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- Making It Personal w/ Watch Parts Motorcycles
Making It Personal w/ Watch Parts Motorcycles by Pier Five Staff Writer Are you a fan of watches, art, sneakers and/or vinyl toys? If you’ve answered yes to any or all of the above then you very well might be into sculpture artist Dan Tanenbaum, aka Watch Parts Motorcycles. Over the last ten years, Dan has been honing his craft meshing watch parts and pop culture to create some of the wildest sculptures out there. With no two pieces being the same, Dan has created hundreds of watch part encrusted works for collectors, gallery curators, friends and family and celebrities such as rapper Chief Keef and DJ Steve Aoki. Dan has also amassed an impressive following of nearly one hundred thousand people on social media. With an attention to detail that is unmatched and a unique style, each of Dan’s sculptures come with a story. His work is revered by many and coveted by collectors, sneakerheads, artists and the like around the world. Dan started his career as an art director in his twenties and moved on to become a serial tech entrepreneur in his thirties which he still does full time. Early after the transition to tech, Dan started feeling his creative side taking a back seat and sought out to change that, leading to what is now a major endeavour in the art space. “I’ve always had art in my bones and once I stopped working as an art director, I felt myself missing that ability to create and design in that way.” Dan explains. “Then one day I took a trip out to one of my watch dealers in London [Ontario] and came across this box of hundreds of old watch pieces which the dealer said was his box of garbage… so I was like “I’ll take it!” While some of Dan’s most famous sculptures today are his watch encrusted Kaws and KidRobot Dunny figures, it didn’t originally start there. He initially used the pieces he sourced to make cufflinks and then graduated to, you guessed it, mini motorcycle sculptures which is where the name Watch Parts Motorcycles came from. “Once I started gaining traction from the motorcycles, I thought that was it. I was getting really immersed in the motorcycle groups and it was so cool seeing what these pieces meant to some of those people” Dan explained. “Besides using the art as an escape, I think the reveal and seeing the buyer connect with the piece was what I really loved about this and made me keep going”. From day one, Dan has focused on making sculptures that hold a lot of meaning and sentimental value. His favourite sculptures to make are the ones that are customized specially for the collector and this is why every piece that Dan makes, other than his recurring Time Bomb series, is made to order and a unique one-of-one. “I love consulting with a collector to make something relevant to their life.” Dan says. “Oftentimes, I’ll get messages for a Dunny or a Jordan sneaker but I’ll ask them about what else they collect and see if we can think of something that will be more personal to them.” Most recently, Dan encrusted a ski boot for a father to remind them of their time on the slopes and before that, a three foot tall Star Wars stormtrooper to add to an LA collector’s 8-piece stormtrooper collection from artists around the world. In addition, Dan likes to take personalization to another level by often including special watch parts into the piece. Whether it’s a dial from a client’s childhood watch or a strap that belonged to their grandparent, Dan will always go the furthest to make each piece as tailored to the customer as possible. What does a new tailored suit or a handmade bag have in common with Dan’s art pieces? For all of them, there’s always an amazing feeling that comes with getting something that you know took countless hours to make specially for you. From the initial consultation to the documented journey with Dan as he creates a piece for you and only you, the work of Watch Parts Motorcycles is almost more experience than art. “While I might go into the studio and work for four hours at a time without any breaks, I do try to keep the buyer in the loop. I think it’s cool to document the process and I think it adds a lot of value to the final product.” Dan explains about his works. Most of the time, it’s even hard for Dan to part ways with his work after it’s completed. “The hardest part for me is letting it go. Once they’re gone they’re gone.” Dan explains, thinking about some of his recent creations. “I’ve always marvelled at the idea of making multiples so that I could keep one but I don’t think I ever would.” he continues. So, if you own one of Dan’s pieces, consider yourself lucky because he likely had a tough time handing it over. If you don’t, the first thing to do is check out his socials and follow along as Dan encrusts the world in millions of watch parts, one piece at a time. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll turn that Mickey Mouse watch from your childhood trip to Disney World into the coolest thing you’ll ever place on your shelf. For more on Watch Parts Motorcycles, check out Dan’s Instagram below and keep it locked to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the best in fashion, art, business, food & more. Watch Parts Motorcycles Instagram
- Shaking Up An Institution With Colin Li of Hong Shing
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!
- Politique de confidentialité | Pier Five
Politique de confidentialité (cliquez ici pour l'anglais) Dernière modification : Décembre 2022 INTRODUCTION Pier Five et nos sociétés affiliées et filiales (« Société » ou « Nous ») respectent votre vie privée et s’engagent à la protéger en se conformant à cette politique. Cette politique décrit comment nous collectons, utilisons, divulguons et protégeons les informations personnelles de nos clients et des utilisateurs du site Web (« vous »), décrit les types d’informations que nous pouvons collecter auprès de vous ou que vous pouvez fournir lorsque vous visitez le site Web www.pier-five.com (notre « site Web »), et nos pratiques de collecte, d’utilisation, de maintenance, de protection et de divulgation de ces informations. Nous n’utiliserons vos informations personnelles que conformément à cette politique, sauf disposition contraire de la loi applicable. Nous prenons des mesures pour nous assurer que les informations personnelles que nous recueillons à votre sujet sont adéquates, pertinentes, non excessives et utilisées à des fins limitées. Les lois sur la protection de la vie privée au Canada définissent généralement les « informations personnelles » comme toute information sur une personne identifiable, qui comprend des informations pouvant être utilisées seules ou avec d’autres informations pour identifier, contacter ou localiser une personne. Les informations personnelles n’incluent pas les coordonnées professionnelles, y compris votre nom, votre titre ou vos coordonnées professionnelles. Cette politique s’applique aux informations que nous recueillons, utilisons ou divulguons sur nos clients et les utilisateurs du site Web : · Sur ce site. · Dans les courriels, textes, et autres messages électroniques échangés entre vous et ce site Internet. · Lorsque vous interagissez avec notre publicité et nos applications sur des sites et services tiers, si ces applications ou cette publicité incluent des liens vers cette politique. · Sur nos pages et profils de médias sociaux, y compris Facebook et Instagram. Le site Web peut inclure des liens vers des sites Internet tiers, des plugiciels, des services, des réseaux sociaux ou des applications. En cliquant sur ces liens ou en activant ces connexions, il est possible que des tiers puissent collecter ou partager des données vous concernant. Si vous suivez un lien vers un site Internet tiers ou utilisez un plugiciel tiers, veuillez noter que ces tiers ont leurs propres politiques de confidentialité et que nous n’acceptons aucune responsabilité pour ces politiques. Nous ne contrôlons pas ces sites Internet tiers et nous vous encourageons à lire la politique de confidentialité de chaque site Internet que vous visitez. Cette politique ne s’applique pas aux informations collectées par un tiers, par le biais d’une application ou d’un contenu (y compris la publicité) pouvant créer un lien vers ou être accessible depuis ou sur le site Internet. Veuillez lire attentivement cette politique pour comprendre nos politiques et nos pratiques de collecte, de traitement et de stockage de vos informations. Si vous n’êtes pas d’accord avec nos politiques et nos pratiques, vous choisissez de ne pas utiliser notre site Internet. En accédant ou en utilisant ce site Internet, vous indiquez que vous comprenez, acceptez et consentez aux pratiques décrites dans cette politique. Cette politique peut changer de temps en temps (voir « modifications de notre politique de confidentialité »). Votre utilisation continue de ce site Web après que nous ayons apporté des modifications indique que vous acceptez et consentez à ces modifications, veuillez donc vérifier régulièrement la politique pour les mises à jour. Informations que nous recueillons à votre sujet Nous recueillons et utilisons plusieurs types d’informations provenant de vous et vous concernant, notamment : · Les informations personnelles que nous pouvons raisonnablement utiliser pour vous identifier directement ou indirectement, telles que votre nom, votre adresse postale, votre courriel, votre numéro de téléphone, votre âge, votre profession, votre sexe, votre revenu, vos intérêts, vos identifiants de médias sociaux, votre adresse de protocole Internet (IP) utilisée pour connecter votre ordinateur à Internet, votre nom d’utilisateur ou tout autre identifiant similaire, vos informations de facturation et de compte, et tout autre identifiant que nous pouvons utiliser pour vous contacter en ligne ou hors ligne (« informations personnelles »). Nous offrons à tout utilisateur la possibilité de se désabonner de notre infolettre ou de se désabonner à des fins de marketing, y compris les invitations à des événements et des sondages, sur une base continue en accédant à notre site Web ou en utilisant le mécanisme de désabonnement au bas de nos courriels. · Des informations non personnelles, qui ne révèlent pas directement ou indirectement votre identité ou qui ne sont pas directement liées à une personne identifiée, telles que des informations démographiques ou des informations statistiques ou agrégées. Les données statistiques ou agrégées n’identifient pas directement une personne spécifique, mais nous pouvons dériver des données statistiques ou agrégées non personnelles à partir d’informations personnelles. Par exemple, nous pouvons agréger vos données d’utilisation pour calculer le pourcentage d’utilisateurs accédant à une fonctionnalité spécifique du site Web. · Informations techniques, y compris vos informations de connexion, le type et la version du navigateur, le réglage du fuseau horaire, les types et versions de plugiciel du navigateur, le système d’exploitation et la plateforme, ou des informations sur votre connexion Internet, l’équipement que vous utilisez pour accéder à notre site Web et les détails d’utilisation. · Détails non personnels sur vos interactions avec le site Web, y compris les adresses URL complètes, le flux de clics vers, via et depuis notre site Web (y compris la date et l’heure), les produits que vous avez consultés ou recherchés, les temps de réponse des pages, les erreurs de téléchargement, la durée des visites sur certaines pages, les informations d’interaction de la page (telles que le défilement, les clics et les passages de souris), les méthodes utilisées pour naviguer en dehors de la page ou tout numéro de téléphone utilisé pour appeler notre numéro de service client. Il faut obtenir le consentement de la personne concernée avant de recueillir des informations personnelles à son sujet et d’utiliser ou de communiquer les informations recueillies. Afin que nous puissions recevoir des informations personnelles de votre part et nous permettre de vous fournir un produit ou un service demandé, votre consentement pour nous permettre d’utiliser ces informations personnelles conformément à la présente politique de confidentialité sera obtenu avant la soumission de ces informations personnelles. Lorsque vous saisissez des informations sur un formulaire de notre site Web, vous devrez confirmer en cochant une case que vous avez lu et accepté les conditions de la présente politique de confidentialité. Ce n’est qu’après avoir coché cette case que vos informations personnelles incluses dans le formulaire nous seront fournies. Si vous devez fournir des informations personnelles sur d’autres personnes, vous devez d’abord obtenir leur consentement à ces fins avant de nous les divulguer. Vous seul pouvez décider de nous communiquer ou non vos informations personnelles. Lorsque vous faites appel à nos services, nous vous prions de bien vouloir nous fournir les informations nécessaires pour que nous puissions vous assister de la meilleure manière possible. Vous nous autoriserez à utiliser et à conserver ces renseignements personnels aussi longtemps que cela est nécessaire aux fins décrites dans la présente politique. Votre consentement reste valide même après la cessation de votre relation de travail avec nous, à moins que vous nous avisiez, par écrit, du retrait du consentement. Vous devez être conscient que si vous retirez votre consentement ou si vous ne l’accordez pas en premier lieu, vous pourrez limiter notre capacité, voire nous empêcher de vous fournir à vous ou à une tierce partie autorisée (telle qu’un employeur) le produit ou le service demandé. COMMENT COLLECTIONS-NOUS LES INFORMATIONS VOUS CONCERNANT? Nous utilisons différentes méthodes pour collecter vos informations, notamment pas le biais : · D’interactions directes avec vous lorsque vous nous les fournissez, par exemple, en remplissant des formulaires ou en correspondant avec nous par téléphone, courriel ou autrement. · Contributions des utilisateurs. Vous pouvez également nous fournir des informations à publier ou à afficher sur des zones publiques du site Web ou à transmettre à d’autres utilisateurs du site Web ou à des tiers. · Technologies ou interactions automatisées, lorsque vous naviguez sur notre site Web. Les informations collectées automatiquement peuvent inclure des détails sur l’utilisation, les adresses IP et les informations recueillies par le biais de témoins, balises Web et autres technologies de suivi. Les informations que vous nous fournissez Les informations que nous collectons sur ou par l’intermédiaire de nos sites Web peuvent inclure : · Les informations que vous fournissez en remplissant des formulaires sur notre site Web. Cela inclut les informations fournies au moment de s’abonner à notre infolettre ou à notre magazine, de publier du matériel ou de demander de plus amples informations sur nos services. Nous pouvons également vous demander des informations lorsque vous participez à un concours ou à une promotion parrainé(e) par nous, et lorsque vous signalez un problème avec l’application. · Des enregistrements et des copies de votre correspondance (y compris les courriels et numéros de téléphone), si vous nous contactez. · Les réponses aux sondages que nous pourrions vous demander de remplir à des fins de recherche. · Les informations sur les transactions que vous effectuez par l’intermédiaire de notre site et l’exécution de vos commandes. Vous pouvez être amené à fournir des informations financières avant de passer une commande sur notre site Web. · Vos demandes de recherches sur le site Web. Informations que nous collectons via des témoins et d’autres technologies de collecte automatique de données Lorsque vous naviguez et interagissez avec notre site Web, nous pouvons utiliser les technologies de collecte automatique de données pour collecter des informations sur votre équipement, vos actions de navigation et vos configurations, y compris : · Les détails de vos visites sur notre site Web, y compris les données relatives au trafic, les données de localisation, les journaux et autres données de communication et les ressources auxquelles vous accédez et que vous utilisez sur le site Web. · Les informations sur votre ordinateur et votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresse IP, votre système d’exploitation et votre type de navigateur. Nous pouvons également utiliser ces technologies pour collecter des informations sur vos activités en ligne au fil du temps et sur des sites Internet tiers ou d’autres services en ligne (par exemple, le suivi comportemental). Pour en savoir plus ou pour vous désinscrire de la publicité personnalisée, veuillez consulter l’outil de désinscription de l’Alliance de la publicité numérique du Canada pour savoir comment vous pouvez vous désinscrire du suivi comportemental sur ce site Web et comment nous réagissons aux signaux du navigateur Web et à d’autres mécanismes qui permettent aux consommateurs d’exercer leur choix en matière de suivi comportemental. Les informations que nous collectons automatiquement sont des informations statistiques et peuvent inclure des informations personnelles et nous les conservons ou les associons à des informations personnelles que nous collectons d’autres manières, que vous nous fournissez ou recevez de tiers. Ces informations nous aide à améliorer notre site Web et à fournir un service meilleur et plus personnalisé, y compris en nous permettant : · D’estimer le nombre de visiteurs et les habitudes d’utilisation. · De stocker des informations sur vos préférences, ce qui nous permet de personnaliser notre site Web en fonction de vos centres d’intérêt. · D’accélérer vos recherches. · De vous reconnaître lorsque vous revenez sur notre site Web. Il se peut que les technologies que nous utilisons pour cette collecte automatique de données contiennent : · Les témoins (ou les témoins de navigateur). Un témoin est un petit fichier placé sur le disque dur de votre ordinateur. Vous pouvez refuser d’accepter les témoins du navigateur en activant le paramètre approprié sur votre navigateur. Cependant, si vous sélectionnez cette option, vous pourriez ne pas pouvoir accéder à certaines parties de notre site Web. À moins que vous n’ayez réglé les paramètres de votre navigateur afin qu’il les refuse, notre système produira des témoins lorsque vous vous connecterez sur notre site Web. · Témoins flash. Certaines fonctionnalités de notre site Web peuvent utiliser des objets stockés locaux (ou témoins Flash) pour collecter et stocker des informations sur vos préférences et votre navigation de, à partir de et sur notre site Web. Les témoins Flash ne sont pas gérés par les mêmes paramètres de navigation que ceux utilisés pour les témoins de navigation. Afin d’obtenir davantage d’information sur la gestion de vos paramètres de confidentialité et de sécurité pour les témoins Flash, consultez la rubrique Choix concernant les méthodes que nous appliquons pour utiliser et divulguer vos informations. · Balises Web. Les pages de notre site Web et nos courriels peuvent contenir de petits fichiers électroniques comme des balises Web (aussi appelées GIF invisibles, pixels-espions et pixels invisibles) qui permettent à la Compagnie, par exemple, de compter les utilisateurs qui ont visité ces pages ou ouvert un courriel et les autres statistiques du site associées (par exemple, l’enregistrement de la popularité de certains contenus du site Web et la vérification d’intégrité du système et serveur). COMMENT UTILISONS-NOUS VOS INFORMATIONS Nous utilisons les informations que nous recueillons à votre sujet ou que vous nous fournissez, y compris des informations personnelles : · Pour vous présenter notre site Web et son contenu. · Pour vous fournir les informations, produits ou services que vous nous demandez. · Pour remplir les finalités pour lesquelles vous avez fourni les informations ou qui ont été décrites lors de leur collecte, ou toute autre finalité pour laquelle vous les fournissez. · Pour vous fournir des notifications concernant votre compte/abonnement, y compris les notifications d’expiration et de renouvellement. · Pour remplir nos obligations et faire valoir nos droits découlant de tout contrat avec vous, y compris pour la facturation et la collecte ou pour se conformer aux exigences légales. · Pour vous informer des modifications apportées à notre site Web ou des produits ou services que nous offrons ou fournissons par son intermédiaire. · Pour améliorer notre site Web, nos produits ou services, notre marketing ou nos relations et expériences avec nos clients. · Pour vous permettre de participer à des fonctionnalités interactives, des médias sociaux ou des fonctionnalités similaires sur notre site Web. · Pour mesurer ou comprendre l’efficacité de la publicité que nous vous montrons, et que nous montrons aux autres utilisateurs, et pour vous proposer des publicités pertinentes. · De toute autre manière que nous pouvons décrire lorsque vous fournissez des informations. · Pour toute autre raison avec votre consentement. Nous pouvons également utiliser vos informations pour vous contacter au sujet de biens et services [nos propres et ceux de tiers] susceptibles de vous intéresser, comme le permet la loi. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que nous utilisions vos informations de cette manière, veuillez utiliser le mécanisme de désabonnement en bas de nos courriels. Pour plus d’informations, voir Choix concernant la manière dont nous utilisons et divulguons vos informations. DIVULGATION DE VOS INFORMATIONS Il se peut que nous divulguions sans restriction des informations agrégées à propos de nos utilisateurs ainsi que des informations qui n’identifient personne. Nous pouvons divulguer des informations personnelles que nous collectons ou que vous fournissez tel que décrit dans les dispositions de cette politique de confidentialité : · À nos filiales, sociétés affiliées et partenaires commerciaux · À des tiers pour vous commercialiser leurs produits ou services si vous ne consentez pas à ces divulgations. Pour plus d’informations, voir Choix concernant la manière dont nous utilisons et divulguons vos informations. · Aux sous-traitants, fournisseurs de services et autres tiers que nous utilisons pour soutenir notre entreprise (tels que les fournisseurs d’analyses et de moteurs de recherche qui nous aident à améliorer et à optimiser le site Web) et qui sont contractuellement tenus de garder les informations personnelles confidentielles, utilisez-les uniquement pour les fins pour lesquelles nous les leur divulguons, et de traiter les informations personnelles avec les mêmes normes énoncées dans la présente politique. · À d’autres fins divulguées par nous lorsque vous fournissez ces informations. · Avec votre consentement. Nous pouvons également divulguer vos informations personnelles : · Pour se conformer à l’ordonnance d’un tribunal, une loi ou une procédure judiciaire, y compris pour répondre à une demande gouvernementale ou réglementaire. · Pour faire appliquer ou appliquer nos conditions d’utilisation et d’autres accords, y compris à des fins de facturation et de collecte. · Si nous croyons que la divulgation est nécessaire ou appropriée pour protéger les droits, la propriété ou la sécurité de la société, de nos clients ou d’autres personnes. LE TRANSFERT DE VOS INFORMATIONS PERSONNELLES Nous pouvons transférer les informations personnelles que nous collectons ou que vous fournissez comme décrit dans cette politique aux sous-traitants, prestataires de services et autres tiers que nous utilisons pour soutenir notre activité (tels que les fournisseurs d’analyses et de moteurs de recherche qui nous aident à améliorer et optimiser le site Web) et qui sont contractuellement tenus de garder les informations personnelles confidentielles, de les utiliser uniquement aux fins pour lesquelles nous les leur divulguons et de traiter les informations personnelles avec les mêmes normes énoncées dans la présente politique. Nous traitons et stockons actuellement vos informations personnelles au Canada. À l’avenir, cependant, nous, ou des tiers à qui vos informations personnelles ont été fournies conformément à la présente politique, pouvons traiter, stocker et transférer vos informations personnelles dans et vers un pays étranger, avec différentes lois sur la protection de la vie privée qui peuvent ou non être aussi complètes que la loi canadienne. Dans ces circonstances, les gouvernements, les tribunaux, les forces de l’ordre ou les organismes de réglementation de ce pays peuvent être en mesure d’accéder à vos informations personnelles par le biais des lois du pays étranger. Chaque fois que nous engageons un fournisseur de services, nous exigeons que ses normes de confidentialité et de sécurité respectent cette politique et la législation canadienne applicable en matière de confidentialité. Vous êtes invités à nous contacter pour obtenir de plus amples informations sur les politiques de l’entreprise concernant les fournisseurs de services à l’extérieur du Canada. Voir Coordonnées et Conformité contestée. En soumettant vos informations personnelles ou en vous engageant avec le site Web, vous consentez à ce transfert, stockage ou traitement. LES CHOIX CONCERNANT LA FAÇON DONT NOUS UTILISONS ET DIVULGUONS VOS INFORMATIONS Nous nous efforçons de vous offrir des choix concernant les informations personnelles que vous nous fournissez. Nous avons créé des mécanismes pour vous fournir le contrôle suivant sur vos informations : · Techniques de suivi et publicité. Vous pouvez configurer votre navigateur pour qu’il refuse tous ou certains témoins ou pour vous avertir lorsque des témoins sont envoyés. Pour savoir comment vous pouvez gérer vos paramètres de témoins Flash, consultez la page de configuration Flash player sur le site Web d’Adobe. Si vous désactivez ou refusez les témoins, veuillez noter que certaines parties de ce site peuvent alors être inaccessibles ou ne pas fonctionner correctement. 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Nous utilisons des mesures physiques, électroniques et administratives conçues pour protéger vos informations personnelles contre la perte accidentelle et contre l’accès, l’utilisation, la modification et la divulgation non autorisés. Nous faisons l’effort de former nos employés et de les sensibiliser à l’importance du maintien de la confidentialité des informations personnelles. Nos employés sont tenus de préserver la confidentialité et ne peuvent utiliser les informations à des fins non autorisées. Seuls nos employés devant avoir connaissance des informations dans le cadre des affaires, ou dont les tâches l’exigent raisonnablement, sont autorisées à accéder aux informations personnelles d’une personne. La sûreté et la sécurité de vos informations dépendent aussi de vous. Lorsque nous vous attribuons (ou lorsque vous choisissez) un mot de passe vous permettant d’accéder à certaines parties de notre site Web, vous assumez la responsabilité d’en préserver la confidentialité. Nous vous demandons de ne communiquer votre mot de passe à personne. Malheureusement, la transmission d’informations par Internet n’est pas entièrement sécurisée. Bien que nous fassions de notre mieux pour protéger vos informations personnelles, nous ne pouvons pas garantir la sécurité de vos informations personnelles transmises sur notre site Web. Toute transmission d’informations personnelles se fait à vos risques et périls. Nous ne sommes pas responsables des contournements des paramètres de confidentialité ou des mesures de sécurité figurant sur le site Web. RÉTENTION DES DONNÉES Sauf autorisation ou exigence contraire de la loi ou de la réglementation applicable, nous conserverons vos informations personnelles indéfiniment, y compris aux fins de satisfaire à toutes les exigences légales, comptables ou de déclaration. Dans certaines circonstances, nous pouvons anonymiser vos informations personnelles afin qu’elles ne puissent plus vous être associées. Nous nous réservons le droit d’utiliser ces données anonymes et dépersonnalisées à des fins commerciales légitimes sans autre préavis ou sans votre consentement. ACCÈS ET CORRECTION DE VOS INFORMATIONS PERSONNELLES Il est important que les informations personnelles que nous détenons à votre sujet soient exactes et à jour. Veuillez nous tenir informés si vos informations personnelles changent. Conformément à la loi, vous avez le droit de demander l’accès et de corriger les informations personnelles que nous détenons à votre sujet. Si vous souhaitez examiner, vérifier, corriger ou retirer votre consentement à l’utilisation de vos informations personnelles, vous pouvez également nous envoyer un courriel à community@pier-five.com pour demander l’accès, la correction ou la suppression de toute information personnelle que vous nous avez fournie. 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Nous vous donnerons accès à vos informations personnelles, sous réserve des exceptions énoncées dans la législation applicable en matière de confidentialité. Quelques exemples d’exceptions : · Informations qui sont protégées par le secret professionnel liant un avocat à son client ; · Informations faisant partie d’un processus formel de règlement des différends. · Informations concernant une autre personne qui révéleraient ses informations personnelles ou des informations commerciales confidentielles. · Des informations dont le coût est prohibitif à fournir. Si vous êtes préoccupé par notre réponse ou si vous souhaitez corriger les informations fournies, vous pouvez contacter notre équipe à community@pier-five.com . RETRAIT DU CONSENTEMENT Lorsque vous avez donné votre consentement à la collecte, à l’utilisation et au transfert de vos informations personnelles, vous pouvez avoir le droit légal de retirer votre consentement dans certaines circonstances. Pour retirer votre consentement, le cas échéant, contactez-nous à community@pier-five.com . Veuillez noter que si vous retirez votre consentement, nous pourrions ne pas être en mesure de vous fournir un produit ou un service particulier. Nous vous expliquerons l’impact à ce moment-là pour vous aider dans votre décision. MODIFICATIONS APPORTÉES À NOTRE POLITIQUE DE CONFIDENTIALITÉ Notre politique est de diffuser toutes les modifications apportées à notre politique de confidentialité sur cette page en insérant sur la page d’accueil du site Web un avis indiquant que la politique de confidentialité a été mise à jour. Si nous apportons des modifications importantes à la façon dont nous traitons les informations personnelles de nos utilisateurs, nous vous en informerons par courriel à l’adresse spécifiée dans votre compte et par un avis sur la page d’accueil du site Web. Nous incluons la date à laquelle la politique de confidentialité a été révisée pour la dernière fois en haut de la page. Vous devez vous assurer que vous nous avez donné une adresse de messagerie électronique et un numéro de téléphone actifs, actualisés où nous pouvons vous joindre et vous devez consulter périodiquement cette politique de confidentialité pour vérifier les modifications. COORDONNÉES ET CONFORMITÉ CONTESTÉE Nous accueillons vos questions, commentaires et demandes concernant cette politique de confidentialité et nos pratiques de confidentialité. Veuillez nous contacter à : community@pier-five.com . À l’attention de : Pier Five Team Nous avons mis en place des procédures pour recevoir et répondre aux plaintes ou demandes d’informations concernant notre traitement des informations personnelles, notre conformité à cette politique et aux lois applicables en matière de confidentialité. Pour discuter de notre conformité à cette politique, veuillez contacter community@pier-five.com en utilisant les coordonnées indiquées ci-dessus.
- Designer - Cereal Artist | Pier Five
Cereal Artist Where: Toronto, ON What: Designer / Artist Vivian Huang is a Toronto-based artist, inspired by sneakers and streetwear, who creates fun and functional accessories and garments using sneaker parts and other interesting materials. Vivian was one of Pier Five's first guests on the platform in 2021 and so it only felt right that she be a part of the Pier Five Creators Grant. We are lucky enough to have two amazing items from Cereal Artist for this collection, including one of her staple card holders and a never before seen side bag made from a Croc clog. Read the Pier Five interview with Cereal Artist here . Why are you excited to be a part of the grant project? I think it's great that Pier Five is creating opportunities to showcase local creatives and use that to also create opportunities for emerging artists. I am always excited to get involved with the community and this project gave me an opportunity to think out of the box on some new product concepts as well which I was excited about. Can you tell us about the pieces that you've made for the grant? For the Pier Five grant, I really wanted to create something new and unique that hasn't really been done before. For the main piece, I chose Crocs because I've never worked with that brand before and I thought it would be fun to turn it into a bag which looks great but is not what it's actually made for at all. For me, it's all about being fun and getting creative. The Card Holder is something I've done before but I always love using new sneakers and materials and the Puma Suede in green was a perfect fit for the collection. See All Designers Lookbook (Coming Soon) Shop (Coming Soon)
- A Conversation With Florence Tang of Lot Stock & Barrel
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!
- Behind The Brand With Gerard Cleal of norda
Behind The Brand With Gerard Cleal of norda After helping so many others launch their projects, from Opening Ceremony, Belstaff, Little Burgundy & Call It Spring, it was only a matter of time before Gerard Cleal would dive into his own venture. As the Creative Director for norda, Gerard would finally face the opportunity to bring his decades of experience into building the brand identity for trail running’s newest, most advanced and most inclusive footwear brand. From the look and feel to the voice and mission, Gerard has helped develop a brand identity for norda that approaches the sport and all of its athletes differently than any of its competitors, which has positioned norda as a major player within months of the launch. We were fortunate enough to speak with Gerard about how he approached the creative direction for norda, how they treat runners differently than any other brand, tips for new brand builders and of course, what it’s like to be the non-runner at a company of runners. Hey Gerard! Thanks for making the time today to chat. Can you walk us through the process of developing the norda brand identity? What were some of the key things to focus on to develop a brand identity for norda that would stand out from its competitors? Hey guys! Excited to chat. So, here it is. Traditionally, running brands have been built around performance and speed only. There’s sometimes an exclusionary factor to this in which the brands group you into the elite runners bucket or the beginner bucket. If you’re elite, you get the tech. If you’re not, then they give you a lifestyle “runner” without any of the tech or best features. We wanted to get away from that. While we are built on highly technical, next generation materials - and we’re very proud of this - we celebrate every runner equally, whether you’ve just hit your first 5k or you’re an ultra runner. For norda, it’s less about how fast you can run and more about what your running journey looks like, regardless of how far. This led to the question we like to ask; “What do you run for?” We built our customer triad to help us ensure that we were meeting the needs of all runners through our brand identity. There are the elite performance runners, the intermediate runners and the beginner runners or those just hanging out in the lifestyle space (me). norda has to be for all three of these groups but also be able to support people moving up or down the triad. Authenticity was also huge in everything that we built. This was the first opportunity we had to really decide how we wanted to wear our heart on our sleeves. We wanted to be supportive and empower everyone with great products. Our focus is on buying better, not more and about making people feel like they were buying into something that would make them feel something special. It’s not just about putting a flashy logo on the shoe. It’s much more than that and we don’t want our customers to just be walking billboards for norda. Can you talk about the visual identity of the brand? How did you land on the logo, fonts, etc? Speed and performance have generally been synonymous with italics in branding as it denotes movement . We wanted to take a slightly different approach. I am a huge fan of Scandinavian and Nordic design. They have a tendency to sit back more and focus on material and connection to their landscape , culture and history. It’s never overt and obvious. I love this approach and is a cornerstone to why I think branding should always get out of the way. This is what we wanted for norda. The word “still” has really sat with me throughout my design career. We didn’t need the brand to evoke speed or movement. The materials and Louis’s design of the shoe would tell that story and we didn’t need anything to distract from that; the result: a beautiful sense of stillness living throughout. With regards to the typeface, we wanted to explore a more mid-century look, inspired from the original identities of brands we love. That said, Helvetica Now from Monotype which is a new, re-drawn take on Helvetica became our default. Helvetica has been around for ages and is used by a ton of brands like The North Face and even Off-White. In effort to promote a ‘quieter’ presence we went all lowercase and kept it all super simple. Score one for Dieter Rams! For the logo, we wanted to go old school. We’re all huge fans of heritage style sportswear brands like Rapha and Tracksmith . We landed on the shield that is inspired by our own Canadian Shield and that is shifted like a tectonic plate. There’s a strength to a shield, even a disrupted one, that just feels right - it’s really a love letter to this country. -. The norda site was a pivotal moment for the brand and its storytelling. What was it like working with an agency like LG2 to develop the digital experience for norda? LG2 is an incredible agency. They are very client oriented and having the connection between Nick (norda) and Stuart (LG2) helped kick things off really well. We had a bunch of ideas before working with them which I know can make things tricky for agencies sometimes but they weren’t afraid to push back and did so very respectfully which made for a great working relationship. They really cared about the outcome of the project and that led to effective push and pull from both ends. They were committed to creating the absolute best site that they could and we were all very happy with the result. What are 5 things that are important to keep in mind when formulating a brand identity? Firstly, it’s important to define brand and brand identity because they are very different concepts. The brand (logo, wordmark, colours) is really a small piece. The brand identity is the mammoth. That’s the customer, the tone of voice, the identity, the feeling that it gives to customers. That stuff is like the iceberg below the water that isn’t seen but is massively important. Be disciplined. Think about how you connect all of the dots. It’s ok to have different modules within the brand but be disciplined on how they all relate back to each other. Strip away as much as you can and get rid of what isn’t important. I always say to be intentional about what you’re doing and this definitely goes for branding as well. Like I said earlier, branding should always get out of the way. Having more doesn’t make it better. Be curious. Inspiration is going to be everywhere so don’t be afraid to be inspired by what you see and what you make of it. There’s nothing that you’ll ever see that is going to be original. That’s ok. You’ll put your own stamp on what you make to make it your own. That’s what is important. Love those tips! Lastly, we have to ask, what is it like being the “non-runner” on a team of running enthusiasts? I love it. I think you need an outsider on the team to advocate for that newer or non-runner if you’re going to be for everyone. We have this joke with our “What do you run for?” slogan. I run for coffee [laughs]. For more on the norda™ team, check out our Introduction to norda™ and interview with the brand's Head of Design, Louis-Martin Tremblay . Make sure to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.
- 2024 Recipient: ImaginAble Solutions
2024 Recipient: ImaginAble Solutions Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing ImaginAble Solutions, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founder: Lianna Genovese Location: Toronto, ON Discover ImaginAble Solutions online: Website // Instagram About ImaginAble Solutions ImaginAble Solutions is a women-led social impact company transforming assistive technology to improve the lives of children and adults with hand disabilities. Its flagship product, Guided Hands , is a patented mobile support system designed to help individuals with limited hand mobility write, draw, and use technology independently. By shifting control to gross motor skills in the shoulder and featuring ambidextrous handpieces, the device accommodates various levels of hand spasticity and tone. Guided Hands is widely used in classrooms, hospitals, and nursing homes, promoting communication, creativity, rehabilitation, and independence. Viral videos highlighting its transformative impact have driven sales in 22 countries, with plans to expand to Australia and the UK in 2026. Support from the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund will help ImaginAble Solutions scale manufacturing, enhance outreach in the U.S. education sector, and grow its sponsorship program to provide Guided Hands devices to families in need, breaking down financial barriers and advancing accessibility. How will the fund make an impact with your business? With support from the Mastercard x Pier Five Fund, ImaginAble Solutions will dedicate $5,000 to launch the Guided Hands sponsorship program, providing assistive devices to low-income families, and $5,000 to expand manufacturing capacity in Hamilton with additional 3D printers. The sponsorship program was recently announced during the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards, where founder Lianna Genovese received the Respect Award alongside Shaquille O’Neal. This announcement will create a powerful platform to raise awareness and support for the initiative among philanthropists and celebrities. Expanding production in Hamilton will enable ImaginAble Solutions to meet growing demand while keeping Guided Hands proudly made in Canada. What is your long term goal for the company? Within 3-5 years, ImaginAble Solutions aims to have Guided Hands in every school across Canada and the United States, ensuring students with limited hand mobility can access quality education and self-expression. The company plans to leverage Educational Service Agencies (ESAs), which receive federal funding to purchase assistive technology for classrooms, as a key entry point into the education market. By working with ESAs, which act as bulk purchasers for over 115,000 schools, ImaginAble Solutions can tap into a $97M market opportunity and significantly improve the learning experiences of students with hand disabilities. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here .
- Activation Grant | Pier Five
Small Business Activation Grant Pier Five and Intak Printing are teaming up to give small business owners the chance to bring their next activation to life—completely free . Through this grant, selected recipients will receive high-quality printed assets from Intak Printing and marketing, operational, and community support from Pier Five to help execute their event or brand activation. Whether it’s a pop-up shop, product launch, community event, or creative installation, this program is designed to empower small businesses with the resources they need to make an impact. Grand Prize Grays Runner Up Stimmie Runner Up Yueh Tung Restaurant Grand Prize $10,000 CAD of Custom Printed Materials - Provided by Intak Printing. This could include signage, posters, menus, packaging, wall decals or other essential assets. Operational & Marketing Support – Pier Five will help with: Connecting recipients to local vendors and suppliers Pre-activation content support (storytelling, interviews, social media features) On-site and post-event coverage for social & web content Bringing in community brand partners for in-kind product support Runner Up Prizing Two Runner-Up Prizes: $2,000 CAD credit to Intak Printing and a dedicated social content feature with Pier Five. To be eligible for the Pier Five x Intak Printing Small Business Activation Grant, applicants must meet the following criteria: Business Location: Must be a registered business operating within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Business Registration: Must be a legally registered business in Canada (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation). Proof of registration may be required. Business Age: Must have been in operation for at least one (1) year as of the application date. Revenue Cap: Must have an annual gross revenue of under $2 million CAD. Activation Alignment: The proposed activation (e.g., pop-up shop, community event, product launch, or creative installation) must: Be feasible to execute before December 31, 2025. Align with the small business’s brand, product, or service offerings. Be open to the public or targeted toward community engagement (private corporate events do not qualify). Commitment to Execution: Recipients must actively participate in the grant program, including: Providing updates on activation progress. Engaging in pre- and post-activation content (e.g., interviews, social features). Allowing Pier Five and Intak Printing to document and share their activation journey. Exclusions: Franchises, multi-level marketing businesses, and passive investment businesses are not eligible. Businesses engaged in illegal or unethical activities will not be considered. Previous winners of a Pier Five grant within the past 12 months are ineligible. Marketing: Recipients must be following @pier.five and @intakprintingcanada on Instagram For full grant terms and conditions, click here.
- 2023 Recipient: Loba
2023 Recipient: Loba Introducing Loba, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Kate Bouchard Where: Vancouver, BC Instagram / Website Kate Bouchard, founder of Loba, started the business as she began her own health journey, a naturopathic treatment plan, which included vitamins and supplements. When looking for a way to organize her pills, monitor her intake and set reminders, Kate noticed that there were no products that suited both her needs and her aesthetic. So, Kate developed a beautifully designed, modern pill box and built the Loba app to help herself and her now thousands of customers stay on top of their health regimen with products that look great and are easy-to-use. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? The funds would be used for getting our new and improved packaging to market. We have completely redesigned the look and feel of our boxes to feel ultra-premium and present beautifully with all of the best information front and center for retail. Secondly, as we’ve seen great success with creators on social media, I hope to leverage some of the funds to lean into our influencer and affiliate strategies more in 2024. What is your big goal for the future of the business? We have our sights set on becoming a global wellness tech brand at the intersection of health and wellness apps, smart home, and the herbal supplement markets. One long term goal is to reach over $1million in annual revenue supporting people with our device, app, and software and be able to begin giving back through our Contribution Program. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here .
- A Day In Montreal With LeBicar
A Day In Montreal With LeBicar Earlier this summer, Pier Five had the pleasure of meeting up with Montreal based artist David Bicari, aka LeBicar, for a jam packed day of art, music, food and great conversations. After a wonderful visit to David’s studio in the Mile End neighbourhood and a skate sesh out back, David was kind enough to show us his lay of the land and what started as a plan for a quick meet up turned into a full day experiencing some of the best spots and events in the city. From salmon tartare avocado toast to one of Montreal’s coolest new galleries, multiple Aperol Spritz stops and VIP at the Mural Festival BBQ and concert, there was no shortage of good times and we can’t thank David enough for his hospitality. A little bit about LeBicar… David has been at the forefront of the Montreal art scene for quite some time. With a unique style, David’s black and white continuous line drawings can be seen all over the city, from gallery displays to storefront walls, murals, home goods and on the bottom of skate decks being ridden down the streets. David is a big advocate for getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things and while his style is consistent and recognizable, he isn’t afraid to take on new challenges and this has led to a flourishing career and many incredible relationships along the way. Hey David! It’s great to be in your studio. Tell us about the space. Great to have you guys. I just recently moved into this space and am loving it. I share it with some awesome creatives and brands which helps us all create better work. There’s a ton of space in here too to work on all of my different mediums; canvas, decks, paper, etc. I like doing different mediums every day to keep things interesting and keep me out of my comfort zone. So much great art here and it’s really cool to see the behind the scenes space. You’ve talked about being inspired by contrast and duality, which can be seen through the stark black & white palette of your work. Can you talk about this inspiration a little bit more? I like to think about the spectrum of people in the world and how stark the differences in lifestyles can be. The black and white in my work is my representation of both ends of that spectrum. The contrast, while simple, is very meaningful to me. This idea of black and white also stems from my early days as an artist in which I started with simple pen on paper drawings. It’s all like a bit of a dance on the paper for me. A lot of artists with simplistic styles sometimes get criticized for a “lack of creativity” (which we do not agree with). How would you respond to this statement? There’s something beautiful about mastering simple design. Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy or bad. You wouldn’t tell Jack Johnson to play heavy metal. When he is only playing a ukulele and singing his songs are still incredible [laughs]. I am a big fan of the “less is more” ideology and I know not everyone likes that but it doesn’t mean that less equals less creative. Great answer! Do you ever miss colours? I feel like I have something to say with black and whit but my door isn’t closed to colours. I’ll often save the colours for my client work when I have to work with their brand colours. Ultimately for me though, storytelling is the most important thing. If the story needs colours, I’ll use it. My series “Imparfaitement Special” (Imperfectly Special in English) was inspired by fruit at the grocery store that was marked on sale for its imperfections using an orange sticker. I still saw the beauty in the fruit and the imperfections and brought that into my work so there was colour there. Again, it always just has to be about the story. Speaking of clients, you’ve also done a number of collaborations, from shoes and apparel to skateboards and drink brands. How do you choose which brands to work with and which to say no to? I’ve been lucky enough to reach a place recently where the phone has been ringing which is a great thing. I love collaborating as I feel it makes me a better artist and most brands that reach out to me have done their research and know me so luckily I don’t have to say no to many people. If I don’t feel that there is a natural connection I might say no, or I’ll work to educate them about my work to try and make something work out. I also have gotten hit up in the past for free jobs or ones that pay in “visibility” which I don’t like. Exposure or visibility is nice but I can’t pay my rent with visibility. I’ve worked hard to understand my value and I know I can bring exposure to other people as well. I don’t need to be making tons but mutual value creation is important. That’s a great mentality to have. What would you say to a new artist that is looking to determine their “value” or what they should maybe be charging for work? One thing to remember is that value doesn’t always equal money. That doesn’t mean work for free but there are other ways to gain value for sharing your work. It could be trading time, services, ideas, etc. I can’t really say how much time or what services you should get in return. That’s up to you but just remember money isn’t everything. That being said, I do think it’s important to charge when you can, even if only a little, to build your negotiating skills. Lastly, above all else, I always say that the first person you need to sell your work to is yourself. Be confident in your work and that will take you everywhere. All great points but that last tip is definitely key! Let’s talk about skateboarding! How long have you been skating for and how does it influence your day to day style? Skateboarding is a huge part of my life. It is responsible for opening my eyes to so many different things within music and art. I used to always go into skate shops and just admire the skate decks on the wall. I was so enamoured by the art aspect without even knowing it. Now when I’m creating work, a lot of the stories are inspired by the skate scene. The best part about skateboarding though to me is that it allows me to connect with more people. I have my crew of guys that I go skate with at night and when I’m out there, my mind is completely cleared of stress and I just focus on the skating. It’s like a form of meditation and the people that I’m with create such a positive vibe. It’s also taught me to persevere. Some of these tricks take months to learn but you keep trying until you get it. Art is that way too. What’s a trick you’ve been working on for a while? I was just out in Vancouver with some friends and had a small line of a nose slide and then into a backside 50/50. Nothing crazy but felt good. Besides skate culture, flowers or floral elements often seem to make their way into your creations. Why the flower and do you think it is important for artists to have a symbol or shape that is a recurring theme in their art? I think whether it’s a symbol, shape, colour palette or line style, having something consistent throughout your work is important for recognizability. It allows you to take the people that love your work with you as you grow and progress through your journey. That doesn’t necessarily mean never changing, but having something, even if it’s small, be consistent will do a lot for your long term growth. That makes a lot of sense. Lastly, what are 5 tips you’d give to aspiring artists looking to “make it” as an artist? Don’t keep ideas in your head. Put things on paper so to speak and don’t overthink it. Even if it’s not perfect, that’s ok. Don’t be afraid to share your work with others and collect feedback. It’s ok to feel vulnerable but if you open your work up to people, for the most part they will be excited and try to understand what you’re doing. It’s ok if others have their own interpretation of your work at first but have conversations with them and fill them in on your vision. Let them know the story of your pieces instead of just putting out a design and letting it sit. Think about what you want to accomplish with your art. Do you want to just make your own art? Do you want to design for others? Having this understanding will guide you in the right direction. Have fun. Art doesn’t always have to be that serious, even if it’s your full time job. Just enjoy it and your best work will come out. Make sure to follow LeBicar on Instagram to get updates on all of his new work and 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.
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Pier Five interviews and founder conversations. Our Blog Explore Pier Five's latest conversations with our entrepreneur community. Business (84) 84 posts Art & Design (65) 65 posts Streetwear (62) 62 posts Sneakers (43) 43 posts Wellness (30) 30 posts Food (21) 21 posts Activism (19) 19 posts Sports (18) 18 posts Photography (17) 17 posts Music (12) 12 posts Small Business Activation Grant Runner Up: Yueh Tung Restaurant Jun 22, 2025 Small Business Activation Grant Runner Up: Stimmie Jun 22, 2025 Small Business Activation Grant Winner: Grays Jun 22, 2025 5 Essential Tax Strategies for Small Business Owners to Save Money Mar 7, 2025 5-Tips On Brand Building From Kuwalla Tee's Founder Yaniv Abecassis Nov 26, 2024 Pier Five Community Canvas For Kuwalla Tee Sep 25, 2024 Your Number One Resource With Nishal Kumar of No Days Wasted Apr 24, 2024 Playing the Game Better With Drew Stevens of Margin Skincare Mar 11, 2024 Doing It Yourself With Carol Pak of Makku Feb 7, 2024 Creating Your Identity With Jun Arnaiz of Neutria Jan 9, 2024 Ready For Anything With Bimma Williams Nov 21, 2023 Building Your Own Spaces With Monday Girl Nov 8, 2023 Protecting Your Brand With Zak Kurtz of Sneaker Legal Oct 9, 2023 Embracing Your Community With Sarah Sukumaran of Lilith NYC Sep 9, 2023 A Strong Foundation With Carlo Aragon of Salomonology Aug 25, 2023 Embracing Impermanence With Sandro Petrillo of SSSOAPS Aug 11, 2023 Doing It His Way With Rae Mendoza of ICYT Jul 28, 2023 Slow & Steady with Josh Heares of Porter James Sports Jul 15, 2023 Putting In The Hours With Jess Sanchez of Santa Isla Jun 21, 2023 A New Chapter With Jason Faustino Of Saucony Mar 21, 2023 Chasing Your Curiosity With Carolyn Chen of Dandylion Mar 8, 2023 Keeping It Authentic With Katherine Johnsen Feb 16, 2023 Easy Going With Lorenzo Brunetti Of END. Clothing Feb 8, 2023 Shaking Up An Institution With Colin Li of Hong Shing Jan 26, 2023 Loving The Journey With Adam The Illustrator Jan 17, 2023 Doing It Yourself With Glory Allan Nov 27, 2022 Ball Talk With Albert Nguyen of Double Dribble Nov 15, 2022 Continuing The Legacy With Nick Vo Aug 30, 2022 Writing History With Sam Le Roy of Hartcopy May 10, 2022 Alpha/Beta: The Next Chapter With Raised by Wolves May 2, 2022 On The Map With Free Agent Wearhouse Apr 20, 2022 Showing Up With Liz Beecroft Apr 4, 2022 Earning Your Place With Titi Finlay Mar 20, 2022 Outworking The Competition With Eric Chong of R&D Mar 7, 2022 Staying Curious With Patrick Stangbye Feb 25, 2022 Putting In The Hours With Dan Climan Feb 10, 2022 1 2 3
- Continuing The Legacy With Nick Vo
Continuing The Legacy With Nick Vo We are thrilled to award Nick Vo of @nicksjewellery as the recipient of the first ever Pier Five Creators Grant! Nick’s story was one that really inspired us and resonated with our story and the story of so many other young creatives that we know. In just a short time, Nick has helped elevate the wonderful jewellery shop that his parents started 20 years ago, becoming a staple in Toronto for creative communities to connect over beautiful (and often custom) jewellery. With the money from the grant, Nick hopes to bring in new machinery that will increase the capabilities of the shop and the level of service that he can provide to the shop’s clients. We spoke to Nick about his aspirations for the business, the importance of his community in what he does and the type of mark he hopes to leave on his family when it's all said and done. Continuing the family legacy. My biggest inspiration is my parents. They're the ones who raised me and it's my time to give back to them and to take care of them. They've been through a lot. They sacrificed a lot and it's now my turn to both elevate the business and also carry on the family legacy. My grandparents were jewellers. My parents are jewellers and now I'm the next generation to do it. We all eat together. I hope to create opportunities for my friends and family. I want them to eat with me and I want them to always stay hungry. I think that if I'm able to help myself and love myself, I'll be able to do the same for them. It's a two-way street and I really hope to create every opportunity for them. Collaboration is key. I think the key to success is working with others and collaborating. With jewellery and other mediums, we all intersect. I think the best way to win is to work with each other and uplift each other. It's important to support those who are around you and who are in your network and that will allow you to grow and expand your network. There needs to be more love in the world and we need to support each other more. The future of Nick's Jewellery. My long term vision for Nick's Jewellery is to make it a hotspot in Toronto. Just like when you go to New York, you go to different jewellery shops like Popular Jewellery and New Top Jewellery. I want it to be that when people come to Toronto, they make a pit stop at Nick's Jewellery. I want it to be a space where different creators and consumers - anyone from any walk of life - can come in and work together and be able to purchase jewellery. I want it to be like a studio and a jewellery shop at the same time. Thank you to everyone who supported the Pier Five Creators Grant! We could not be happier with how everything rolled out and are so happy to be able to have presented Nick with $3,000 to help take his business to the next level. Make sure to check out Nick's Jewellery on Instagram and stop by the shop if you're in Toronto!








