Pier Five recently got the chance to stop by Editorial Boutique, one of Montreal’s premier streetwear fashion retailers. Editorial is a women-led operation, bringing some of the best streetwear and skate brands to the Montreal fashion scene. Throughout covid, Editorial was able to capitalize on a successful e-commerce operation and expanded its brick and mortar space, allowing them to bring in new product categories like skate hardgoods, as well as some great new brands from Europe, Asia and North America. We spoke with some of the team to learn about their favourite trends right now, what brands they’re excited about in the shop and of course, we had to break down their stellar fits. Check out the breakdowns below and head to Editorial Boutique’s site to check out the shop’s incredible mix. Anh - Sales The Fit Hat: Polo Ralph Lauren T-Shirt: Braindead Cognitive Prophecy Tee Pants: Levis Ribcage Denim Shoes: Rokit x Converse Pro Leather Ox What brands are you really into these days? I really like Stussy and Pleasures. The fit on their stuff is really good for me and I find it very easy to style and wear. Sierra - Sales The Fit Shirt: Editorial Boutique x Arthurs MTL Pants: Vintage Levis Shoes: New Balance 990 Watch: Cartier What was your last big purchase? I just bought a pair of super nice bright red cowboy boots which I’ve been wearing around a bit. Once the weather get’s cooler I’ll be styling those with a nice trench coat - it’s going to be sick! Are they comfortable? No [laughs] but I just gotta keep wearing them. I love them so I’ll deal with the pain. Levina - Stylist & E-Commerce The Fit Tank Top: Editorial BDG Pants: Custom overdyed Dickies by Editorial Shoes: Converse Chuck 70 ‘Combat Green’ Rings: Peel Metro Jade Necklace: from Mom <3 Do you have any tips for styling? For me, I can’t plan out my fits beforehand. I need to just wear whatever I’m feeling that day. I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable in what you’re wearing. You’re wearing the clothes. The clothes are not wearing you. What upcoming trends are you excited about for Fall/Winter ‘21? I think camo is making a huge comeback. Low-rise pants are also definitely coming back. I know not everyone is into it but it’s definitely coming back. What are some of your favourite brands in the shop right now? Dickies has always been one of my favourites and we’ve carried them for so long. It’s super hard to keep them in stock. Ragged Priest is a london based line which is super cool. It’s super edgy but you can mix it into basic fits even and it works well. Brain Dead is also sick and we have Fucking Awesome’s sub-line Hockey which I love. Their graphics are sick! Follow @editorialboutique on Instagram for more news on the latest drops and keep it locked to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators, brands and more.

Photo: @lognamakya The term "busy" floats around a lot as being synonymous with successful. We live in a "rise and grind" culture which puts mental health by the wayside and can turn incredible work into a struggle to hold on. Albert Nguyen, Managing Art Director for Hudson's Bay, one of Canada's longest standing department stores, understands this all to well. Having gone through periods of burnout and overworking through his craft, Albert has become an advocate for mental health and pushing the conversation around the topic forward, especially for men and minority groups in which the stigmas around vocalizing feelings are eminent. We got the chance to chat with Albert about his struggles with burnout, his outlook on the creative industry, what it was like coming up as an Asian designer in Montreal and his advice for new designers looking to establish themselves and build a career through their passions. Read through the conversation below and share with a friend as the information that Albert shares is priceless! Hey Al! Great to be chatting with you. For those who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? So my name is Albert Nguyen and for a living and as a hobby, I am an art director and a designer. I come from a fashion, art and design background so I’d say I’m a designer first but I love my work as an art director. My art, my photography style, it all comes from design. I worked in the fashion industry for corporate brands for a long time like Le Chateau and Rudsak and was the art director for Little Burgundy for a while. After a while, I chose to leave the corporate world and design on my own which was great. A couple years later, The Bay called me up for an art direction role and I took that which is where I am today. What led you to the decision of leaving your stable corporate job and going solo? Honestly, I faced some serious burnout. I was working like 12 hour days grinding through. We live in this culture of being busy and I thought 12 hours days were the norm and never thought I’d hit a wall but I did. When that happened to me, I was able to take a month off of work but at the end of the month, I didn’t feel ready to return back to that lifestyle. I had always had this feeling like I could be my own boss. It was tough though to start my own thing. Especially as an Asian designer, it was very tough. The design community is very white and I felt like there were all of these lines I had to stay in [at Little Burgundy] but I was like “Ok, I’m not white. I can do my own thing.” I started really tapping into my Asian roots, which was super scary, but I did that for about three years and got some awesome clients like SSENSE and Raised By Wolves which were really great. And now you’re at The Bay. What was the return like after 3 years of being solo? When The Bay called me, COVID was pretty nuts and things were drying up a bit for my solo work. I had a couple options of what I wanted to do next but I thought The Bay could be a good fit to try out. Now that I’m there, I see a lot of value in what I’m doing there. Although it’s not as wild and crazy, it’s a place that really values new ideas and new perspectives which is needed because it’s been around for so long. Luckily, when I came in, I got the keys to concept out the spring 21 season and made it super fun and different and it’s been great since. They’ve also let me take breaks when I need, which is something most companies wouldn’t be ok with. I really value that with The Bay and we have a really good working relationship. Albert Nguyen on Thinking Out Loud by La Rue Inspire That’s awesome to hear! It’s definitely not always easy for creatives to find that balance in the corporate world so we’re stoked to hear that you have it. Let’s talk about the burnout a bit more because we think it’s super important for people to speak about. Can you tell us what that was like, how you identified it and what helped you through it? Yes! I really like talking about it because you’re right, people definitely don’t speak about it enough. There’s a lot of stigma around this, especially for Asian men too, but it’s super important for everyone to be aware of. Men don’t talk about mental health much and it’s not discussed in Asian communities. I’m glad that the conversation around mental health has really stepped up lately and it makes it easier for people to talk about it. Recognizing burnout So firstly, I felt tired all the time. Like I said before, we think it’s normal to keep pushing until you break but it’s not. I wasn’t focused and my work wasn’t as strong. If you notice this happening for a long time, definitely take a step back and look at your situation. Treating burnout So these are some things that worked for me but it might be different for others. The big takeaway for all of them though is that it’s important to be consistent with them. You can’t just do these things a few times and then it’s over. Consistency is key and even though I’m in a better place now, I still do these all of the time. Therapy: What helped me a lot was therapy. During that time, I started meditating every morning. It doesn’t have to be a really long time. Even 10-20 minutes is great. The future is uncertain and the past is the past, but meditating to focus on the present which is, in that moment, good, can really help start your day off the right way. Now I’m doing it a few times a week and still love it. Improving your diet: Eating bad will make you feel bad and if you’re overworking yourself on the wrong diet, it’s going to be really tough. Mushrooms: I’ve started incorporating micro doses of mushrooms into my day to day a bit. There is an incredible movie called Fantastic Fungi which explains everything around how mushrooms have helped humanity for millions of years. That’s really good advice and we’ll definitely need to check out Fantastic Fungi! Switching gears a bit now. You have this great role as Art Director for Hudson’s Bay which takes up a bunch of time. What are you working on for your freelance now? The Bay takes up a ton of my time now so I really only do t-shirt designs these days as a freelancer. I did some stuff for Raised By Wolves who are good friends for their FW 21 line and have been working on a bunch of charity tees lately. There is one coming for Skateistan which is this awesome organization that provides education and leadership training, along with skateboarding, to children in underprivileged communities around the world. The tee I’ll be dropping is for Skatistan - Cambodia which I’m super pumped about and there’s also another tee I dropped with Lopez MTL to raise funds for Club Sexu, a non-profit group that aims to make discussions around sexuality more fun and inclusive. That one is sold out on Lopez but we’re going to do another drop for it soon! That’s really awesome! What kicked off these charity tees that you’ve been working on? During covid when all the stuff was happening against Black and Asian communities, everyone was sharing posts and talking but I felt like it wasn’t helping much and was thinking like, “ok, so what’s next?” I was thinking about how I could actually take action and use my skills to do some good. In the example of Skateistan, that’s a culture that has always been so close to me since I was younger so being able to create t-shirts that can connect people with that culture and help those in need is so awesome to me. Love that you’ve found an avenue to use your skills to make a difference. Amongst your full time role as Art Director for Hudson’s Bay and all your freelance work, and thinking about your mental health, how do you keep organized and on top of everything? Set priorities. For me, it’s The Bay. So once I plan that out, I assess my time and be really critical about when I can take on other projects and then go down the priority list. Know your limits. We live in this culture where we see all these people saying “hustle hustle hustle”. We look down on “laziness” which is a word I hate because it makes people just work all the time. People value being busy too much and then become way too busy. Know your limits and what you want to do and stick within that. You’ve spoken about facing discrimination as an Asian man throughout your career. What was that like, especially when you were younger, and how did you get through that? I grew up in Montreal and I speak french but even being in that community, it’s not very accepting of Asian creatives. I realized a while back that none of my clients here are french. Clients in other cities and countries seem more stoked to speak to me. I’m not sure why that is but it feels different here. Quebec has a very particular style and is in their own thing. Maybe it’s the French thing, maybe not, but that was tough for me coming up. To be revered in this world as an Asian, you have to be this exceptional version of an Asian man. The ones who have a lot of clout are insanely amazing but you never hear about the good Asian creatives. Same thing if you’re Black or Middle Eastern or Indian or Arab. It sucks but I just kept pushing and knew that I could get to a place to make a difference. I’m luckily in a position today where I can start opening doors for other Asians and all the homies. This season for The Bay I cast all Asians. These people are already really good but just not tapped into enough. It’s amazing to be able to give people a chance with what I’m doing. That’s probably the best part of my job. It took me some time to get to where I am but I’m glad I had the path that I did because it’s forced me to get out of my comfort zone and I’ve built so much character through my work with others. Hudson's Bay Summer 21 Campaign Let’s show Asians some love! Who are 5 Asians doing incredible things that you admire? Tam Vu (artist): He’s doing great things for the vietnamese community Lian Benoit (photographer) She just left an agency to go solo. I just wrapped a job with her and she’s awesome. Yang Shi - She’s a model but also turned photographer with her partner. JG & Shi is their collective. Celia Spenard-Ko (art director): She’s like a sister to me. She lives in Paris and is the Art Director for Goodee which is an e-commerce platform for ethically minded consumers. Christian Chico: A homie in NY that always kills it at whatever he does. Some great names in there and others that we’ll need to check out! Given your many years of experience, what tips would you give to new artists or creatives looking to make a name for themselves in the space? The first thing I’d say is do your research and put in the hours. My work is a little crazy and non-traditional sometimes but I had to learn all the rules before I could start breaking them. A lot of young designers start with “I want to make all the wild stuff” and it can turn out poorly. Study up and pay attention to what’s out there. With that being said, to stand out, your work has to be a little bit jarring. It has to make someone feel like “woah, what’s happening here?”. Once you learn to be thoughtful in your design, you can break the rules and that will help you find your voice. Albert Nguyen for SSENSE x 88Rising Any tips on developing a unique point of view when crafting your voice as an artist? Inspiration comes from everywhere. Put down the phone and get outside and experience things around you. If you only get inspiration from what you see online, that’s what your stuff is going to look like. Get outside and get out of your comfort zone with stuff? Try new things. Don’t stay stagnant. Never stop experimenting. As expected, these are great tips. It seems obvious when you say it but it’s definitely easy to forget these things. Lastly, what’s coming up that you're excited about, whether in work or in life? I’m really excited about this charity work that’s coming out. The designs are awesome and the money is going to a great cause. I always get excited to see my nieces and nephews too. Something about kids sparks a lot of stuff for me. I’m also talking about moving to Ottawa. I need a change in scenery and somewhere quiet to create. I don’t need the big city anymore and I have tons of people in my network in Ottawa that are helping me find a spot. I’ll get out there soon I think! Make sure to follow Albert on Instagram for updates on his work and t-shirt releases and don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

A couple weeks back, we were lucky enough to get the invite out to the launch party for the norda x ciele “Cooper’s Hawk” 001 sneaker. This shoe marked the first ever footwear project for Montreal based running brand ciele and an iconic milestone for norda in regards to footwear development, with special details like the Cooper’s Hawk inspired yellow Vibram midsole, something that Vibram has never approved to any other brand in the world due to concerns around it contrasting with the Vibram logo. The launch event consisted of a community gathering at Off The Hook, Montreal’s premier sneaker boutique, where guests got to try on the norda 001s, followed by a 7km trail run hosted by Run Rite. Post-run, everyone gathered back at Off The Hook for some refreshments and music. This event marked the first launch event for norda and the first time that many got to feel and try on the norda 001 in person so we were absolutely thrilled to be able to attend. Pier Five got the chance to chat with runners and the norda team about the launch and even laced up the norda 001s to join the Run Rite run club for what was a very fun and challenging hike through the famed Mont Royal park in the plateau of Montreal. The energy was at an all time high, everyone’s feet were more comfortable than ever, and it’s safe to say that this evening solidified norda as a force to be reckoned with both in the running and lifestyle footwear space. Scroll down to watch the official event recap video filmed and edited by Pier Five, as well as check out photos from the event and run. Swipe through the slideshow for photos. To learn more about the norda x ciele “Cooper’s Hawk” 001 and purchase a pair for yourself, head to norda’s website and keep it locked to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators, brands and more.

Welcome to Pier Five monthly round ups, a look back at some of the people, brands & things that caught our eye this month that we thought you should know about. norda™ 001 x Ciele “Cooper Hawk” Our friends at norda just don’t stop working and have made it back on our list again. This time collaborating with another iconic Montreal based running gear brand, Ciele Athletics, on the norda 001 Cooper’s Hawk Edition. This collaboration marks Ciele’s first ever footwear collab and it makes total sense to do it with a like-minded brand like norda. The shoe combines the technology of the world’s first seamless, lightest, trail running shoe in the norda 001s with a new colourway featuring a yellow Vibram midsole that is inspired by the fast & skillful Cooper’s Hawk known for its bright yellow talons. Fun fact, this is the first time that Vibram has ever allowed any brand to do a yellow midsole as the company had concerns about it hiding the yellow Vibram logo. I guess norda and Ciele just have their way! The shoe is available now on both norda & Ciele’s websites as well as your local running shops. Raised By Wolves for ntwrk’s Open House With over a decade of experience in creating high quality, Canadian made, pieces & collections, Ottawa based streetwear brand Raised By Wolves have caught our attention with their latest drop of home goods exclusively for ntwrk’s Open House series. The drop featured their highly sought after Souvenir Wolf Rug along with a new take on their “Fuck Off” door mat designed by Luke Norrad, a throw blanket, ash tray and dish. If you missed this drop, fear not, as the brand’s Fall/Winter 21 collection will surely include more great pieces. Make sure to follow them @raisebywolves to not miss out! DONDA Need we say more? Kanye West’s tenth studio album titled “DONDA” (whether he intended for it to or not) dropped on the last weekend of August. We’re sure you all know about it already - how could you not after the prolonged release teasers and live listening shows - but this album has lived up to the hype so far and we’ve been playing it on repeat nonstop. The album has a total of 27 tracks with loads of big features on there like Jay-Z, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi & much more. If you haven’t given it a listen yet, you can check DONDA out on all streaming platforms. Kith x Wilson Tennis After the opening of the beautiful Kith & Wilson Sports public tennis court in Queens, NY, Kith & Wilson gave us a sneak peek of their partnership with a limited-edition collection of tennis inspired hard goods that made waves across the sporting & streetwear universe. The initial rollout features the Wilson Pro Staff and Ultra racquets along with other pieces of tennis equipment including tennis balls, racquet dampeners & a racquet stencil, all given the Kith facelift of clean logos & design. With Ronnie Fieg & Kith’s incredible storytelling & vision paired with the rich archive & history of Wilson Tennis’ products, we are very excited to see the rest of this collaboration. The initial collection dropped August 30th; some items are still available on Kith’s website, but act quick as they probably won’t be available for long. Off The Hook x Art by J Arthur To celebrate the return of Montreal’s Mural Festival, Off the Hook reached out to local artists to reimagine their retail space with installations through their artistic lens. For the final installation they tapped into J Arthur, an up & coming young artist who is known for his unique thought provoking character drawings. Titled “Peace Out”, he created a 2 storey mural of one of his characters holding up a peace sign on the front of the store that represents his honest feelings towards how he is slowly recovering from the pandemic and moving out of the box at his own pace. The meaning is really relevant to all and we love the thought he put into this project. To commemorate this mural, OTH has also released a limited t-shirt run featuring the peace out character which is still available on their website. Stay tuned to The Roundup series to discover the coolest new people, brands and releases each month and keep it locked to all of Pier Five for stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators and more.

We hear all the time that growth is imminent once you step outside of your comfort zone. This is very much the case for Montreal based product designer Louis-Martin Tremblay. By never spending too long in a comfortable place and always exploring and experimenting, Louis has created an incredibly diverse journey for himself. His past involves television, the skateboard industry, global footwear brands, his own blog and flourishing design studio and now one of the best new trail running brands in North America, all solidifying himself as a force to be reckoned with in the footwear design space. We got the opportunity to sit down with Louis to discuss his beginnings, how he approaches the design process, his new role as Head of Design norda™, tips for aspiring designers and so much more. Read the full interview below to learn more about Louis’ incredible story and make sure to check out our Introduction to norda™ story afterwards for more on this groundbreaking brand. Hey Louis! So great to be chatting. To kick things off, for those who may not be as familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself? My name is Louis-Martin Tremblay Lawrence and I am a product designer working out of Montréal, Canada. I specialize in footwear design, but have also done menswear clothing, accessories and graphic design to a certain extent along my career. I am passionate about nature and like to spend as much time surrounded by it as I can. This curiosity toward mother nature has been a constant source of inspiration and elevation as it is inexhaustible. You’ve built quite a strong portfolio of work over the years. How did you get your start in product design? When I finished high school, I wanted to be an illustrator and loved travelling. I was really into rave culture in the UK and punk and skateboarding and was travelling to experience all of this. After a short time in the cartoon space doing kids shows, I got to work with Underworld Skateboard shop back in Montreal designing for their boards and then started doing accessories/clothing design for brands. I was always very driven by the creativity of it all and being able to experiment with new styles. After some time with Underworld, someone called me up to see if I wanted to try designing skate shoes. I did it as a private label job but wasn’t learning much and felt stagnant in my illustrating. While I was doing that I started a blog called KOMFORTZONE, posting about important trends I was seeing in the footwear space. About a year in, people were referencing the blog a lot and I started getting calls from some big companies to consult. This led to a job at Aldo on the women’s shoe side which I loved. This was like a “footwear university” for me. I was learning so much. I moved to the men's side about two years later which focused on mostly dress shoes and felt less creative so I began to think about my next move. Shortly after that I left Aldo and started my own design studio Atelier LMTL. After a couple big jobs with shops like Off the Hook in Montreal and brands like Aimé Leon Dore in New York, things started to really pick up for me and new clients started coming in quickly which was amazing. I loved working with brands on different footwear designs. It gave me everything I was looking for; products, fashion, related to culture, mixed material, etc. I also love working on shoes because you can get a good sense of what they’ll look like before trying them on which you can’t see with clothing. Footwear is more architectural in that sense. Photo: Atelier LMTL Such an interesting journey! Over the last year and a bit now you’ve taken on a role as Head of Design at norda™. How did that opportunity come about? Just before the pandemic, Nick (Co-Founder, norda™) reached out to me about a project. It wasn’t norda™ but more of a client sourcing job. We started working together more and on a trip to Italy for that work, Nick told me about his idea for norda™ and I was very excited about it. About a month after that conversation, right as the pandemic was picking up, Nick reached out and said he wanted to do it for real and I was in between client work with Atelier LMTL so the timing was good and so I said yes. It’s crazy to see how that early conversation has developed now. norda™ isn’t like any other sneaker brand. What was it like working on a hyper-technical trail running shoe and what was the hardest part of designing the norda™ 001? ​​Fortunately, I came into this project with some understanding from a consumer end and was thinking a lot about what was missing from stores. I have been running for years and as mentioned earlier, I am an outdoors person, therefore, familiar with a lot of the technologies used in the industry. This being said, nobody had achieved a seamless upper using Dyneema. Nick gathered a round table of specialists in order to figure out what was needed. With the experience of everyone it was just a matter of time and trial before something concrete would come out and the factory team played a crucial role in achieving this. My personal challenge was to balance the possibilities and the limitations while keeping the design DNA of the norda™ 001. Always good to have a strong team to work with, especially when working with new designs and materials. From a start to finish approach, what are the steps of your design process like? I tend to keep the practice very flexible due to the reason that every client, brand or project, is unique. The design process starts with a conversation, or I should say with an open ear. Listening to their purpose, why do they exist or why do they want to exist. This leads to the research to understand the market, the scene, the culture we are talking to and what connects them to their product, the object. Afterwards, inspiring images and texts get collected to create a bank or reference. Obviously there is a period of drawing and sketching. If possible, right after I like to let go of it all for a while. This pause gives room for everything to settle down, leaving what’s needed floating atop. From there the products start to take life. Really interesting! You mentioned before the design DNA of norda™. Can you speak more on this? We were looking at how we could meet lifestyle footwear DNA with the sportswear side and achieve a good balance that doesn’t exist with a lot of the other big brands. Many big brands are heavily focused on the sportswear side with exaggerated technical details but I wanted to make something with a more vintage feel and be able to hide the tech within the lifestyle elements. We can definitely see this in the norda™ 001. Super technical but not too eccentric looking. What were some of the design inspirations for the shoe? I am often inspired by cars and was influenced by Porsche for norda™. The lines on a Porsche emit a sense of speed but it’s subtle. On the outside, everything is simple and clean but once you open the hood you see all of the tech. I wanted the norda™ 001 to be like this; able to perform but doesn’t have to look like it. In hand, the shoe is simple but once you’re wearing it, you can feel all of the technology in your step. For the outsole, which I think makes the shoe most of the time (Nike Air, Adidas Boost, etc), I wanted to bring in an organic relationship with the ground. I used the formation of the Canadian Shield, the largest and strongest pre-Cambrian rock formation on earth, to design the outsole and wrapped it up the heel which I think is a unique touch. Do you have a favourite feature on the norda™ 001? I don’t think there is one feature standing out for me. Like a painting you can appreciate the colours, the gesture or the composition, but it’s the whole that makes the experience complete. But having to choose, the outsole plate element of the Canadian Shield and its repetition on the collar as a 3M hit, I find, gives the 001 something very unique and organic. Agreed! Besides norda™, you’ve also designed on a number of very cool projects through Atelier LMTL, every one of them being quite different from the others but all, for the most part, being in the sneaker category. Are there any other categories you might like to explore with Atelier LMTL? Football cleats. I would definitely take on that challenge, especially from an outsole point of view. The cleats give a unique form and many possibilities to play with. This being said, I think menswear is on the top of the list. This category needs some attention and creativity to respond to what men need in a modern and functional way. We’d love to see what you come up with for all of it. Switching gears here a bit now. The footwear design space is one that many aspire to be a part of but it can definitely look intimidating from the outside. What tips would you give to someone who is looking to get into footwear design as a career? Get busy, stay curious. Take jobs with purpose, like learning from someone or understanding the basics of the industry. From there, move up, down, sideways, but when you become stagnant, move to keep learning and growing. Design is specific and in order to sharpen it you will need to understand all aspects of the industry like manufacturing, marketing, merchandising and many more. Understanding culture is also a key ingredient. Cultures come with a set of beliefs, unknown rules and a visual language. This last one cannot be underestimated. That is excellent advice and definitely even applicable to those not looking at the footwear space, especially in regards to the comfort zone advice. Definitely! Once you’re in different spots, you should always continue to ask questions and speak to people to learn and then the minute you feel you’ve learned something, move on. It’s also important to have checkpoints in the moment to help you understand what you’re trying to achieve, where you’re at and what the future may look like for you. Absolutely. Getting a bit more personal for the last question. What are your top 5 sneaker designs of all time, excluding norda™ and anything else you’ve worked on? Mmm, I don’t even own 5 sneakers right now [laughs]. I am with them all the time for work but I have never considered making a list or collecting them. This being said, court sneakers like the Tretorn Nylite have patterns I really like for their unique and curated look. I am also very into menswear classics like the original P204 from Padmore and Barnes. They have been some of my favourites since childhood. I also am wearing the Keen Uneek sandal a lot and will always love Clarks. I could name others, but it would be mostly on the aesthetic as I have been deceived often by either the fit, the comfort or the quality. A great list nonetheless! For more on norda™, check out our Introduction to norda™ story and make sure to follow norda™ and Atelier LMTL on Instagram for more exciting work and updates. Also, don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

Photo: @whentheyfindus It’s no secret that Canada hasn't always been the hub for dope brands and culture that it is now. For decades, the space was dominated by cities like New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris. Garret “GMAN” Louie, a Vancouver native, has been doing his thing to change that. With over twenty-five years of experience throwing some of the best parties in the country and bringing some of the coolest skate and street brands to Canadian shops, GMAN has solidified the great north as a prominent epicenter for all things cool. As the co-founder of a top-tier streetwear and sneaker shop Livestock and owner of multiple distribution agencies, Fortune Sound music venue and TAIKAN, one of the hottest bags brands in the market, GMAN is one of those people that you need on your radar. We were lucky enough to speak with him about what he’s been working on lately and pick his brain for some tips that any creative person can apply to their hustle. Take a read through the interview below and stay tuned for a likely part two since GMAN’s stories are endless! Hey GMAN! It’s great to be chatting with you. For those who may not be familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself? Hey guys! Well first and foremost, I am a father and husband living in Vancouver, British Columbia and I love to do stuff for my community. I was a co-founder of Canadian streetwear shop Livestock and I co-own two distribution companies called Timebomb Trading Inc and FBOMB Trading Inc. A few years ago I also started TAIKAN, an essentials bag and apparel brand. Wow! You’ve got a lot going on. What do you think were the driving factors that got you so involved in this space over time? As a kid I was really into skateboarding, punk rock, rap and all that stuff. My dad had a sales agency for menswear that sold suits and ties, so I wasn’t really that interested. One day his agency brought on a more youthful surf brand which sparked some interest for me. I told my Dad I wanted to explore distribution as I had found this brand called Freshjive and wanted to import it. I ended up getting in touch with the owner & he was down and I threw a big party in Van for them. I was really able to build the brand and connect with the community. The party went super well and things just kept going from there. A number of years later I started Livestock with Garry Bone and that really led the way for all of my current ventures, spending so much time around various brands and the nightlife scene. Very cool to see you taking that initiative early on. Having worked in the distribution industry for fashion and streetwear brands for so long, what triggered the desire to start your own brand, TAIKAN? After working with brands for so long and meeting all the people behind them you really start to learn the process of developing and growing successful brands. Eventually I started to notice some gaps in what the market/retail space had and saw an opportunity to start TAIKAN to help with my own roster on the distribution side. Vancouver has become such a hub for new brands with the different seasons as there is so much good gear coming out of here. Today we have labels like Reigning Champ, Arcteryx, Lululemon, Herschel and Purple Brand. Even brands like Stussy have their creative team based out of here now. Back in the day people never even really knew where Vancouver was but all that has changed now. That makes a lot of sense when looking at it from a distribution standpoint, having one business help the other and growing them together. What was the inspiration for the brand and the bags? I have been a huge fan of our friends at Herschel’s success but my personal aesthetic is a bit more higher end and a little more Japanese influenced which is something we don’t have much of in Canada. The problem with the nice Japanese stuff is it’s very expensive so we wanted to create something that could be affordable, yet have cleaner aesthetics and be inspired by design, photography, art, music & skateboarding. Love it. We also hear that TAIKAN is set to release its first apparel collection later this month! What was the reason for expanding beyond bags and why now? We’ve done a lot with bags over the years. We’ve had some amazing collabs with brands like Pleasures, BEAMS, Soulection and SNEEZE, etc. and have gotten into a ton of amazing shops around the world. The thing with bags is, from a volume standpoint in stores, you can’t stock as much as you can with apparel. Twelve to twenty-four bags in a shop might seem like a lot, whereas for apparel, you have more options. With COVID happening and people not travelling as much, it felt like the right time to pivot to apparel. Makes sense! What’s the vibe for the apparel drop? A lot of the brands are very logo heavy so I wanted the TAIKAN assortment to be less branded and more about quality, fit and feel. We’re all about creating timeless pieces that can be in your wardrobe forever. We want this to be your favourite hoodie, your go-to cargo pant, etc. Design wise it’s a lot of basics/ staples/essentials, but we also tapped some cool artists for collabs and brought in some fun custom dyes to spice things up a bit. Basics with a twist. We’re also going seasonless and general neutral for our apparel which makes it a lot easier for stores to support, especially during COVID, and the reception has been overwhelming. Everything will start hitting shelves late August and we’re pumped for people to get their hands on it. In the meantime, make sure to check out www.taikaneverything.com and follow @taikaneverything on IG. Photo: @eligorin We’re big fans of the timeless classics! Can’t wait to check it out. You mentioned some of the awesome collabs you’ve done in the past. What are your 5 tips to execute a successful collaboration? The first thing is to really think about why you’re doing the collaboration. Don’t just collaborate for collaboration’s sake. It has to be a good fit. Tap into your relationships. It’s always more fun to collab with friends or people you know and respect. Be thoughtful with the story and design. Don’t just slap a logo on something. Make sure the collab tells a story that people can feel. Start early and be patient. Sometimes these projects can take up to a year to create but it will all be worth it. Lastly, make something that you’d want to have yourself. It will always lead to a better product and a final outcome that you are the most happy with. Bonus: There are no rules! Try new things and have fun. These are great tips! What’s one of your favourite projects that you’ve done with TAIKAN so far? We have an ongoing project called TAIKAN By that I love. Essentially we tap artists, photographers, creators, etc that we are into, send them bags and apparel and let them do their thing with it. Rather than trying to manage what they create, we let them put their spin on it and it makes for some really great content. Sometimes we can get really out of the box like our latest collaboration with Tatum Maclean (@zeustate) who did a Hansel and Gretel theme shoot. It turned out amazing! We’ll then also do an interview or have them choose a playlist for our site as well to really give them representation on our page. You can find Tatum Maclean’s TAIKAN BY here. That seems like a really smart way to keep things fresh. On that note, as someone who’s been in the space for decades, we’re sure you’ve seen many brands come and go. What are some key traits that you think brands need to have to stand the test of time? I actually don’t mind that brands come and go. I think that sometimes brands change to keep up with the changing times and it takes away from the authenticity of the brand. I look at a lot of brands and think, as the owners grow, how do you still continue to appeal to the new younger generations? Some brands can obviously last though. It comes down to focusing on authenticity and not letting money or extreme growth get in the way. If you think about a brand like Stussy who’s been around for thirty plus years, they had a period of time where they were in every Zumiez and that definitely diluted the brand a bit, but then they pulled out. I think people really respected it. It was a ton of lost revenue at first but the community that the brand is for really respected the move and I think that’s what has helped them be so legit. That’s a good way to look at it. I guess we don’t need everything forever. Lastly, it’s no secret that with decades of experience, you know how to throw a good party. What are 5 must haves for any GMAN certified party? Vibes are super important. If there are good vibes then everything else will follow. Sometimes you might need to spend some extra money on the best DJ or let some people in for free and give up cover to get the vibes just right. It’s worth it. You need to have dope music and the right talent for the crowd. We always try to source the best locally and also bring people from around the world. Pack up the party with the right people. No one likes an empty party. Try not to stress too much, especially when the party is going on. Just have fun. Have fun but don’t over indulge. The only way to be able to do this for many years is to have a good balance. Check out GMAN, TAIKAN and Fortune Sound on Instagram and make sure to visit TAIKAN’s website for more news on their apparel release coming at the end of August. Also don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

Welcome to Pier Five monthly round ups, a look back at some of the people, brands & things that caught our eye this month that we thought you should know about. Dime x Vans Montreal based skate brand Dime has launched another perfect collaboration, dubbed the Wayvee, as part of their ongoing partnership with Vans. This collab is brought to life in two colorways: evening blue and egret. Complemented with luxe suede, embroidered Vans and Dime logo hits throughout and an all-new upper construction with reinforced translucent mesh panels, this model delivers luxury design and performance construction in the perfect shoe. Hopefully you were lucky enough to get a pair on the initial July 17th but if not, make sure to check your local skate shops, which dropped the shoes on July 24, for any remaining sizes. Adidem Astericks* Collabs The month of July has been a busy one for up and coming Toronto based fashion brand Adidem Astericks* who has recently made waves with refined luxury aesthetics similar to brands like Aime Leon Dore and Todd Snyder with a more street twist. This month, Adidem Astericks*partnered with two heavy hitters for some big collaborations. In partnership with Roots, they redefined the Canadian classic Awards Varsity Jacket with elevated multi-patch embroidery work and thoughtful colour blocking in two colourways; piston blue & merlot. The jacket has been seen on the likes of Toronto rappers, Jazz Cartier & Pressa to name a few. The second collab tapped into the hand painted illustrations of fellow Toronto artist Moya “Gang Box'' Garrison-Msingwanaon a collection featuring tees, caps, pins & even a coffee table book! Both collaborations are available on their webstore here. Vandy The Pink Carpenter Mules When it comes to customizing sneakers & clothes, Junghoon Son, the man behind Vandy The Pink, is at the forefront of it all. From hawaiin summer shirt-short sets with Hidden.NY to playful fast food burger inspired sneakers, Vandy doesn’t miss and we’re here for it all! His latest creation gives the Vandy treatment on a pair of mules called the VTP Carpenter Mule, taking design inspiration from the popular Carhartt workwear brand. From the soft suede upper to the gold rivets & zipper detailing, the attention to detail is A1. These dropped July 15 and are unfortunately sold-out but make sure to follow Vandy The Pink on instagram for all of their feature releases! Matty Matheson Summer Merch Collection Canadian chef & internet personality Matty Matheson launched his latest merch line, perfect for the summer, called “Camp Matty’s World”. This full collection has everything from tees to truckers & dad caps, basketball jerseys, shorts & more. As you can tell by the name of the collection, it’s design theme and graphic inspiration comes from throwback summer camp style bringing back the little kid in all of us. The designs are on point and the full collection is available for purchase on Matty’s webstore here. norda™ 001 Our monthly roundup wouldn’t be complete without including the world’s first seamless, lightest, trail running shoe from our friends at norda™. The norda™ 001 comes in two colourways, black or white and is made from Dyneema®: the world’s strongest and lightest fiber™, delivering the lowest carbon footprint per unit strength of any material. The sole of the shoe is a brand new design made in collaboration with Vibram, a leader in shoe design and footwear soles, and was inspired by the Canadian Shield, the largest and strongest pre-Cambrian rock formation on Earth. The technology in this shoe is unlike any other trail running shoe that exists and was made to prove that high performance and sustainability should always run together. The shoe is available for pre-order on norda’s website and will hit local running shops in August. Also check out our latest interview with Nick Martire, founder of norda™ here! Stay tuned to The Roundup series to discover the coolest new people, brands and releases each month and keep it locked to all of Pier Five for stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators and more.

What is success if it is not shared with others? As a sports fanatic, houseplant enthusiast and advocate for female empowerment and growth, Olivia Ho has been on a mission to create change through what she loves. Noticing the barriers that existed for young females in sports, an activity which she thinks is imperative for developing confidence early on in children and teens, Olivia has set out to create new opportunities for Toronto’s female youth through community led initiatives and programs. We caught up with Olivia to discuss her work as a Sports Program Lead at MLSE Launchpad and to look back at a very successful first year running The Give and Grow, a women-led initiative building a community for women in Toronto. As someone with an inside lens into both big and small corporations working to make a change, Olivia is full of knowledge and advice that can help everyone work together to empower the next generation of leaders. Read our conversation with Olivia below and then head over to The Give and Grow’s instagram page to check out what they have coming up to celebrate the one year anniversary. @ohoxo // @thegiveandgrow Hey Olivia! For those who may not be familiar, tell us a bit about yourself and The Give and Grow. Hey guys! My name is Olivia Ho. I’m a cardiac sonographer at St. Mike’s Hospital in Toronto and a Sports Program Lead at MLSE Launchpad, leading sports programs for young women in the city. During last summer in the pandemic, with buzz starting around houseplants and as a way to stay creative, I started making basketball planters and it got the attention of some people on my socials. I started to think about how I could use the planters to bring together more people in the community and continue to empower young girls and that’s how The Give and Grow started. The Give and Grow, a pun on the basketball term “give and go”, is a women-led initiative centred around growth. We run workshops, many of which through Launchpad, to help young girls gain confidence and give them the tools they need to achieve their goals. A portion of all planters sold goes toward youth programming in Toronto and we’re working on expanding our programming and workshops to other cities in Canada and internationally. Through your work at MLSE and with The Give and Grow, you’re doing a ton of amazing work to create new opportunities for youth in the city. Why is this cause one that is so important to you? Growing up in a Filipino and Vietnamese household, basketball culture was huge for me and in my community. I always played in leagues but noticed early on that you’re always a bit of an outlier if you are a girl who is good at sports. I watched a lot of my female peers grow up without sports and it was hard to see the divide between how boys and girls were raised with sports. I also noticed all of the financial barriers that existed and wanted to create opportunities for as many people as I could through sport. This is really interesting and you’re definitely right in the observations you’ve made about youth upbringing with sports. How has Launchpad helped you achieve these goals? MLSE is great because they can help make amazing connections to enhance the programming run for the youth. Although they’re a big company, they really do care about helping smaller and less-privileged communities. In addition to the sports programming, they also run food programs and job training through Launchpad. All programming is free and we have an amazing team of staff that are representative of the groups of kids. We do this to help create a connection between everyone and so that the youth can see themselves in their leaders. You’ve said that The Give and Grow was never about basketball planters but they’ve clearly been a great outlet to bring women together and empower the next generation of leaders. Why do you think this has caught on as such a successful part of The Give and Grow experience? I’ve seen a few people do them before I did, including one of my friends who helped me learn to do them and it was very fun. House plants have become so popular and I think making the planters is a great activity to bring the community together. They also fit into the brand well under the idea of growth. Besides the workshops, what can people do to get involved in a cause they feel passionately about? Really immerse yourself in the space that you care about. Find people doing work for the cause and interact with them. Follow them on instagram, go to their events, send them a message etc. Reach out to people a ton and ask questions. Just go for it and don’t be afraid of rejection. You will start to connect with people with a shared vision, like I have, and that will be the building blocks for your involvement in change. Taking that leap isn’t always so easy. What are some ways you’d advise someone to help them get out of their comfort zone? Sometimes all you need is a prompt to understand how you are feeling. A big part of our workshops consist of activities to help people get out of their comfort zone. We have booklets with prompts to help get people talking and thinking about what is important to them, what their goals are, stories from their past, etc. These activities help show people that we’re not all so different from one another. You’ve partnered with some amazing people and organizations to help run workshops and create opportunities for women. What are some tips you’d give to anyone looking to find the right partners? Most importantly, make sure you truly understand who you are and what you want. Ask yourself what you are trying to achieve and that will help you evaluate new partnerships. Secondly, do your research on others to make sure that their brand and mission aligns with yours. Don’t let money or following size be the main factor in your decisions. If they are, it will be difficult to make decisions that fit with your goals. Also, don’t forget to do spot checks every now and then to ensure you’re still on track to achieve what you set out to achieve. That’s great advice. Is there a person or company that you would really love to partner with? I think the WNBA would be an amazing fit. I was lucky enough to work with the Toronto Raptors but doing something with females in basketball would be such a perfect partnership. That would be amazing! Who are 5 women or female led groups doing amazing work that people should know about? Dez and Steen from Patchwork Collective (@patchwork.collective). They were the first community partners that The Give and Grow worked with. They’re all about self discovery and creating a community for women. Emily Gilpin is a good friend and indigenous journalist out in British Columbia. She is the Managing Editor at Indiginews (@indiginews) and has done a great job documenting and raising awareness around everything that’s been happening with indigenous communities lately. Gaby Estrada is a coworker at Launchpad and the founder of Girls and Women in Motion (@gwinmotion), a program in Scarborough that focuses on engaging women and girls in physical activity. Kim & Shanelle, founder of The Villij (@thevillig). They run a fantastic online wellness platform that offers accessible workouts for women. Meghan Young is the founder of The Sad Collective (@thesadcollective), a community platform that offers workshops for youth and women and promotes mental health and wellness. We’ll definitely need to look into these! Lastly, if you could ask one thing to those who are reading this, what would it be? “Lift as you climb.” It’s important to remember that as you grow and become more successful, you need to continue to lift up others around you. The more we work together, the more successful we all will be and the higher we can climb. Check out Olivia and The Give and Grow and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

When You Can’t Find It, Make It Many of the guests on Pier Five can be considered problem solvers. Whether through community work, knowledge sharing or product creation, the best results come from real needs. The latest group of problem solvers to grace Pier Five with their presence comes from decades of experience as endurance athletes and lifelong shoe craftsmen who, after years of being unsatisfied with the product offering on the market, decided to take matters into their own hands. Without any further ado, we are pleased to introduce norda™, the world’s newest trail running footwear brand, created by runners for runners. While norda™ was made possible by people all over the world, the brand is run by four individuals in Montreal and the East Townships in Quebec, Canada who set out on a mission to create the world’s lightest, fastest and most durable trail running shoe. While there are other brands out there with deep pockets, norda™ feels they have the ability to take the sport by storm. This ability starts with the incredible team that makes up norda™. Running Is A Team Sport The company was founded by, husband and wife, Nick and Willa Martire who have spent many years as high-performance runners, bikers, skiers and hikers and nearly equal time as pioneers in the footwear industry. The two have collectively held leadership roles with major companies Aldo, Authentic Brands Group and Pretty Ballerinas LTD, developing and launching numerous high-tier brands in North America. The second half of norda™ is equally as impressive. The brand’s Head of Design, Louis-Martin Tremblay, founder of Atelier LMTL, designs for Aime Leon Dore, KITH & SSENSE, and Gerard Cleal, who is the founder of Thompson + Cleal Agency and previously worked as Design Director for ALDO, serves as the Creative Director for norda™. Between the four partners with over sixty years of combined footwear experience, an incredible product, a strong international network of creators, producers and athletes, and the support of many of the best running stores around the globe, norda™ has all the tools to make a big splash in the space. The Shoe The norda™ shoe is unlike any other trail running shoe that exists and was made to prove that high performance and sustainability should always run together. The shoe, norda™ 001, is made from Dyneema®: the world’s strongest and lightest fiber™. Dyneema delivers the lowest carbon footprint per unit strength of any material. Seventy-five percent of the energy used to manufacture Dyneema Fiber® comes from renewable energy sources. The sole of the shoe is a brand new design made in collaboration with Vibram, a leader in shoe design and footwear soles, and was inspired by the Canadian Shield, the largest and strongest pre-Cambrian rock formation on Earth. The soleplate is engineered with Vibram® Litebase® technology to conserve energy and enhance your performance with a thirty percent duction in overall sole weight. The Vibram® MegaGrip® rubber delivers superior durability, traction and the strongest possible grip on both wet and dry surfaces. The norda™ 001 was made with patience, perseverance and grit and was built to unlock every runner’s full potential. Whether you’re running around the block or fifty kilometers, norda™ believes that everyone deserves the best and was made to deliver the ultimate running experience without compromising on the company’s sustainability goals. A Conversation With Co-Founder Nick Martire Over the next three months, Pier Five is proud to introduce a new series of content with some of the coolest people in footwear, product design, brand direction and running, made possible only by our friends at norda™. To kick things off, we sat down with norda™ co-founder, Nick Martire, to chat about the journey of starting norda™ with his wife, what it was like to build a team with a shared vision, global product manufacturing during a pandemic and much more. Read the conversation below and when you’re finished, head over to norda™ website for an in-depth look at the sneaker and the ability to pre-order the norda™ 001 before it sells out! Hey Nick! It’s so great to be chatting about norda™ and this launch. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit more about how the idea of norda™ came to be? Hey guys! Really excited to be connected. The idea of norda™ came from my wife, Willa. We’ve both been endurance athletes for nearly all our lives and after a certain point, we couldn’t find a shoe that was light enough, strong enough and fast enough for us. We were having a conversation about this and Willa looked at me and said “why don’t you make it?”. At first it was a wild thought, but we have worked in the footwear industry for so long and I thought “ya, we could actually do this!”. Love that! If you can’t find it, make it. The norda™ 001 is made using materials and technology from some pretty incredible companies, Dyneema and Vibram, which we can’t imagine are easy to just link up with. How did that come together and what drove you to want to work with them? We knew this shoe had to be driven by science and technology to achieve our goals. We went out looking for leading edge materials, and examined what elite rock climbers, hikers and hardcore backpackers were using. That led us to Dyneema, a material whose properties are simply unmatched. Nobody has been able to make a shoe like we did out of Dyneema and we set a mission to break the historical boundaries of performance and sustainability. It took a global team of equally like minded and stubborn people to make this happen but at the end of the day, we got it done. For Vibram, we were able to partner with them to engineer a completely new sole. They are leaders in that space and our Head of Design, Louis-Martin Tremblay, was able to create something really incredible with them, featuring all of their best technologies in weight, feel and grip. The result is a sole that Vibram calls “the Dream”, because it is their highest performance running sole ever made; and it’s exclusive to norda. That’s very cool. Besides making the best shoe from a performance standpoint, why was making a shoe with sustainable materials and processes so important for norda™? It’s critical that we take responsibility for our actions. The apparel and footwear industry are some of the most polluting industries. Shoes are not recycled in any way, shape or form, and while we’re not there yet, we believe the strongest impact we can make today is to go up the supply chain to make shoes in a more sustainable manner. The goal was to make the ultimate cutting edge shoes with the smallest footprint. Most brands ignore this because it’s hard and expensive, but we won’t do that. We can’t imagine the manufacturing process was easy during the pandemic. How did you navigate everything? It definitely wasn’t easy. Many manufacturers only want to go into sure things, especially during the pandemic. We reached out to our network and friends who we have worked with for many years. You would be surprised how much goodwill there is from the people in your circle, and how much they are willing to help if they believe in your vision. For us, the R&D team in Europe and Asia was beyond committed to making this product a reality. We were working with manufacturers overseas and technology and material that had never been used to this extent in running shoes before so it was a lot of back and forth but we kept pushing. It was hundreds of hours of calls with people all over the world and, at times, we thought we wouldn’t be able to complete certain parts that we wanted to, but our team never stopped believing in our mission and what we were trying to accomplish. Well it was worth every minute. Now that the shoe is ready for launch, can you share some info about the launch strategy for the norda™ 001? We’re very excited for the launch. Our Creative Director, Gerard Cleal, led some amazing work with Canandian creative agency LG2 and visual production house L’Eloi, to put together our digital launch strategy. We have also had the support of some of the most experienced endurance athletes and explorers from around the world to help us build awareness for the shoe’s release. The shoe goes live for pre-sale on our website on July 14th *psst it’s live now!* and we will be releasing the shoes in some of the best running shops in North America, as well as some distribution with a couple international stores. We plan on expanding internationally further in 2022. Later in August we will also be releasing a very special collaboration that we cannot wait to share more information about soon. Pier Five will have special coverage of this collaboration later in the series so be on the lookout for that! We can’t wait for all of that and are so excited to put some miles in these shoes. Lastly, for those who may not have explored the world of trail running before but might look to norda™ to be their introduction, what tips would you give to those looking to hit the trails for the first time? Firstly, you need the right shoes! Trail shoes have more traction than road shoes, and they’re built for stability on ever changing ground. Decide where you are going and get prepared. If you’re lucky you can find a great trail in the city’s parks, or a provincial park. Make a plan for the day. Figure out how far you’re going to go and make sure you have the right amount of food and water. The weather can change quickly depending on how long you plan to be out for. Lastly, slow your pace down compared to road running, take breaks and enjoy the scenery around you. The magic of trail running is that you get to experience views and sensations that only being in a wild natural setting can provide. If you’re as stoked as we are to hit the trails with norda™, be sure to check out their instagram and website for more information on the norda™ 001 and upcoming news and releases. Keep it locked to Pier Five as we continue to roll out content over the next few months with some of the coolest people in footwear, product design, brand direction and running, made only possible by our friends at norda™, and stay tuned for a special announcement from Pier Five & norda™ at the end of the series.

After sixteen months of on and off closures, the world of retail is beginning to get back on its feet. Doors are reopening, production is getting back to normal and business may soon be back to where it once was. We spoke with Carlos Ortiz, founder of lifestyle sales agency 8Point5 and veteran in the streetwear scene, about his last year, how the business has changed, what he's optimistic about, advice he'd give to new brands looking to get their foot in the door with retailers and of course, his go-to food spots in the city. @los_ortiz Hey Carlos! For those that may not be familiar with you, tell us a little about yourself. My name is Carlos Ortiz and I’m the founder of lifestyle sales and strategy agency 8point5. I got my start about ten years ago when I helped open and manage the first Livestock shop. After that, I started working for a distribution company that was run by the owner and helped open the Toronto office, managing brand accounts like The Hundreds, BBC, Alife and G Shock. In 2019, I decided to go out on my own which is when I started 8point5. The name was taken from my shoe size. Luckily the guys I worked with before were encouraging and supportive of me taking some of the brands I had worked with previously and now I have G-Shock, Taikan, Jason Markk, Rizzoli Books, Baxter of California, Clae Footwear, House of Blanks and Toyo Street on my roster. We help these brands gain exposure in east coast Canada and get into a ton of the top boutiques and stores. Really cool stuff! What would you say are the biggest differences being on your own now versus working for a larger company? Great question! The biggest thing for me is that I have way more freedom now to work how I want and with the brands that I want. I also have a really great work-life balance now that I’m on my own which has helped a ton with my mental health, especially in the last year and a half. I've been able to get outside way more which I love and have gotten a better outlook on the city. I will say though that it’s not always so easy being on your own. The ups feel great because I know they were all mine but the downs are tough when you don’t have a team behind you. It’s just a different game now. That makes a lot of sense. Speaking of the last year and a half, what was it like for you and the business? Man, I won’t lie, this last year was tough. There were a ton of manufacturing pauses which were difficult because in this business, you get paid when products ship. So, if nothing is shipping and you can’t complete orders, that really hurts on the revenue side. I also lost a couple brands during the pandemic simply because they couldn’t operate. Everything in terms of operations and strategy really changed. I wasn’t able to rent showroom spaces and have people come through anymore so like many others, it was a lot of Zoom calls but that just isn’t the same because people need to feel the product to truly understand it. So that was hard. On the bright side, I grew a lot and many of my strategies have developed. I’m now more particular about the brands I work with and stay away from seasonal brands which means I can focus on “at-once” brands that can always ship and help me grow when I need to. I’ve also built my network and started helping other retailers develop their e-commerce and digital businesses which has helped them as well as me. If the stores are operating better, it drives more business for me and my brands. As hard as it all was, I think the pandemic brought out the good in everyone and brought the community together. It’s interesting to hear how your perspective has changed. In addition to focusing on at-once brands, how else does 8point5 choose which brands to take on now? Portfolio Alignment: For me it’s important to ensure that all of the brands we carry can sit together so that shops can get multiple brands from us. It helps them and helps us. High & Low: Another thing we look at is if the brand can work in both high and low tier retailers. For example, Jason Markk is carried at Harry rosen which is a top luxury store for men, but it’s also in streetwear boutiques and even at the Nike store. Not Too Niche: Sometimes this is tough but I need to take on brands that are generally loved by many so that I can sell them into a lot of doors. I love some really cool Japanese brands but there’s only maybe 1 or 2 shops in the city I could sell them too so unfortunately it’s just not smart to work with them. Product Diversity: Diversity of brands is very important. My roster has footwear, books, bags, watches, cleaners and grooming products. I want 8point5 to encompass the entirety of men’s lifestyle and this also helps me stay away from seasonal products like apparel which faces greater risk due to manufacturing delays but also usually goes on sale so is harder to sell. Ethical or Sustainable Practices: Lastly, I’m very focused on trying to work with brands that have a focus on sustainable production and practices. Not every brand that I work with has this but it’s a bit plus for me as I expand the roster. Over the last few years, we’ve seen brands put more focus into their direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels and reduce the number of wholesaler doors they’re carried in. Why do you think this is and do you think retailers are still as important for brands as they were 5 or 10 years ago? Well, I mean, there’s way more money in DTC. That’s just the truth. We see brands like Nike pull out of shops every month basically BUT, I don’t think stores are going away. They’ll always be important for giving the brand more of a story. You need stores to create that in person product experience. Some brands can do this on their own but many can’t and it’s not the same with only online. Even Nike that has a massic e-comm business and their own stores still leverages boutiques for big promos like Air Max Day. I think that says something about the need for shops. We may get fewer shops but we’ll always have them. We definitely agree with that. It’s hard to imagine a world without our favourite sneaker shops and clothing boutiques. What tips would you give to a newer brand looking to get into retailers for the first time? The first thing any brand needs to do is build up their DTC channels. I know this sounds counterintuitive but retails want to feel like there’s a partnership and not just that you need them to succeed. Secondly, identify stores that have similar brands and styles. It has to feel like a natural fit. Once you identify the shops you want to be in, work on building relationships with people there. The world of retail is a tight knit community. Solidify your product offering and brand strategy. If you’re successful with growing your DTC to start, you’ll likely have this. You’ll need to convince the stores that you are the best choice to sit on their shelves so a great product and brand strategy is key. Lastly, a sales and distribution agency can be very helpful. They often have the best relationships with stores and can be very influential as a promoter of your brand. They’ll also help manage product orders and logistics which isn’t always easy for new brands. Love that! We agree, it’s definitely important to have a strong multi-channel approach. Before we let you go, we’re going to switch gears for a second. It seems like in the last year you’ve been all over the Toronto food scene. What are your top 5 spots in the city for anyone in or visiting Toronto this summer? [Laughs] Yes! I think I’ve tried a new spot almost every single week for the last year and a half when we were able to. I was really looking to support as many small and local businesses as possible and I love spreading the word about them to others. The following places are all great and, even more importantly, have amazing staff. That’s key for me. Mattachionni: An amazing pizza spot with 2 locations. 416 Snack Bar: Great drinks and quick bites. Grandma Loves You: Some of the best sandwiches in the city. Pho Tien Thanh: Great Vietnamese food. I always get the bun dish #59 w/ extra meat. Ruru Baked: Awesome ice cream and such a nice team. Check out Carlos and 8Point5 Agency on Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest designers, artists, activists, entrepreneurs and more.

Guest: Graphic Artist Jazz Alba "OK so let me preface this by saying that most of what I’m listening to right now is with my son. When I’m working, I’m usually listening to podcasts and a couple songs here or there." That Chapter "A YouTube series on unsolved crimes and murder mysteries" True to Size Podcast - Canada Got Sole A podcast on all things sneakers by Toronto's Canada Got Sole group. The Channel 8 Podcast - Sean Go A podcast by Toronto based sneaker content creator Sean Go "Heartbreak Anniversary" - Giveon Leave the Door Open - Bruno Mars & Andersen Paak Check out all of our guest picks for July here and stay tuned to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the coolest people around.

Guest: Jay Yoo, founder of Bolstr AntiFragile by Nicholas Taleb Nassim "Counterintuitive insights on the nature of all things. Why nature is our greatest teacher of evolution? It gains from chaos. Humans don't work like that as we accept comfortable positions in life (taking advice from expert "Fragilistas" that make us fragile (although it may not appear that way). Like your doctor, who is the third leading cause of death in America. Ideas on preparing forward by building optionality into your life (dismissing expert news) allow us to benefit from inevitable "black swan" events that are unpredictable and catastrophic to most." Who Owns the Future by Jaron Lenier "All about rebuilding the middle class by humanizing the digital economy. A critical and credible take on creating commerce for all vs. redistributing wealth. The book was written in 2011, and much of what Jaron predicted is coming true. Specifically, how a free digital economy is destroying jobs as new centers of power (Google, Facebook, Snapchat, et al.) make money on our use of their ecosystems and are socially engineering us to stay in them. But what makes their systems valuable does not get an equitable stake (you and me). He lays it all out on how to get paid for making any content (as long as others are viewing it). It's entirely possible with the blockchain, which makes crypto ever more relevant. Importantly, the idea that our world can be automated via tech is a farse; without human influence, it will have no soul. Sorry, Ray Kurzweill and the whole singularity movement. No thanks." A Short History of Progress by Richard Wright "Where are we going? This is the central theme of the book. It's an incredibly illuminating book on impending doom and how man destroys everything. He goes through the history of humans from prehistoric times until the present and how we have destroyed the planet and the lives of millions (approaching billions), all in the pursuit of progress. He examines several civilizations from Neanderthals, Easter Island (an important microcosm), Sumerians, Romans, and Egyptians. Each crippled their existence by overproducing, exhausting resources, and then waging war to expand and gain more. There are no everlasting examples of civilizations, and they all fall victim to their progress. It took 3 million years to go from a stone arrowhead to smelted iron, but only 3,000 years to go from smelt to a nuclear bomb. Where are we going?" Big Bang by Simon Singh "The Origins of The Universe. One of my favorite books that walks through the history of science. I love learning about the cosmos and space but am more interested in how humans figured it out. It's a fascinating account of science's struggle to overcome dogma and human's persistence for truth. But, as important, are the pitfalls of incumbency (egos that stifled scientific progress), to which Einstein both abhorred and fell victim. Incredibly interesting and great for anyone who would like to know the Big Bang theory in layman's terms." 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson "Life is a bitch. Historical, spiritual, and personal antidotes for leading a life of purpose and ultimate happiness. It's more than a self-help book; it's a serious eye-opener on building a relationship with oneself, others, and the world in times of immediate gratification. Fun is fleeting, and joy is work; I welcome this confrontation with what more I can do to be and influence "good."" Check out all of our guest picks for July here and stay tuned to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the coolest people around.