandroids sounds exactly like this band’ or ‘Japandroids are just this band, except shittier’, then i suppose we’ve achieved that somewhat. Having said that, I still don’t think we have any idea what we WANT to sound like. I (Brian) want to sound like one thing, and Dave wants to sound like something else. What you get is some kind of sonic compromise. Honestly, we’re just making it up as go along. We really have no idea what we are doing. What’s your plan for keeping the fickle hipster kids horny for more? A 7’’ singles series. 5 singles total; to be released periodically throughout 2010. Each consisting of an original A-side and a cover B-side. We just finished mixing the B-side for 7’’ #3, and I think it is the best thing we’ve ever recorded. Brian I hear you hate Facebook… Good lad-I’m still a hold-out and will continue to be one. What don’t you like about it? There are 2 ways to answer this question: I simply reply ‘no
comment’ or write you an essay brimming with profanities, riddled with ranting, and constantly flirting with the boundaries of actual making a point and/or exploring tangents. I have decided to split the difference, and offer this simply anecdote: we like bands more, the less we know about them. You guys have proven to be tour-monsters. What fuels this inner fire to play gigs and travel? The knowledge that the ride doesn’t last forever. Are you excited to play to a hometown crowd again at the Lifetime offices? Should we expect anything special on your home turf or do you play it as just another show? As corny or cliche as it might sound, we are excited to play almost every single show. We play as intensely as possible every time we play, no matter where or when, so whether or not it is special or ‘just another show’ really depends on the crowd. Their attitude, energy, enthusiasm, etc. have a much greater impact on our shows than we do. Time will tell! Why did you decide to play at Lifetime instead of one of the many live venues in town on your return? Currently, there are (realistically) only two places for us to play in Vancouver: The Biltmore and/or The Rickshaw - both of which we love, but both of which we played last year and will likely play again later this year. Knowing that we have a fairly loyal and consistent crowd in Vancouver, coupled by the fact that we’re still playing roughly the same set we’ve been playing for some time, we’d thought we owed it to them to at least attempt to play somewhere new and interesting to make the Japandroids live experience worthwhile for the xth time. 9. Which of your tour mates have you been most impressed with during this past year? Oliver Ackermann from A Place To Bury Strangers. He changes his guitar strings before EVERY SINGLE SHOW! I’m probably the only person impressed by that... 10. When can we expect a new record out? Spring/summer 2011
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MUSIC
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CAPTURED - PHOTO FEATURE
C A P T U R E D A collection of photos by creative people within the industry.
It looks so wide and sturdy. Which is funny because I got the idea for this picture while lying on the ground due to the board being far from wide and miles from sturdy. Plus, there’s something about alleys, skateboards and sunshine that let you know there’s still good in this world. Rory Doyle Vancouver, Canada www.cargocollective.com/rorydoyle
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CAPTURED - PHOTO FEATURE
Warm weather, good buds and a couple cold ones all line up for a midsummer’s dive into the darkside. A little “Heaven vs. Hell” at Thormanby Pier. Corpse Dive, May 2009 Lauren Bryant Vancouver, Canada www.laurenbryantphotography.com
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CAPTURED - PHOTO FEATURE
I moved from Vancouver to Toronto a year ago, and the only place that really reminds me of home is Toronto Island. Me and my friend climbed a fence to get onto this smashed up breakwater and just sat on the end and drank beers all day. This was definetely my best day in Toronto so far. Brendan Megannety Vancouver, Canada
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CAPTURED - PHOTO FEATURE
“In spite of its function as a reservoir for human darkness—or perhaps because of this—the shadow is the seat of creativity.” - Carl Jung Jennilee Marigomen Vancouver, Canada jennileemarigomen.com
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NATHAN MATTHEWS Words by Walter Olsen. Photo, artist’s own
I didn’t skateboard while Nathan had cancer. It really didn’t seem fair to. I love skateboarding, but only a fraction of Nathan’s love for it. It just didn’t seem right to go for a push and not have Nathan there: his smile matched in length only by his frontside 5-0’s. It might be stupid, but I figured when he was better we could relearn our tricks together. Besides, if it wasn’t for Nathan I probably would have quit a long time ago. Work and life interfere with skateboarding after awhile and when suddenly you discover your tricks have gone missing you don’t really have the will to find them. Dust settles on the unmoved object. Nathan forced me to go skating. Not by force, but by enthusiasm. It was hard not to want to go skating with the guy. He had a zest for it that I’ve never really seen in too many people. It was infectious. If you ever had the chance to skate with him chances are you had a great session. You smiled more. Of course that enthusiasm wasn’t only around at the skatepark. Nathan brought that enthusiasm into everything he did. His artwork, photographs and designs are testaments to that. You can see how much love he put into it. His clients were lucky people. Business can be a nervewracking experience, but if you had Nathan working for you, it lessened the strain. He understood what people wanted or
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needed and he delivered. But it was the enthusiasm that put you at ease. You knew you were in good hands. Nathan had me fooled. He was so enthusiastic about his recovery and had me convinced that chemo was no big deal: just something he was going to have to go through so he could go skating again. Like a sucker I believed it. It’s difficult to reason why someone like Nathan isn’t here anymore. If anyone deserves to live a full life it’s him. Seemingly, there is no justice. Things are beyond our control. But it’s because life is unfair that we must strive to be fair. We need to live a little better, consider others before ourselves and pour enthusiasm into everything we do. Whether our lives are short or long, they are not forever. Nathan may be gone, but I still have so much to learn from him Recently I went skating for the first time since Nathan passed away. Of course I was sketchy and things felt pretty awkward, but the feeling was there, the reason why I fell in love with skating years and years ago - freedom. I could sense Nathan smiling and I know that no matter where he is, he’s enjoying it. It only makes sense for us to enjoy it too. - Walter Olsen
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SHOP PROFILE
NORML
Born from humble beginnings in the heart of Canada’s capital city, Norml Clothing has emerged to become one of North America’s premier sophisticated street boutiques. With a relentless pursuit to carry the most authentic streetwear and limited edition footwear, it has evolved from a simple sneaker shop into a sophisticated purveyor for Ottawa’s stylish elite. Located in the heavily trafficked Byward Market, Norml lies in Ottawa’s vibrant downtown district, which attracts a variety of shoppers from all walks of life. The three-story, ten thousand square foot storefront distinguishes the shop as one of the largest streetwear retailers in not only Canada but the entire world. Architecturally designed with a keen eye, the industrial layout combines elements of modern design, fashion and visual art in one eye-pleasing, cohesive environment. Established in 1999, Norml opened its doors with a mission to bring sneaker and hip-hop culture to a city with a burgeoning urban scene. Ten years later, Norml has entrenched itself as one of world’s elite sneaker boutiques and was recently recognized by DIME Magazine as one of the top 50 sneaker shops on the planet. Sneaker enthusiasts come and pay homage to a hand-picked shoe display, which houses over five hundred pairs of the most exclusive and heavily sought after footwear. Combining an extensive collection of limited releases from Jordan Brand and a full spectrum of Nike’s product line, the
shoe display also stocks gems from the likes of Adidas Originals, Reebok, New Balance, Clae, Alife, Creative Recreation, Converse, Sebago and Vans Vault. Although Norml’s roots are entrenched as a sneaker retailer, the passion for footwear was easily translated into an extensive clothing product line. The shop’s diverse collection of streetwear labels is chosen meticulously in order to represent the most current and cutting edge in urban fashion from New York, L.A., Paris, Stockholm, Sydney and Tokyo. Norml houses over sixty independent brands of apparel and accessories including; LRG, Fred Perry, Stussy, Undefeated, 10 Deep, WeSC, Mishka, Penfield, Cheap Monday, Super Sunglasses, Casio G-Shock and much more. After a tour of the store it is obvious that Norml is not simply a sneaker shop, but a beacon for urban culture in the city. The second floor is home to an in-house rotating art gallery, featuring works of urban artists both local and international. Adjacent to the gallery is an ever-changing interactive pop-up environment. Previous pop-ups have been created with Shepherd Fairey’s label Obey, Alphanumeric, Penfield and Umbro. A professional Redbull DJ booth is also a steady fixture on the second floor, with local DJ’s spinning the 1’s and 2’s to the delight of shoppers on a regular basis. Embracing the graffiti culture, Norml built a graffiti room equipped with the finest tools of the trade and is a one-stop shop for graffiti heads and artists alike.
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SHOP PROFILE
ORONGE
By Ryan Dale Johnson, photo Jake Gelowitz
Oronge Board Shop sprang to life in September of 1995 in Kamloops, BC. “The O” is the heart, sweat and soul of some prairie boys who wanted to be closer to the mountains of the west – to fulfill their dream of creating a life and living out of their passion for snowboarding, skateboarding and wakeboarding.
style), The Garden (park railjam), and The Shredidential (full park slopestyle). They’ve hosted the DC National Qualifiers, and the Volcom sk8 jams with Jarnold. Oronge has organized lifestyle happenings like the “Have You Seen?” series of parties and the infamous Oronge Golf Tournaments that have all ended up with police escorts.
Kent (KoAcH) Thiessen, Dave (Kuany) Kuan, Roy Williams (who later moved on to pursue other adventures in life) and Jason Bilsky (who moved to the Yukon to pursue his redneck dreams) lived in the basement of the original Oronge location for the first 6 months of operation. Eventually their impeccable customer service made them enough friends that they were able to find a cheap place to live, and turn the shop basement into a skate/snow tuning zone. The boys’ original shop focus was on hardgoods – bringing a variety of previously unknown, quality shred brands to town. The locals were stoked, Kamloops finally had a premier snow/sk8/wake shop, and it was all thanks to four random guys from Saskatchewan. As the years ticked by, Oronge continued to step up their game. Hardgoods still remained the backbone, but much more lifestyle clothing, eyewear and accessories were added to the mix. Kuany went super metro and KoAcH went deeper and deeper down the mayhem spiral. They hired real employees. They opened the first ever snowboard shop at Sun Peaks, as well as a shop on the infamous Kamloops North Shore in order to support the sk8ers at the nearby Kamloops Skate Park. They brought on more and more start-up brands – helping support the grass roots scene as much as possible. They moved into a bigger and better shop on the main downtown retail strip. They put on events – more sk8/snow events than any Kamloops shop has ever organized – and they continue to do so to this day. Events like The Oronge Cup (Halfpipe, BX, Slope-
As notorious as KoAcH and Kuany are for their antics and megaphone sessions, they are equally recognized for their giving to the community. Oronge played a major role in fundraising for the Kamloops Skate Park. They have worked regularly with the Kamloops Brain Injury Association – assisting with fundraisers and helping promote safety in the parks and on the hills. Oronge continuously supports the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers & Sisters and numerous local charities. They played a major role in the formation of the Bluebird Day Fund – a memorial in honor of Bryn Taylor that helps raise funds to send kids to snowboard camps and improve local terrain parks. With the motherly love provided by KoAcH and Kuany, Oronge has brewed and bred a number of BC industry employees and riders like Duff, Mullet, RDJ, Harps, Snake, Gordo, TEE, Brockler, Lame and many more. Molson believes so much in Oronge that they have been a sponsor of the shop since Day 1. Russell Couchman and Rob Williamson were the first reps to ever believe in the boys – they saw the diamond in the (really) rough. Special shout outs to them as well as the mayor of Kamloops Pete Milobar, Pete “Pepe” McKenna, Underwraps, NRI Distribution CSR’s, HiltiBalls, Chris Leigh, D-Rock, Duffman, Derker, B-Stodds, OB1, Gman and the Timebomb krew, stevie T, the Moose and many more that have put up with the O’s shenanigans!!!!! It’s been and will forever be “ALL FOR THE LOVE!”
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SHOP PROFILE
SUD SKATES
Words byMike Hamilton, photos by Joe Sud
Sud Skates was born in 1988 – the bastard child of “the Hydro Ramp” – a highly secretive vert ramp hidden in the woods on government “Hydro” property. Long sessions ended with someone showing up with beers, which led to an inevitable “Sud Skate” where a good idea soon became messy. With the closest skate shops as far away as Toronto (Hogtown) and Buffalo (Avenue Skates) finding decent product meant risking your dough on mail-order, or shopping the local ski shop, with their wide assortment of $120 Powell decks. Taking a business class “to meet chicks” introduced Joe Wing to a professor that planted the seed (no homo) of starting his own business. A $3000 student venture loan and Niagara had its first real skate shop since the infamous Skateboard Junction (1977 – 1980). “Niagara has such a rich history of skateboarding, and a ton of great skaters – I wanted to put our scene on the map,” says Joe. 22 years later, Sud Skates has survived the skate industry’s many ups and downs. “We stay loyal to the skate brands – no surf or athletic brands masquerading as skate,” adds Joe. “Besides, those hipster clowns don’t skate, so they can go shop somewhere else.” Currently in a “down cycle”, Joe feels Canadian distribution has been one of the hardest elements to deal with, and a major contributing factor. “I understand skating has gone mainstream, but we can compete with the mall stores. What we can’t compete with is all these kook shops that open up 2 blocks away, get 6 months free rent and sell everything at cost. A year later they’re gone and we’ve lost a year’s worth of sales. We are a fully stocked, full-service skate shop, owned by a skater, that employs skaters. We have a team, an indoor skatepark and we support the local scene. Why open up these other ‘shops’ right in our backyard? I don’t get it,” says Joe. A consistently talented team along with countless events, parties and demos (close to a hundred pros have toured through over the years) have helped make SUD Skates a household name. They’ve fought city-wide skateboard bans and have worked with both the City of St. Catharines and the City of Niagara Falls to have 2 public skate parks built. As for the future, Sud Skates remains confident. “All the suits, these so called experts saying skateboarding is over - have obviously never set foot near a skatepark. They’re full of kids and these kids are stoked on skateboarding. The future looks bright.” Says Joe, adding, “We’ll continue doing what we do.” Sud Skates continues to be a good idea – that can sometimes get messy.
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SHOP PROFILE
HIGHGRADE
Words & Photos: John Squirechuck.
Starting out as a small European denim based store in 1995 in Edmonton, HighGrade soon outgrew its small Europa Blvd. location and moved up to a 3000 sq. ft. location a few doors away. At this time HighGrade started to dive into an interesting mix of streetwear, directional fashion brands, and high-end denim brands, and soon became the store to watch for direction and exclusivity. At this point owners John & Lynne Squirechuk decided to always lead the local clothing industry, and never follow, therefore pioneering many of the popular brands that are out there today. In order to always keep it fresh and interesting, travel became the order of business. Unique brands from around the world became an every season occurrence. New Scandinavian labels, and unheard of brands from Australia, New York, and Europe became quite common. Soon the store would boast up to 35 brands every season and always was adding new brands to the mix as they became available. Once it was heard that HighGrade had a great mix of fashion brands, other brands wanted to get in to showcase what they had to offer. In February of 2007, HighGrade again felt the need for more space, and expanded the store to 5250 sq. ft. making it one of the biggest independents in WEM. The focus has always been on minimal clean merchandising together with a huge selection, making a visit to HighGrade always something exciting. Every 6 months HighGrade completely turns its inventory and brings many new brands into the mix. A visit to HighGrade is never a disappointment. Current brand mix: DIESEL, J.LINDEBERG, OBEY, NAKED & FAMOUS, COMUNE, FRESHJIVE, ENDOVANERA, 55 DSL, ROGUE STATUS, DOM REBEL, NICE COLLECTIVE, HELMUT LANG, NUDIE JEANS, CHEAP MONDAY, PENFIELD, HUMOR, J BRAND, NUMPH, KAYLEE TANKUS, JUMA, JEREMY SCOTT/ADIDAS, Y-3, J.FOLD, WRATH ARCANE, INSIGHT, ADDICT, WESC, SIXPACK FANCE, NORTWICK, ADIDAS ORIGINALS, MB_999, TSOVET, ALIFE, RXMANCE, KIDROBOT, UNION, SOMETHING ELSE, DEGAINE, FLUXUS, STELLA MCCARTNEY/ADIDAS, DR. DENIM, CAST OF VICES, JUICY COUTURE, 7 FOR ALL MANKIND, VINCE.
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DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE
TIGER DISTRIBUTION Jesse Bowden talks about his “tiger style”.
I know you’ve been in this industry for some time now. How did you get your start and how long have you doing what you’re doing? At a pretty young age, I remember getting hooked up by a local shop in Nova Scotia called Surf To Snow. It wasn’t anything major, just shop flow & grom rights but it definitely gave me my first look behind the scenes. Rep drama, brand gossip, sneak peaks on product etc. All the good stuff! After a lot of twists & turns, moonlighting, exploring different areas of industry, I finally opened Tiger Distribution in 2001 and have been running with it ever since. What is Tiger Distribution and what does it represent? Tiger is street-fashion distribution company based in Montreal. In short, we develop, market, sell and distribute a collection of our favorite brands to the Canadian core, street & fashion markets. Currently we work with WeSC, Brixton, Penfield, Gram footwear and help with the placement/sales of PF Flyer and the New Balance tier zero program. What is your opinion of the Canadian retail industry and where it is heading? I’m in love with the Canadian retail industry these days especially when you take a look and see just how fucked some of the other global markets are. I don’t think any countries completely avoided the recent recession, but Canada definitely powered through it better than most. I have friends in Europe that straight up lost 50% of their accounts in their country due to closures in the past year alone. Things could have been
way scarier, that’s forsure! As for where things are heading, I’m a bit worried on the grand scale. We have this healthy economy, a great consumer market and we’re sitting above a nation of 300 million people that kinda just got shit kicked over the past year.. It’s only a matter of time before the US industry turns its sights on Canada as a means to make up lost revenue. The end result is key Canadian retailers go out of biz, Canadian dollars are pulled out of the country and we all suffer.. Of course it’s a bit “doomsday” and I don’t want to call anyone out but I truly think everyone needs to crack down from the distro’s right down to the retailers and preserve our industry. Best and worst things about your job? The best thing about my job will always been the people you get to work with and meet along the way. Our industry is basically a giant human filter and chances are if you have job in this scene, you’re a pretty cool cat. This is also, the worst thing about my job.. With any business you have to make hard decisions that may effect people in a negative way and when you figure everyone is generally super cool, it can get difficult sometimes! With the state of our economy right now where do you see our industry heading? I think the economy has helped to put some people in check and maybe re-evaluate their business that in the long term, helps everyone. In my opinion, the biggest area for develop in Canada is still the internet and web specific based stores.
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DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE
More than 1/3 of our population lives in tiny ass towns that can’t support specialty retailers but everyone is online. On top of that, if you dig around a bit, you can find out how much product is currently being shipped via the internet directly to Canada consumer from the US.. The numbers are mind blowing! What does Jesse Bowden like to do outside work? Ha, as if there is such thing as “outside of work”? I love traveling & exploring which is a good source of inspiration for me. I’ve been in a deep love/hate relationship surfing since I was young. I spend a lot of time hanging/playing with the RFC crew and lately, I’m having a lot of fun learning how to be dad… I know you’ve been to some crazy parties and met some unique individuals. What is your craziest party experience? It’s so impossible to narrow it down to one night or experience but one that stands out was the US launch party of WeSC..They basically rented the whole downtown LA Standard hotel and threw this insane fashion show/party on the rooftop bar.. To keep it authentic, they booked a full jet and flew in 200+ wild euros from Sweden so the vibe was mental, LA celebrities mixed with euro party machines.. I’m pretty sure every Canadian got kicked out but from what I remember, it was a pretty epic night.. With all the traveling and managing of brands, how do you make it all work? It’s all about having an amazing team to support your moves, an unlimited long distance phone plan, the internet, sleeping 7 hours a night and being honest. You can pretty take over the world if you master this list.. Any tips on time management for the rest of us? I wish there was some magic trick or secret tool to master time management.. I’m pretty much the worst at it and end up just working longer/later.. I have about a 1000 books on the secrets of time management but I’m just too busy to read them! Personally, I really it comes down to knowing when I have to give it 120% and when I need to walk away & just decompress. Last big purchase? Next big Purchase? It’s not really a big purchase but I recently picked up an iPad a few weeks ago… it’s definitely the future…. As for the next power purchase, I have a second little monster about to make his cameo appearance in the world so I’m kinda saving up for diapers & sleeping pills!
10 Things: 1. Device? 2. Vehicle? 3. Music? 4. Sport? 5. Website? 6. Pet? 7. Travel? 8. Eats? 9. Brand? 10. Hometown?
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iPad with iTeleport Volvo (wagons only) Hair Nation Surf, Shred & theRingleaders.ca www.tigerdistribution.com R.I.P Chelse! As much as I possibly can! Thaxican (Thai / Mex fusion ) or Chicken strips WeSC, Penfield, Brixton Truro, Nova Scotia baby!
DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE
DAKOTA GROUP
Dakota Group’s Allan Loomer (not shown), Kiara Schwartz (right) and Heather Jansen (left).
I know you’ve been in this industry for some time now. How did you get your start and how long have you been doing what you’re doing? Allen Loomer - Ive been in the industry 34 years, I got my start as Dave Hortons illegitimate son. Kiara Schwartz - 4 years. Heather Jansen - I started about 7 years ago working for a cash and carry agency in the F/X while I was going to fashion school. Shortly after that, I started repping more contemporary lines for Susan Cooper Agency. Now I have been working with the Dakota group for 4 years. What brands do you guys work with? A - I work with some amazing brands to mention some: We import Kelsi Dager, Pour la Victoire, Matiko, Faryl Robyn shoes and Something Else, Babakul, Jenny Han, Division E. K - I work with some amazing brands to mention some: NUMPH, Bensimon, Minnetonka, Matiko and Public Library. H - Kiara’s answer ...ha ha Growing up, what made you want to be involved in this industry? Was it something that just happened or did you actively work towards it? A - Wanted to be Ringo Star then fell into this much like you fall into a bottomless well. K - I was always interested in Fashion. I was the kid that got made fun of cause I always put together the craziest outfits and was always a step ahead of everyone else.
H - I originally went to school to become a makeup artist. I still do a lot of makeup freelance but I have always loved fashion from a young age. Both makeup and fashion go hand in hand. If I’m doing one of the two there is always an opportunity to do the other or both at the same time. If being a sales rep wasn’t so glamorous what kind of career path do you think you would be following? A - I couldn’t hear the question I was too busy being glamorous. K - I wanted to be an actress at one point in my life but I think realistically I would probably be doing something in Marketing. H - I probably would be doing something artsy for sure…I’m one of those people who can’t sit still for too long and I need things to be different in a day, This is the best industry for that. With the state of our economy right now where do you see our industry heading? A - Always up, only up, there is no other direction. K - I think the state of the economy is making things interesting stirring things up a bit and forcing people to be more creative in selling and promoting but also pushing retailers to be creative with their business. The ones that are passionate and innovative and ready to take extra steps will come out on top and the rest will fall to the waist side. This reality is creating a new wave of building relationships and smart ways to market whatever it is your trying to achieve.
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DISTRIBUTOR PROFILE
H - A lot more in season buying for sure, it’s hard to jump in with two feet when the economy is changing all the time. Do you see any new trends or patterns within our industry coming our way? A - Plaid. Best advice someone has given you? A - Respect your elders you little shit. K - Dream BIG! H - To take risks and to step outside of my box…change isn’t a bad thing. When you have downtime, what kind of other things are you guys into ? A - Will kids be reading this? K - I dance and do Yoga… yep try and stay in shape and be healthy. I am kind of obsessed with the new world of blogs and blogging so I tend to spend some time on my lap top in North Van. Of course time with friends is always the best! H - Sports I play soccer for a ladies league and I definitely like to travel. Favorite place you have traveled to and why? A - NYC and Paris. NYC for its energy and Paris for the Museums. K - Cape Town… cause it seems like you are so far away from the rest of the world and the landscape and people are all so interesting and beautiful. H - I have a lot of places on my travel wish list but for now my favorite would have to be Barbados…(I know so cliché) but the scenery and culture was pretty amazing. I know you’ve been to some crazy parties and met some unique individuals. What is your craziest party experience? A - It was in the 80’s and you don’t have enough room for the story. K - Well I am not the biggest partier you will ever meet but I think one of my craziest nights was Halloween 2 years ago when we all dressed up as 70’s aerobics instructors. It’s the only night I can’t really remember…but the pictures look like we had an amazing night! H - Waaaayy to many…and some I shouldn’t be published… Last big purchase? Next big Purchase? A - My Roadster and New turf for my yard (pretty exciting huh?) K - NYC shopping spree at my favorite store…LF STORES… next big purchase…hmmmm I am hoping a Mac Book! H - Marc Jacobs sunglasses next would be brakes for my car….
10 Things: Allan Loomer 1. Device? Blackberry 2. Vehicle? 1958 Roadster 3. Music? You mean other then the beatles? 4. Sport? Hockey 5. Website? Dakotagroup.ca 6. Pet? Karma my Lab 7. Travel? Often 8. Eats? Matzo Ball Soup and Sushi, not at the same time 9. Brand? I love all my brands equally just like I love my sons 10. Hometown? Vancouver 10 Things:Kiara Schwartz 1. Device? iPhone 2. Vehicle? Astin Martin 3. Music? Hype M 4. Sport? Soccer … FIFA World cup 5. Website? Dakotagroup.ca … self promotion 6. Pet? Office mascot Karma the dog 7. Travel? Surf Vacays 8. Eats? Fish Tacos 9. Brand? NUMPH 10. Hometown? Igis, Switzerland 10 Things: Heather Jansen 1. Device? Blackberry 2. Vehicle? BMW X5 3. Music? Rock 4. Sport? Soccer 5. Website? www.urbandictionary.com 6. Pet? Min Pin 7. Travel? Italy - Tuscany 8. Eats? Vietmeniese pho 9. Brand? Marc Jacobs 10. Hometown? Kamloops
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REP PROFILE
MIKE COSTIGAN Dollhouse Industries, photo Yorick Carroux
I know you’ve been in this industry for some time now. How did you get your start and how long have you been doing what you’re doing? I started working at the New Ground in Edmonton back in the early Nineties. I liked it so much that I took a year off of University to manage the store. That’s when I met Russell and started riding for RIDE’s RMTL team. I sent in a team rider product feedback form to Russell to forward to RIDE and I mentioned that I would one day like to become a rep. Russell phoned me soon after to offer me a job as a demo guy and part time tech rep. I turned it down as I wanted to spend the next winter in Whistler shredding. When I returned to Edmonton I started working a Plush, going to University and doing the RIDE demo’s on the weekends. When I graduated I moved to Canmore and started working the winters for RIDE and DAKINE (December of 1997, I’ve been with DAKINE ever since). That Summer I worked for the Source/ Bicycle Café. Along the way I’ve sold NHS, VANS, Pro-Tec, Santa Cruz Bicycles and Von Zipper. Other than DAKINE I know you guys work with some other brands, what other brands do you guys work with? Andrea, Stephanie and I sell INSIGHT and SPLIT. I also take care of FLIP apparel and EVIL Bikes (mountain and fixed). Growing up, what made you want to be involved in this industry? Was it something that just happened or did you actively work towards it? Since I was a kid I’ve loved snowboarding and skating. I
hung around the local shop until I could convince them that I would work my ass off. Once I got a taste of hanging out, partying and selling stuff, I became focused on finding a job as a rep. There weren’t many jobs back then, so I was amped when I got shot at it. If being a sales rep wasn’t so glamorous what kind of career path do you think you would be following? Pro Snowboarder…lol. Realistically though I have a teaching degree and I enjoy it, so that would have been my fall back position. I could also see myself as a product line manager. With the state of our economy right now where do you see our industry heading? Our industry is a survivor. Many of us have faced worse times in the past. With the entire economy in a very bad place I believe that this next year or so will be a continued battle of attrition. I’m an optimist and know that we will make it through. If you measure where most of our businesses are today comparative to the past 5-10 years, overall sales are generally larger. The hard part is keeping all of our expenses down… In addition our industry, as a whole needs to devote more energy towards increasing the active participation in snow, skate, and surf. A strong focus on this and fostering an appreciation of how rad snow/skate and surf are is key to a healthy future. Having consumers further identify with our athletes will result in stronger consumer loyalty. Do you see any new trends or patterns within our industry
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REP PROFILE
coming our way? Any asshole can tell you it’s a blend of art, music, nature, sport, fashion, blah, blah, blah, blah, but what does that mean?? I think the emphasis will be on specialty fabrics, seventies gritty rock and roll influence, fair isle patterns, patchwork, crochet details for the ladies with oversized silhouettes, and the tighter the better for the men. In packs, monochromatic twill, technical and specialty fabrics will be important. When it comes to hard goods, it’s an amazing time for snowboard design. With many new ideas coming out, Western Canada will be a proving ground. The Coastal Mountains through to the Rockies will be one of the main places where new boards will be made or broken… Best advice someone has given you ? My Dad once said “If you want something done give it to the busiest person”. When you have downtime. What kind of other things are you guys into ? Shredding lines in the backcountry and skating mini ramps gets me stoked. Riding my motorcycle is a great way to spend time, especially road trips. I love biking (Freeride, All mountain and road). I get more and more stoked on Surfing every Summer. When I can travel abroad I get really excited, Europe is my favorite. Favorite place you have traveled to and why? Spain - great culture, landscape and shopping. The main reason I loved it was because I spent my honeymoon there. I know you’ve been to some crazy parties and met some unique individuals. What is your craziest party experience? There have been a lot of good times, that’s a hard question. One time in particular stands out, the first ever Pear Golfing Invitational. It was more about booze and rallying golf carts than golf. People were driving up the stairs down the stairs, jumping the sand traps and getting the carts on two wheels. After hours of smash up derby, Pear, Murray, Jay Good and I grabbed buckets of beer and went “neanderthal” at the driving range. We looked more like drunken lumberjacks than golfers. Last big purchase? Next big Purchase? My last big purchase was a Trip to Italy. Next purchase is going to be another surfboard.
10 Things: 1. Device? 2. Vehicle? 3. Music? 4. Sport? 5. Website? 6. Pet? 7. Travel? 8. Eats? 9. Brand? 10. Hometown?
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iphone TRD Tacoma 4X4, Triumph Bonneville, Evil Resident Bike Punk rock, metal and most bands from Manchester Snowboarding, biking, skateboarding and surfing. www.dollhouseagency.com Just spiders in our basement Europe as much as money will allow I have a wide range of foods that I like Italian, Mediterranean, Indian and Thai. DAKINE, INSIGHT, SPLIT, FLIP and EVIL Current : Deep Cove, North Vancouver, Original : Edmonton(South Side), Alberta
REP PROFILE
Russell Couchman Viento Sports
Do you see any new trends are patterns within our industry coming our way ? Think I covered this above in #5
I know you’ve been in this industry for some time now. How did you get your start and how long have you been doing what you’re doing? Back in 1987, with the help of some folks I met on a flight to Toronto, I ‘gatecrashed’ the CSGA show the next day. Roamed around, met a few people and ended up picking up a couple of lines. One of them was a pretty beat line of tennis accessories, the other with a Quebec distributor of windsurfing gear. They later (about 1990 I think) moved into snowboarding, and, I became the rep for ……. Checker Pig snowboards!!!!!!!!!! and went from there.
Best advice someone has given you ? This is the most difficult question. I have racked my brain to try and remember when I might have actually heeded any advice. From my father’s advice to, “don’t ride motorbikes”, or, “find a nice English girl to marry”, all the way through to the president of K2 Canada advising me to “drink the company Kool-Aid” I have not been a good listener. One exception did come to mind. In the fall of 1992 when Dakine’s Pat Frodel suggested I call an upstart snowboard company out of Seattle called Ride, I listened, called, and the rest is history. When you have downtime. What kind of other things are you guys into ? Sailing our boat, riding motorcycles, hangin’ out on the Baja peninsula, all the time wondering why Costigan still expects me to be working! After all, he’s so good at it, I just can’t compete ……….. anymore.
Other than Dakine I know you guys work with some other brands, what other brands do you guys work with? Who needs any more than DAKINE? At 55, I don’t!
Favorite place you have traveled to and why? Mmmm, I have been to some cool places, don’t know if I have a favourite. It could be Italy after a trip over there later this summer.
Growing up, what made you want to be involved in this industry? Was it something that just happened or did you actively work towards it? 1987 moved to Vancouver (from Calgary) 2 kids, no money, and an expensive windsurfing addiction. I absolutely had to do something more exciting than selling diesel nozzles and turbochargers, which was not supporting us, or our habits, and the customers smelt kinda funny!
I know you’ve been to some crazy parties and met some unique individuals. What is your craziest party experience? Ride snowboard parties were always the craziest. They used to fly in the likes of Greyboy, Spearhead, SuperSuckers, (Jackson Hole, maybe 1997) then invite some shop owners. Mark Weeks used to show up and buy tray loads of shooters that he expected me to drink with him, stuff like that.
If being a sales rep wasn’t so glamorous what kind of career path do you think you would be following? Team manager, motorcycle grand prix racing. That would be cool! With the state of our economy right now where do you see our industry heading? With the ever increasing number of publicly owned suppliers in our industry, and their share holder demands for growth at all costs, this puts pressure on both distributors, and reps, to add distribution outside of the amazing specialty shops that we are so fortunate to have in western Canada. The US market is much further down this road than we are and of course this has been extremely detrimental to the health of the specialty retailers down there. We all need these guys to be well supported and profitable for the long term health of our industry and our brands. If not, it’s all going to turn into a big homogenous mess.
Last big purchase? Next big Purchase? Last was buying the sailboat that my wife Debbie and I had lusted after for many many years, in summer ’07. I think I am now cut off, but a Ducati motorcycle or a silly old British sports car would be alright. 10 Things: 1. Device? 2. Vehicle? 3. Music? 4. Sport? 5. Website? 6. Pet? 7. Travel? 8. Eats? 9. Brand? 10. Hometown?
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Espresso machine A boring Toyota Tacoma John Mayall Bluesbreakers Windsurfing Motogp.com Silly cat that my daughter left behind Baja - offroad Chile Relleno con camarones Dakine ………… of course! Sutton Coldfield, UK
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