FREEDOM19

Can you share a bit about your path as the founder of Better Gift Shop? What moments pushed you to follow this journey?

The truth be told I basically started all this from nothing… for years I worked for loads of other people doing every awful job you can imagine. Construction, delivering mail, the list goes on..  I was lucky enough to go to California in the mid 2000s and come back to a retail job for one of the best boutique shops in my city at the time. After working at that retail store, it got kind of sour and one of the owners held a lot of unnecessary doubt towards me, but the positive side is that I learnt a lot from that experience. I worked with Stussy which was awesome, but I ended up having a realization that I just wanted to continue to do my own thing. From then on, I did multiple art shows with friends from New York and randomly landed an opportunity to work with Cam’ron on his merchandise.

After moving forward from that I was constantly thinking to myself "what if I just start making my own product?” So I ended up silk-screening these random t-shirt ideas that had been living in my head forever, they gained a lot of traction and the tees got stocked by Union LA, Supreme LA and a few Japanese stores showed interest in what I was doing and managed to go to Tokyo to do several exhibitions with both shops; Min Nano, Supply Backdoor and Toxgo… I then decided to pivot into an idea I had in my head and that ended up becoming me launching a web platform for a gift shop which would allow me and the people I was working with at the time to curate items and tell stories through found products and product that we would make. One day, shortly after that my friend Sam James offered me the opportunity to open a retail store, I said no and a day later he said, "Too bad I locked down this space in Chinatown". 2017 was the birth of Better Gift Shop in Toronto, but at the same time that this was happening we launched a project with Dover Street Market which took us around the world; I think it was the key moments of realizing I didn’t want to work for other people, my friend Sam approaching me and the DSM project that pushed me really hard to keep on track with my journey. I never imagined any of that stuff happening and it did but in a very natural and organic way.

Stone Island has a dedicated global following, from sport club culture to collectors and creatives. What’s your own earliest memory of the brand, and how has your relationship with it evolved?

I have a few early memories of Stone Island but the one that really stands out is a friend of mine that was doing a lot of illegal activity back in the days *laughs*. I remember it was the dead of winter -- like completely freezing -- and we met up to grab a sandwich and he was wearing this crazy jacket with a Stone Island patch. I recall saying to him “woah that jacket is crazy!” and he kind of shrugged my compliment off and was like “yeah I know”. Then once we got inside the sandwich shop his jacket started to change color and seeing that for the first time was mind-blowing. He was explaining to me “this is an ice jacket” because he was really well immersed in the brand and the technical side of it, however I think he really wore the brand because it was expensive and he was coming out of the post-rave and graffiti scene in Toronto. That single experience opened my eyes to Stone because I was fairly broke at the time *laughs* and wanted to aspire to wear the brand because it would show some level of success and stature. What I always loved about Stone Island is that it was unobtainable and hard to get, thus making you look and feel exclusive. Unrelated to the story, it’s funny because I always told myself that by the time I hit a certain age all I want to wear is Stone Island and I manifested that naturally. I’ve been really lucky to evolve my relationship where I have global recognition with the brand and a lot of opportunity with them, got to shout out Dustin for looking out for me and the crew.. 

Is there a particular moment or person that changed the way you see style?

There are definitely particular people and personalities that changed the way that I see style. Without question Prodigy of Mobb Deep mid-to-late nineties just had such incredible style, and then it's also people like Raekwon, Grand Puba, Ian Brown during the Stone Roses Era. Seeing the way Ralph Lauren has been able to use his imagination in the way that he puts outfits together is beyond remarkable, Taz Arnold and definitely Sk8thing. I’ve always loved the originality of how all these incredible people dress and dressed and it’s definitely taught me a lot. 

When did you first notice that you were really good at what you do? What set off that feeling?

I’ve always had niche interests that like-minded people have connected with. Now I’m noticing the people I’ve admired are responsive to my projects or want to work together, but it’s been a decade of trial and error up until this point. I’ve always been following a gut feeling and intuition. If an idea feels good, I just try to make it and survive without regrets.

“Community as a Form of Research.” What does community mean for you when it comes to design and art?

With community, and when it comes to design and art, I try to put on the talented people around me or see potential in the people that are hungry for opportunity, as long as it feels authentic.

How do you decide which projects to join? What makes a collaboration stand out to you?

Nowadays I’m really picky and selective on what projects I join, it just seems that everyone is over-consumed post-Covid era and we've been overstimulated by mostly garbage. In order for a collaboration to stand out it needs to have intention and purpose, and if it doesn't then I can’t be bothered to participate or pay attention. 

Is there a random interest or hobby that surprisingly influences your creative work?

Yeah, traveling to different cities around the world and going to random stores, bookshops, eating at unique restaurants and locking in with locals in that city. Also, more than anything, playing video games *laughs* It’s mandatory for me to get ten thousand steps in a day and having alone time to process helps influence my creative work.

If you were not in the creative/design world, what do you think you would be doing instead?

I’d probably try to become an artist and if that didn’t work out, maybe some holistic life practice or in the hospitality and hotel industry, it’s really hard to say.