Keeping It Authentic With Katherine Johnsen As the opportunities and the audience grow, it can be easy for one to find themselves being pulled in a million directions with outside influences taking over. For Katherine Johnsen, creator and VP of Growth and Partnerships for Counter Culture agency, she has learned the importance of staying true to herself and ensuring that you grow with authenticity and passion. This has led to countless incredible experiences and the creation of lifelong relationships that Katherine attributes to her happiness and success. We got the chance to speak with Katherine about all of this and learn some of her secrets to building the next generation of opportunity for creators and brands. Read the full conversation below. Hi Katherine! Thanks for chatting with us today. For those who don't know, can you tell us a little about yourself? Excited to chat! So, my name is Katherine Johnsen and I'm the VP, Growth & Partnerships of Counter Culture agency which creates culturally relevant program with creators and for brands, amongst many other things. I've been with Counter Culture for 2 years and before that I spent a lot of time leading partnerships for some of the biggest tech and startup conferences in North America. I'm also a creator myself and on the brand side, have worked with tons of brands in tech, fashion and footwear, food and CPG so I like to think that I know the landscape pretty well and that can really help our partners. Throughout your time in the tech partnerships world and now at Counter Culture, has there been anything that you have learned that is a common thread across it all? Definitely! The biggest thing is that your relationships are everything. I spent a lot of time with company founders in the tech space and bringing that time into partnerships, I've seen how much those connections that you build can lead to success. I'm constantly trying to expand my network and stay connected with those who are close to me. That's a great point! As the network builds, how do you always stay in touch with so many people? I travel a lot and one of the guys I worked closely with at Microsoft who was one of the Top 5 People To Know in the NY startup scene used to tell me to divide my flights into 5 minute intervals and use that time to reach out to as many people as you can, just to check in on them. Just give when you need nothing and then when you need to tap people, they're more than happy to help you because you maintained a relationship there. With all of the different projects and travel, how do you stay organized? My calendar is everything and I'm a big advocate of time blocking. I allocate different blocks of time in my schedule to focusing on certain tasks without distractions and that's very helpful. I also make sure to prioritize. We all have so much going on but if you can prioritize 3 tasks for the week and get them done, then that's a win. I love this quote which is, "you don't always have to climb the whole staircase. You just need to take the first step." Oooh love that! As a creator yourself and a coach so many other creators out there, what is one piece of advice you stand by? I'm a firm believe that if you like something, then it's cool. I think it's so important to shed the weight of other people's opinions and just focus on liking what you like. A through line to all of the coolest people in our lives is that they are all authentic to themselves. What we often tell creators is that, by just looking at what other people are doing and looking at other trends, you will fall flat. We always say just listen to "what makes me excited to wake up in the morning?" and if you share that, I think it builds authentic community. That definitely shows in your content! For sure! My channels are really just an extension of my daily life. I like to share what I'm doing as opposed to doing things to share them. Love that! Lastly, on the business side, what advice would you give to creators looking to make a living out of this? 2 things! The first is when working with brands, be mindful of your value and your identity and always stay authentic to that. Brands will often come in with their own idea of how they think something should look and will try to use money to push that forward. The key is finding a way to make it your own - that will be the sign of a good partnership - and not being afraid to walk away if it's not a good fit. Secondly, it's important to think about your long term goals and understand the best ways for you to build your community and ultimately drive revenue. Partnerships are just one way to make money but there are so many other ways to expand your channels and revenue streams. Maybe that's building a mailing list, maybe it's connecting through events or selling product. At the end of the day though, the biggest thing is always prioritize your community. The people out there that are able to do all of these cool things as their full-time job are able to do so because of the community that they built. Make sure to check out Katherine and Counter Culture on Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with cool creatives and industry leaders!

Shaking Up An Institution With Colin Li of Hong Shing The restaurant industry is cut throat and one that is constantly evolving, which requires drive, creativity and an attention to detail and consistency to stay alive. For Colin Li, owner of Hong Shing, one of Toronto's most well-known Chinese restaurants, this challenge is one that he loves and his ability to innovate has led him to great heights. Since taking over the restaurant from his parents 8 years ago, Colin has built Hong Shing, a 25 year-old institution, not only into a notable location for Chinese eats but also a locally recognized brand and we got the chance to sit down with him to learn about his journey. Read through the interview below! Hey Colin, thanks for having us into the restaurant. You took over from your parents 8 years ago and the growth has been incredible since then. Can you speak more about that journey? The pleasure's all mine. It's definitely been a pretty wild 8 years and I'm really proud of that growth but the real accomplishment is that Hong Shing has been around for 25 years. When a restaurant, especially a Chinese restaurant which do not often stick around this long, gets to that point, it becomes an institution and being a part of that has been incredible. I came into this with no formal restaurant training but have been working hard over the last 8 years to learn every aspect of the business, from dishwashing and serving to everything in the kitchen and bar, to ensure that I can run a tight ship and turn Hong Shing, not only into a known restaurant, but also a well rounded brand. Can you speak more about Hong Shing the brand and what that entails? Yes, of course. Once I took over the restaurant, I started doing some research and came to understand that people really only think about restaurants at 11am and 6pm, right before meals when they're hungry. This means that for all of those other hours during the day, I needed to find a way to be top of mind. This is where stuff like the merch or the basketball team sponsorship comes in. I've always been into fashion and the merch idea first come from just wanting to re-invent my staff's uniform to be more casual, comfortable and approachable and it has become a really fun project that I work on with my team. For the basketball team, we sponsor a youth girls team which has been an awesome opportunity to get more involved in the basketball community and watch these girls grow into great basketball players and human beings. Wanting to uplift youth seems to be something you are passionate about. It definitely is, especially with young chefs. In the Chinese restaurant industry, almost all of the chefs are over 50 years old. Traditionally, Chinese restaurants only hire based on experience, like how many years do you have behind a wok, so no young chefs are getting into Chinese restaurants and if they do, older Chinese chefs are not normally so welcoming so young chefs out of culinary school choose to go to fine dining restaurants or other European cuisines. I'm really trying to break down those barriers and support young chefs in the Chinese community. Many of them are more experienced in the kitchen than I am but I believe I have a lot to teach them about running a successful restaurant. It's great that you take on that mentality to share your knowledge. Did you learn that from your time as a kid growing up in your parents restaurants? Not at all actually. My parents never used to speak with other Chinese restaurant owners. They would undercut each other and just tell me to focus on myself. There wasn't anything wrong with them. There was just a real sense of competition in the Chinese restaurant community back then. I wanted to change that once I took over so the first thing I did was put all Chinese chefs that I knew, young and old, into a group chat to exchange ideas and learn from each other. We can only grow so far on our own. Building this together is what will really take things to the next level. I always tell my managers "what's the point of being in first class if your friends aren't with you?" We couldn't agree more. What is something you did learn from your parents that you think was very valuable? There's a saying that my parents used to say which was "You need to learn how to be a human before you can run a business." If you know how to be a human that is kind hearted and respects others, then you will run a good business. That's a good one. Before we let you go, what are some things for the restaurant that you're looking forward to? There's a lot. Lunar new year is going to be big this year. I've spent a lot of time designing a menu that draws inspiration from my childhood which I think our customers will love. I'm also working a lot more on our retail business, so creating products for grocery stores like pre-made frozen meals and spices and sauces. As we continue to expand, that will become a huge part of our business. Lastly, we're also about to completely redo the bar area which is going to be great. It will allow us to expand our drink offerings, such as focusing on baijiu cocktails, and make for a better space to throw events this year. I want to make the space one that different creatives and groups from the community can host their own events here. I think that will be a great way to expose new people to Hong Shing but also continue to uplift other creatives which I'm passionate about. So stay tuned for that! Make sure to check out Hong Shing at 195 Dundas St. West in Toronto and check out their Instagram for updates on the restaurant and HS brand and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews with entrepreneurs and creatives just like this!

A Conversation With Titi Finlay Titi Finlay is a Scottish creator and artist residing in London, UK and currently holds the position of Social Media Manager at LacedHQ, the UK's top resale sneaker platform. Titi has built a following through her artwork, impressive sneaker collection and advocacy for women's empowerment in the sneaker and fashion industry. ​ @ttfinaly You received a lot of recognition recently for a quote “ We don’t need women's exclusives. We need inclusive sizing .” and we couldn’t agree more that the sneaker world definitely has some catching up to do when it comes to inclusivity. Besides inclusive sizing, what are five things you think brands could do to make footwear more inclusive for everyone? Make everything unisex. Get rid of women's exclusives. The brands right now are giving women different (often times worse) shoes but we want the same shoes the men do. There's no need to keep styles separate. Innovate with sneaker models. Shoes like the new Nike Fly Ease Go which is a "hands free" shoe make cool sneakers more accessible for people with disabilities. I'm curious to see how they develop styles around that to give everyone a cool shoe. Storytelling should be diverse. We're always seeing the same women or men in campaigns. It's always a celebrity or popular hypebeast but what about the mum in Manchester with a huge Airmax collection? Increase representation of African Americans in sneaker media. There's no denying that most of this culture comes from black culture and it should be represented as such. Reconsider how you run gifting programs. Similar to point 3, it's always the same celebrities receiving pairs from brands. I understand the influence big celebs have but brands should also seed to the creators and collectors actually into the products. ​ Bonus thought : Overall there's too much gatekeeping from brands but also the community as a whole, telling young people they can't be into Jordans because they didn't see him play or telling skaters they can't rock SB's. None of that matters. If you like the shoes, that's what matters! We definitely need to talk about your “Power to the Female” AM90 which was so purposeful and amazing! What were five things you wanted to achieve with this collaboration or get out of the experience? I wanted to make a shoe for the female sneaker community to celebrate and enhance the conversation around the topic of women in sneakers. I wanted to give other women a platform with the promotion of this shoe. I was lucky enough to be able to collaborate with a lot of my friends and women in the space on some content which I think really helped grow the conversation. I wanted to make it unisex that anyone could wear. I used the slogan "By women. For everyone" to sum that up and I think it worked well. I wanted to show people that it wasn't only the big influencers that can create. Hopefully this inspired young up and comers to keep working and show them that anything can happen. Lastly, this [sneaker design] was a new discipline for me and it was awesome to get my hands dirty and really learn the ins-and-outs of the process. ​ What are some things you love or dislike about the UK sneaker scene? LOVE : The Community - I've made so many friends through social sneaker groups in the UK. There's something called Pickup Days where the raffle winners go get their shoes from OffSpring and it's such a fun time meeting everyone, before COVID that was. LOVE : Sneaker culture really blossomed in the UK so there's a ton of history. For example, it's all Adidas in the North of England but if you go to London everyone loves Air Max's. LOVE : Lots of small pockets in the UK that you wouldn't expect actually have a dope sneaker scene. Glasgow has Sneaker Laundry, Edinburgh has some wicked skate shops and Dundee has a great sneaker hangout spot even though it's a small town. DISLIKE : This one isn't so UK exclusive but there is a lot of gatekeeping in the space. We need to be more open and not let the history or the "OG's" keep people out. ​ You’ve done a great job building the LacedHQ brand on social and helped foster a strong sense of community with the #lacedcommunity. As the Social Media Manager for LacedHQ, what are five tips you can give to a brand or individual trying to build up their community on social? Create content that people can own themselves. For example, my quotes are content that resonate with others and that they can share on their own stories and feeds. Have a solidified POV. Have personality and stay true to and support your opinions throughout. Create something that can be engaged with. Posting polls for people to vote on is fun and builds engagement. Give a platform to other creatives and showcase their work. The LacedHQ feed is fully on regrams and it's a great way to build relationships and get intro'd to new creators. Data is everything. Use your insights to see how your content is performing. ​ Bonus thought : Don't forget to pay attention to the aesthetic of the full feed and not just the individual posts. Being an advocate for inclusivity in the sneaker industry, who would you say are 5 other people that are really paving the way for change within within the sneaker community/industry? Liz Beecroft - Pier Five Alum!! She does an amazing job blending mental health with sneakers and streetwear. ( READ PIER FIVE <> LIZ BEECROFT INTERVIEW ) The Air Vegan - He's a co-creator of the Business of Hype podcast and also runs a platform called FutureVVorld which shares information about how the sneaker industry can be more sustainable and more earth friendly. _womeninsneakers - Steph who leads the page works for ON Running and on her page showcases everyone from female influencers to designers at the brands that are doing awesome things in sneakers. Coco Mell - She used to work at ASOS and is now a freelance stylist for sneaker brands. She is really campaigning for black women in the sneaker culture and has been doing clubhouse chats with women in the industry (ex. Jazzy Ray - OG in sneakers) Arielle (A_ebz) - She's a colour designer for Nike in Portland and has worked on making colourways more inclusive and pushing against women's exclusives and men's exclusives. ​ Lastly, we need to speak about your puppy! How has having a dog changed your perspective on life? It's been amazing, like having a therapy dog full time! Maple has really helped with my anxiety throughout COVID. It helps me take my mind off of things and relax. Having a dog helps maintain a routine. Things like needing to go for 2 walks a day really force you to wake up and start your day. I try to look through her eyes and see how simple life can be. It's a great way to stay calm and level out. I think I've become smarter and more productive thinking about how I use my time for myself and with Maple.

Dancing Through The Yarn With Trish Andersen Follow your gut and take chances. It will take you everywhere. Such is the case for Georgia based fiber artist, Trish Andersen, whose tufting work has caught the attention of the masses. After over a decade-long career working in a corporate design job in New York, Trish dropped everything to focus on a solo freelance career and follow her entrepreneurial spirit. Years later, after taking a hard look at her jobs and deciding she wanted even more independence, Trish would drop her client work, move back home to Georgia and pursue a daring career as a solo fine artist in rug tufting, a very niche art form that she had little knowledge of at the time; but something about it just felt right. Fast forward to today, Trish is one of the best known tufting fine artists in the game, appealing to the fine art and interior experts all the way to streetwear heads and hypebeasts. All of this success is attributed to Trish’s ability to keep a level head, follow her gut and never stop exploring and we got the chance to go through all of this in a very special conversation. Hey Trish! The first question we have for you is, what was it like moving from New York back to Georgia. It was definitely a little scary because there’s so much opportunity in New York but it just felt right for me. Turns out, Dalton, which is only a few hours away from Savannah where I live now, is the rug capital of the world so the fit isn’t so bad [laughs]. They produce something like 80% of the world’s rugs there which is insane. Wow that’s wild! What do you think it was about tufting that got you hooked (no pun intended)? Tufting is super free flowing with the gun because you can go in any direction you want. You can really jump around your canvas and it was like painting for me which I love. It’s like a dance working with the gun. It also lets me focus on the fine art more and then I can bring in the functional aspect, like with the line of products I have inspired by my fine art, such as the wool rugs and runner rugs, as I want. One of our first discoveries of your work was actually the Runner Rug through Hidden NY, a curation mood board catering to art and streetwear fashion enthusiasts. How does it feel to see your work catch the attention of subcultures like that? Honestly, it blows my mind! I made the runner rug with no intention of selling it. I thought it was cool but not that cool [laughs]. I had no idea that it would catch the attention of consumers in these other groups and I never cared about what people were going to think of it when I made it but it’s really cool to see everyone so into this art form and the pieces that I make. It’s very hard to always fight that evil voice in your head asking “will people like it?” or “is it good enough to share?” but I think because I got into this just for me, I’ve been able to get away from that voice. I’m constantly trying to remind myself to just make what I want to see in the world and tell myself that there are people out there who will be into what I make and eventually I’ll find them. Very true and clearly there are a lot of people who are liking what you are putting out. How did it feel, as someone who’s been making rugs for so long, to see so many people get into rug making during covid? I think it’s super cool. I’m a big “community over competition” kind of person. The process for me has been so beneficial and it’s really great to see other people embracing it. Everyone has their own voice and I think there’s room for us all. It’s been super cool to see how people like Tim who runs tuftinggun.com has grown such a big community and business in the last two years and how social media has really helped it take off. At the end of the day, if we can all add some more softness and joy to the world during quarantine then that’s amazing! What’s your design process like? Do you typically draw things out first and have materials/colours in mind? It’s a little bit of planning and a little bit of free flow. I usually sketch out designs on Procreate which I love. I always had some trouble sketching on paper so working on Procreate on my iPad is amazing and it lets me scale designs which is super helpful. For the colors, I’ll usually have a palette in mind but I'll pull all the colours I think I'm going to use and then visualize them and move them around. Once I’m working on the canvas, I really try to move feely and respond to the piece in the moment. If I plan colours but then don’t think I want to use them, I’ll change them. It’s definitely like a dance. I also like, however, that you have to be decisive as much as it is free flowing. It’s always a challenge because you can only pull out things you don't like so many times before the backing is compromised so it's a mix of free and calculated. How many rolls of yarn do you think you have gone through in the last 4 years? Ha! I have no idea. It must be thousands. I’ll use all different types of wool and I’ll source yarns everywhere. It’s all a precious exercise of locating yarns. I’m using so many different colours and materials which I think creates great texture. Back in September you launched your first reproduced collection which gave general consumers the chance to buy your work. How was that experience for you and were there any learnings that you’ll take with you for future releases? So far the feedback has been really good and the experience has been great. I set things up for the e-comm site so that the orders go out to a factory that makes and ships the items so luckily I don’t have to deal with that. I am still getting familiar with how to handle the customer support side of things the best way possible but so far so good. I think one of the biggest learnings was really around, once everything launched, seeing how much work it can all be for one person and understanding the importance of having a good setup throughout. If I was packing and shipping everything myself it wouldn’t be scalable and would slow down the creative side. I’d say to anyone, make sure you think about the process all the way through before going live. Otherwise, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Luckily now that I’ve done this though and things are running smoothly, I can start thinking about launching new lines! Oh! What other lines are we talking about? I have a ton of ideas. I’m going to be collaborating with my husband who’s a painter on something and some other projects as well. I’m not a big planner though [laughs]. I kind of just follow what feels good. Living with your husband who is a painter must be super cool on the collaboration side! Ya, it’s super fun. I don’t think I could be with anyone who’s not an artist. We both live and breathe art and we learn a lot from each other too. Any tips for young artists trying different mediums to express themselves? I’d definitely go back to the idea that you have to try to get away from comparing yourself to others and caring what they think. It’s hard with social media but it’s very important. I always say that social media should be for connecting, not comparing. Everyone has their own voice. Follow your gut and what makes you happy and explore that. Find a creative community that you can be a part of. Try to work with other artists. Observe others. Get out there. Be patient and keep putting in the work. Eventually, you’ll get to a point where you can really dictate what you want to do. Lastly, take risks and don’t be afraid of making bad work. It’s required in the art world but that’s also what makes it fun. That’s great advice! Lastly, for those looking to start tufting, where should they look? Honestly, the first thing to do is just Google tufting and watch a ton of videos. I’m actually going to film a workshop next month with Domestika which will be super fun, so watch that too [laughs]. Another great site to check out is Tim’s site that I mentioned earlier, tuftinggun.com . There’s an awesome forum for people posting about their experiences, where they get materials, etc. Everyone is super supportive and willing to share information. It’s a great community! Also, if you are looking to buy gear you can use my code "Trishtufts" for 15% off :) Make sure to check out Trish's Instagram for more news on upcoming projects and releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

A Conversation With Florence Tang of Lot Stock & Barrel Florence Tang is a co-founder of Lot Stock & Barrel, one of LA's premier design studios and clothing stores with a specialty in chain stitched designs and vintage garments. Florence is a Toronto native with a background in graphic design and relocated to California to continue her studies and pursue a career as a visual merchandiser for Levi's before starting LSB. ​ @florencewtang // @lotstockandbarrel LSB has put together some really cool projects over the years. What are your 5 favourite you've worked on? ​​ The most interesting projects would be: Coachella LSB x Mastercard Collaboration ASOS x LSB Collaboration Lucky Brand x LSB Collaboration Nike x Carhartt launch ​ Each of these projects were so interesting, combining all of our teams' talents with product that really shined. ​ What are 5 keys to a successful collaboration? ​ Theres only ONE and that is letting each team do what they're best at! Meaningful collaborations combine talents to create innovative product, and should be the ultimate goal. We have been lucky enough to work with some great partners that have allowed us to showcase our craftsmanship and have respected our creative processes. ​ Besides all of the great stuff LSB does, who are 5 designers or brands you're really into right now? ​ This one is really hard, there are some great brands out there, doing really innovative stuff! Heavy hitters that continue to impress are Stone Island, Jacquemus and Sacai. Nicole Benisti has beautiful quality outerwear and I'm also a huge fan of Ruslan Baginskiy headwear. ​ Who are 5 brands that you would you love to work on a project with next? The dream client pool is large, but top 5 would include: Prada Maison Margiela MSGM Alyx Proenza Schouler ​ Lastly, everyone starts small but it seems like you have figured out a thing or two. What are your top 5 tips for growing your business? Be clear in your vision Be able to adapt quickly Treat everyone with respect Foster and cultivate your team. Your company is only as good the people who make it what it is. Don't be discouraged when things don't go as planned. Put your head down and keep working!

An Introduction to norda™ 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.

Getting To Know Hotpot Variety Amongst all of the creative businesses that launched during Covid, one of our favourites has to be Hotpot Variety founded by Toronto crocheter Jess Papp. What started as a fun hobby has since turned into a full time brand that has caught the attention of fashion enthusiasts, influencers, designers and retailer buyers around the country. As she takes the headwear game by storm with her unique crocheted hats, we caught up with Jess to chat about her recent growth, taking Hotpot Variety full time, getting into a major retailer, where she hopes to take the brand over the years and much more. Take a listen to some of Jess' quotes and read through below to learn more about Jess and Hotpot Variety. On taking Hotpot full time… "As of this fall, I’m officially doing this full time. When I started Hotpot Variety, I realized that was my passion. I was like, maybe I should focus my energy and efforts into something I love doing instead of working in a 9 to 5 job and coming out of it like “what did I just do all day?” Put Your Work Out There You never know what might come of it! So Holts DM’d you? That’s how the deal came around? Ya, I got a message from the buyer like “hey, who do I reach out to about partnership options?”. I only had 500 followers on Instagram and not a lot of my work was on my feed so I thought maybe they’re just contacting me about a pop-up or something. We had the call and they’re like, “do you have a line sheet? We want to stock your hats in our store.” and I’m like “Ya, I have a line sheet” while I’m googling what a line sheet is [laughs] and then they sent over my contract and my hats were going to be stocked in Holt Renfrew. It was crazy. On collaborations… I’m doing this by myself so I’m trying to make sure I’m not saying yes too much or biting off more than I can chew. Every project is different. It’s important to make sure that you understand what the scope of the partnership looks like and make sure you’re both aligned into something that’s going to be great for both sides. On dealing with burnout… Make sure that you’re listening to your body. If I’m tired, I need to sleep. If I’m hungry, I eat. If you can’t focus, you can’t be productive. Don’t stress about the things you can’t control and focus on one thing at a time. What do you want 60 year old Jessica to look back on and be proud of? I'm a first generation Canadian. My mom immigrated here from Vietnam. My family fled from their country to build something for us and give us more opportunity. I want to look back when I’m 60 and know that I built something out of an opportunity that my family has given me and be something inspiring to people going through the same thing and hopefully building some sort of an empire where I can support other people’s interests and talents. Checkout Hotpot Variety's Instagram for news on their upcoming releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

A Conversation with Jarah Stoop of Peterson Stoop Jarah Stoop is one half of the duo behind Peterson Stoop, a sneaker repair studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands launched to reduce the amount of waste created in the sneaker industry and to bring new design flavour to footwear. P+S applies traditional leather shoe repair techniques to classic sneaker models and has built a global following. They have collaborated with brands like Timberland and Staple Design and sell limited runs of their footwear in stores such as Wagamama (Tokyo) and Selfridges (UK). ​​ @petersonstoop You’ve just released the designs for your AW 21 collection (congratulations). What were some goals you had going into this season for Peterson+Stoop? Thank you! We’re really excited about this collection. As always, and continuing with this collection, we really try to reduce the use of virgin materials as much as possible. Every time we cut into a new material we think “is this worth it and is it needed?” We tried to cut new patterns that would create as little waste as possible. We tried experimenting with new dynamic designs on the outsole which I think turned out really well. We wanted to add new silhouettes that were more suitable for people’s lifestyles being at home so much more. We did this with our patchwork mule slipper made from old shoe materials. We’re also excited to work with new retailers for this collection. It helps us try new things and reach new audiences. ​ Every aspect of Peterson+Stoop, from the natural materials and water-based glues to the recycled men’s shirt dust bags is designed to reduce the environmental footprint (no pun intended) of footwear on the planet. Why has this been so important for the two of you as you continue to develop the brand? ​ When we graduated in 2008 we were thinking about whether or not we should go work for a brand or start our own. I am a spiritual person and need a true purpose in life. I am very analytical and if I was going to start something new it would need to make sense. Joining a brand and “designing for landfills” didn’t make sense to us and wouldn’t excite me to get out of bed in the morning. ​ We started looking at common products and noticed that most things were not made for repair. The Air Max 97, a shoe I love, can’t be repaired. Once that air bubble pops, it’s over. We realized this was our purpose; bring repair to the world. Brands should promote repair, but they don’t, so we wanted to make repair accessible. It’s better for the planet, looks cool and can become more beautiful over time and overall, it’s just the right thing to do. Peterson+Stoop has done some really impressive collaborative projects including the “Wavy Pigeon” with Jeff Staple and Construct10061 with Timberland. Who are some other designers or brands that you would love to collaborate with in the future and what might you work on together? This is a tough question. If we could work with a brand on a long term repair initiative that would be great. Nothing hype but real change with a brand would be something we might do. If you could see anyone wearing your shoes, who would it be? Definitely our king; Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He’s worn sneakers and I think that would be awesome [laughs]. With each pair, Peterson+Stoop is changing the way that we think about the lifespan of the things we own. Besides sneakers, what are other ideas/items people can upcycle in their daily lives? This question is tricky because everyone’s life is different. I think “Design for Repair '' should be a course in school so that people become accustomed to thinking about repair and upcycling. If we train the mind to get creative with repair, we will reduce a lot of waste with everything. I often think about this with food. There’s a lot of waste with food. I try to think about the scraps and try to find ways to reuse them. All clothing as well can be repaired or designed to have new purposes and it can be a lot of fun. You guys have crossed paths, got to know each other & shared a studio space before becoming partners of Peterson+Stoop. Now as full-time partners, what are 5 tips you’d give to new business partners looking to run a business? Hmm. Don’t do it [laughs]. I’m joking but being in a partnership is very hard and truthfully it’s easier to get a job. That being said, if you’re stubborn and motivated you can make it work. A partnership should have people with diversified skill sets. Make sure there is someone who knows design, someone who knows the business side, etc. Be open minded and willing to learn about other people and their opinions. Communication is very important. Talk through everything, when you agree and when you disagree. Remove your egos from the company and the partnership. You have to always think about what is best for the company and not what is best for you. Don’t be afraid to take risks!

July Guest Picks: Music with Jazz Alba 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.

Embracing Your Community With Sarah Sukumaran of Lilith NYC The realities of starting any business always have two things in common. The first is you can't predict your path. There will always be unknowns. The second is that no matter where that path might take you, anything is possible. Sarah Sukumaran, NYC-based tech exec turned sneaker designer and now founder of Lilith NYC has embraced that wholeheartedly and has some great antidotes for anyone looking to turn their creative passions into a business. The learnings that she has acquired over the years with traditional tech roles, a predictive analytics gig at Nike - a natural fit for a sneaker-loving software product director - to now the life of an entrepreneur, have set her up for years of success and are something we could all benefit from. Scroll down for some gems from the conversation with Sarah. Hi Sarah! You're a big advocate of embracing your community. How did that play a part in getting Lilith off the ground? It's amazing. When you put out in the universe that you're doing something, people will naturally gravitate towards you and start making those connections wherever they can. Lean into that. When I started vocalizing and putting it out there that I was starting a footwear company, people all of a sudden had these connections for me and that's how all of my contacts, angel investors and other people I now work with, have come about. What's it like going from the tech world to now being recognized as a sneaker designer and brand owner? I worked in tech and I thought that was my life. I was ready to become a DevOps engineer and I really thought that's where my career was headed. So now, it's so nice to explore this creative side that I didn't know I had. I really love colour theory and working with materials. When I'm in Portugal, going to the leather supplier and looking at the suede that we're going to go with, or looking at the colour swatches; I have such a strong passion for that. People now refer to me as a creative and I'm still getting used to embracing it because I still am this nerdy tech person but now I'm a creative too which is pretty cool. Any advice to someone who was in your position looking to start their own brand while working a 9-5? I am a big proponent of not quitting your job and working on your side hustle when you're getting a nice check at your current employer. The only reason I quit [Nike] was because it was a clear conflict of interest working for a footwear brand and starting my own. If I was working as a tech company I would definitely have done this as a side hustle and just kept collecting a check. You need to be able to financially support yourself or have savings to be able to take that leap on your dream. Work full time and spend more hours after each day building your startup. There are so many little things you can do to get your startup off the ground, especially in footwear. You can source the factory on the internet and spend $200 to get a sample made. Everything is possible. You just need to take those small steps and making it work doesn't have to involve quitting your job and going bankrupt throughout the process. Lilith has done a bunch of pop-ups and is in a few retailers. Is expanding that a big goal of yours? I think for any brand, you always need to have a multi-channel experience. In year one, we started getting approached by retailers but I just felt like I wasn't ready. However, I realize now how important that is and we're definitely working on getting into more and more doors and doing more pop ups. Online is great but getting people to try on the shoes, especially at my price point it key. Just like any portfolio, you need a diversified approach as an entrepreneur. So true! Lastly, has been one of your biggest learnings since starting Lilith? Shifting away from traditional seeding and actually using your customers as the influencer, that's been an interesting shift and learning for me. I was wasting time seeding people who would post once and never wear the shoe again. Now, I'll surprise a customer who's bought two or three pairs and be like, here's a free shoe because I know that they're going to wear the hell out of it and that's probably better marketing at the end of the day. They're the ones who post the authentic photos, wear the shoes and get complimented in person and get way more excited! They're their own ambassadors to the brand. I love it and they love it. Make sure to follow Lilith for news on their pop-ups and releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creative entrepreneurs like Sarah!

July Guest Picks: Books with Jay Yoo of Bolstr 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.

A Studio Visit With Simon Petepiece Earlier this summer, Pier Five visited industrial-artist Simon Petepiece's montreal studio to tour the new space, chat about what the artist is working on and looking forward to, and of course, pick his brain for some tips for aspiring artists. The Ottawa native, now situated in Montreal, currently co-runs New American House, a joint studio specializing in functional art, objects and furniture as well as his own design practice. He has established himself both through personal and client projects utilizing often unnoticed materials, primarily meant for in construction, in a unique way. Scroll down to watch the video interview with Simon, as well as some behind the scenes photos. Swipe through the slideshow for photos. To learn more about Simon and everything that he has going on, check out New American House and Simon's Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators, brands and more.