Stories Read the latest thoughts from Pier Five and its guests. Business (80) 80 posts Art & Design (64) 64 posts Streetwear (62) 62 posts Sneakers (43) 43 posts Wellness (27) 27 posts Food (18) 18 posts Sports (18) 18 posts Activism (17) 17 posts Photography (16) 16 posts Music (12) 12 posts The November Roundup Nov 29, 2021 The October Roundup Oct 30, 2021 The September Roundup Sep 30, 2021 The August Roundup Aug 31, 2021 The July Roundup Jul 30, 2021 The June Roundup Jun 29, 2021 The May Roundup May 28, 2021

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.

Spice Girl Chai Spice Girl Chai Who: Rebecca Pereira Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners

2024 Recipient: BocoBoco Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing BocoBoco, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founder: Lauren Rochat Location: Montreal, QC Discover BocoBoco online: Website // Instagram About BocoBoco (EN) BocoBoco is an eco-responsible online grocery store focused on simplifying access to local products while reducing waste. They exclusively partner with local, organic producers to offer food and household items, all packaged in reusable and refundable jars. Since its launch, BocoBoco has prevented over 10 tons of waste through its jar return system. The company prides itself on transparency, working with suppliers who meet strict criteria such as local production and waste reduction, and over 60% of its suppliers are women-led businesses. Through its efforts, BocoBoco fosters a sustainable, fair economy while supporting small producers, artisans, and community initiatives. (FR) BocoBoco est une épicerie en ligne écoresponsable qui simplifie l'accès à des produits locaux tout en réduisant les déchets. Ils collaborent exclusivement avec des producteurs locaux et biologiques pour offrir des produits alimentaires et ménagers, tous emballés dans des bocaux réutilisables et consignés. Depuis son lancement, BocoBoco a permis d’éviter plus de 10 tonnes de déchets grâce à son système de contenants consignés. L'entreprise se distingue par sa transparence et travaille avec des fournisseurs qui respectent des critères stricts, tels que la production locale et la réduction des déchets, et plus de 60 % de ses fournisseurs sont des entreprises dirigées par des femmes. Grâce à ses efforts, BocoBoco favorise une économie durable et équitable tout en soutenant les petits producteurs, artisans et initiatives communautaires. How will the fund make an impact with your business? (EN) We will use the $10,000 to enhance our impact through three main initiatives: firstly by improving sales by upgrading our CRM system to better understand and segment customers, which would help us personalize communications and encourage frequent purchases. We would also allocate funds to create visual communication materials and awareness campaigns to educate our community about zero waste, local shopping, and organic products. Lastly, we plan to partner with other small local businesses for contests, expanding our reach while supporting others. These initiatives would help us grow sustainably, increase our environmental and social impact, and attract new customers. (FR) Nous utiliserons les 10 000 $ pour renforcer notre impact à travers trois initiatives principales : tout d'abord, en améliorant les ventes grâce à la mise à niveau de notre système CRM pour mieux comprendre et segmenter nos clients, ce qui nous aidera à personnaliser nos communications et encourager des achats fréquents. Nous allouerons également des fonds pour créer des supports de communication visuelle et des campagnes de sensibilisation afin d'éduquer notre communauté sur le zéro déchet, l'achat local et les produits biologiques. Enfin, nous prévoyons de nous associer à d'autres petites entreprises locales pour organiser des concours, afin d'élargir notre portée tout en soutenant d'autres entreprises. Ces initiatives nous aideraient à croître de manière durable, à accroître notre impact environnemental et social, et à attirer de nouveaux clients. What is your long term goal for the company? (EN) Our long-term vision is to become a national leader in sustainable distribution while staying true to its local roots and community commitment. In the next 3 to 5 years, the company aims to expand its services across several Canadian provinces and offer a nationwide zero-waste service. By replicating our sustainable grocery model in new cities, starting with one expansion within three years, we plan to further grow into two additional regions over the following two years. The company's proven system of reusable containers and efficient logistics ensures an eco-friendly solution with a high level of service, supporting both local producers and environmentally conscious consumers. (FR) Notre vision à long terme est de devenir un leader national dans la distribution durable tout en restant fidèle à nos racines locales et à notre engagement envers la communauté. Dans les 3 à 5 prochaines années, l'entreprise prévoit d'étendre ses services dans plusieurs provinces canadiennes et d'offrir un service zéro déchet à l'échelle nationale. En répliquant notre modèle d'épicerie durable dans de nouvelles villes, en commençant par une première expansion dans les trois ans, nous prévoyons de nous développer davantage dans deux autres régions au cours des deux années suivantes. Le système éprouvé de contenants réutilisables et de logistique efficace de l'entreprise garantit une solution écologique avec un niveau de service élevé, soutenant à la fois les producteurs locaux et les consommateurs soucieux de l'environnement. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here .

Alpha/Beta: The Next Chapter With Raised by Wolves Our friends at Raised by Wolves sent us some pieces from their upcoming collection to check out. The 200 piece collection is made entirely of upcycled, reworked and repurposed garments from overstock, samples, returns and leftover fabric from a decade of past seasons, with the purpose of giving old pieces a new life. We connected with Raised by Wolves owner and mastermind behind the collection, Cal Green, to learn more about the inspiration behind Alpha/Beta, the all-natural design process and what he thinks a collection like this can mean for the future of the brand and fashion industry as a whole. Lookbook Photos: William Smith Model: Marisa Gallemit 2 Years of Planning. 10 years In The Making. One day I was in my office and saw this wall of boxes behind me. Over the last ten years we had overproduced certain collections, had accumulated a ton of samples, held onto returned items or defects, etc. When COVID hit, most of our factories shut down so we knew we needed to find a way to make do with what we had and find a way to sell all of these older clothes by repurposing them. The first project was making face masks in Ottawa and that's what sparked the idea to create a full collection which would become Alpha/Beta. Where does the name Alpha/Beta come from? The name is in reference to the hierarchy of a wolf pack. The Alpha line gets access to the most interesting materials and older samples. It's more experimental and is a lot of outerwear and pants. The Beta line is made up of derivatives from the Alpha line and are more simplified. This will be things like tees and sweatshirts. We've also built out a Delta line which is some homewares and other accessories made from scraps, like keychains, coasters, wooden and incense holders. With this new thought process behind production and design, how is Raised by Wolves thinking about its ecological footprint? I'm hypersensitive to overproduction now. It definitely won't be an afterthought anymore. I think with this, Alpha/Beta will evolve over time. With this collection, we've produced maybe 200 pieces but that's just scratching the surface of the inventory we had. I ended up donating about forty-thousand dollars worth of clothing to local youth organizations in Ottawa. I figured it was better to give the product to someone that will value it than get rid of it another way or destroy it, which was never an option. Created by hand around North America The majority of the pieces in the collection were all reworked by hand and treated with natural techniques to give unique looks to each garment. Black bean dye Beach dye Rust dye Flame finishing on demin Hand-stitched sashiko Apparel by : @atelier_dnhn (Montreal, Quebec) Quilts by : @e_patton (Dayton, Ohio) How will this collection play into the future of Raised by Wolves? I've thought about doing something like Patagonia's Worn Wear program that encourages people to send their gear back when they're done with it and then we repurpose it for Alpha/Beta. It doesn't even have to be Raised by Wolves product. It could be vintage denim or band tees. Ever since I've started working on this project, I've seen a lot of brands that I really respect doing similar programs. So, I definitely think we're headed in the right direction, for sure. Big shoutout to Raised by Wolves for giving us an early look at the new collection! Check out the Pier Five Instagram for more content on some of the incredible pieces. Make sure to keep up with Raised by Wolves on Instagram for more information on the Alpha/Beta collection dropping this month and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

Privacy Policy (Click here for French) Last modified: December 2022 INTRODUCTION Pier Five and our affiliates and subsidiaries (“Company” or “We”) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our customers and website users (“you“), describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.pier-five.com (our “Website“), and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. We will only use your personal information in accordance with this policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for limited purposes. Privacy laws in Canada generally define “personal information” as any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person. Personal information does not include business contact information, including your name, title, or business contact numbers. This policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about our customers and Website users: On this Website. In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website. When you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites and services if those applications or advertising include links to this policy. On our social media pages and profiles, including Facebook and Instagram. The Website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, services, social networks, or applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow the third party to collect or share data about you. If you follow a link to a third-party website or engage a third-party plugin, please note that these third parties have their own privacy policies and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. We do not control these third-party websites, and we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. This policy does not apply to information collected by any third party, through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on the Website. Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices for collecting, processing, and storing your information. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this policy. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Policy). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes indicates that you accept and consent to those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates. INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU We collect and use several types of information from and about you, including: Personal information, that we can reasonably use to directly or indirectly identify you, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, age, occupation, gender, income, interests, social media handles, Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, user name or other similar identifier, billing and account information, and any other identifier we may use to contact you online or offline (“personal information“). We provide an opportunity for any user to unsubscribe from our newsletter or opt-out of contact for marketing purposes, including event invitations and surveys, on an ongoing basis by accessing our Website or using the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails. Non-personal information, that does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity or directly relate to an identified individual, such as demographic information, or statistical or aggregated information. Statistical or aggregated data does not directly identify a specific person, but we may derive non-personal statistical or aggregated data from personal information. For example, we may aggregate personal information to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific Website feature. Technical information, including your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, or information about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details. Non-personal details about your Website interactions, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), clickstream to, through and from our Website (including date and time), products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away from the page, or any phone number used to call our customer service number. Consent is required for the collection of personal information and the subsequent use or disclosure of this information. In order for us to receive personal information from you and allow us to provide you with a requested product or service, your consent to allow us to use that personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy will be obtained before the submission of such personal information. When you are entering any information on a form on our Website, you will be required to confirm by way of checking a box that you have read and agreed to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Only after such box is checked, will your personal information included in the form be provided to us. If you need to provide personal information about other individuals, you must first obtain their consent for these purposes prior to your disclosure to us. Providing us with your personal information is always your choice. When you request services from us, we ask that you provide information that enables us to provide those services to the best of our abilities. You will be authorizing us to use and retain this personal information for as long as it may be required for the purposes described in this policy. Your consent remains valid even after the termination of our relationship with you, unless you provide us with written notice that such consent is withdrawn in accordance with this policy. By withdrawing your consent, or not providing it in the first place, you may limit or even prevent us from being able to provide you or an authorized third party with the products or services desired. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU We use different methods to collect your information, including through: Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by filling in forms or corresponding with us by phone, email, or otherwise. User contributions. You may also provide information for us to publish or display on public Website areas or transmit to other Website users or third parties. Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through our Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies. Information You Provide to Us The information we collect directly from you on or through our Website may include: Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website. This includes information provided at the time of subscribing to our newsletter or magazine, posting material, or requesting further information about our services. We may also ask you for information when you enter a contest or promotion sponsored by us, and when you report a problem with our Website. Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us. Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes. Details of transactions you carry out through our Website and of the fulfillment of your subscription. You may be required to provide financial information before placing an order for our magazine through our Website. Your search queries on the Website. Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use cookies or other automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including: Details of your visits to our Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website. Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type. We may also use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). To learn more or to opt-out of tailored advertising please visit Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada Opt-Out Tool for information on how you can opt out of behavioral tracking on this Website and how we respond to web browser signals and other mechanisms that enable consumers to exercise choice about behavioral tracking. The information we collect automatically is statistical information and may include personal information and we maintain it or associate it with personal information we collect in other ways, that you provide to us, or receive from third parties. It helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to: Estimate our audience size and usage patterns. Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests. Speed up your searches. Recognize you when you return to our Website. The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include: Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website. Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings that are used for browser cookies. For information about managing your privacy and security settings for Flash cookies, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. Web Beacons. Pages of our Website and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity). HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information: To present our Website and its contents to you. To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us. To fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information or that were described when it was collected, or any other purpose for which you provide it. To provide you with notices about your subscription, including expiration and renewal notices. To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts with you, including for billing and collection or to comply with legal requirements. To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it. To improve our Website, products or services, marketing, or customer relationships and experiences. To allow you to participate in interactive features, social media, or similar features on our Website. To measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you. In any other way we may describe when you provide the information. For any other purpose with your consent. We may also use your information to contact you about our own and third-parties’ goods and services that may be of interest to you, as permitted by law. If you do not want us to use your information in this way, please use the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction. We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy: To our subsidiaries, affiliates and business partners To third parties to market their products or services to you if you have not opted out of these disclosures. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information. With your consent. We may also disclose your personal information: To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law. To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes. If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others. TRANSFERRING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION We may transfer personal information that we collect or that you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. We currently process and store you personal information in Canada. In the future, however, we, or third parties to whom your personal information has been provided in accordance with this policy, may process, store, and transfer your personal information in and to a foreign country, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as Canadian law. In these circumstances, the governments, courts, law enforcement, or regulatory agencies of that country may be able to obtain access to your personal information through the laws of the foreign country. Whenever we engage a service provider, we require that its privacy and security standards adhere to this policy and applicable Canadian privacy legislation. You are welcome to contact us to obtain further information about Company policies regarding service providers outside of Canada. See Contact Information and Challenging Compliance. By submitting your personal information or engaging with the Website, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing. CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information: Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. To learn how you can manage your Flash cookie settings, visit the Flash player settings page on Adobe’s website. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may not be accessible or may not function properly. For more information about tracking technologies, see Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies. Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for promotional purposes, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. Promotional Offers from the Company. If you have opted in to receive certain emails from us but no longer wish to have your email address used by the Company to promote our own or third parties’ products or services, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link we have included in the email. This opt-out does not apply to information provided to the Company as part of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience, or other transactions. Targeted Advertising. If you do not want us to use information that we collect or that you provide to us to deliver advertisements according to our advertisers’ target-audience preferences, you can opt out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. DATA SECURITY The security of your personal information is very important to us. We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. We make the effort to train our employees and make them aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information. Our employees are required to maintain confidentiality and may not use the information for any unauthorized purpose. Only our employees with a business need to know, or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to your personal information. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website. DATA RETENTION Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will retain your personal information indefinitely, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent. ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. By law you have the right to request access to and to correct the personal information that we hold about you. If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may also send us an email at community@pier-five.com to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions. We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation. Examples of such exceptions include: Information protected by solicitor-client privilege. Information that is part of a formal dispute resolution process. Information that is about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information. Information that is prohibitively expensive to provide. If you are concerned about our response or would like to correct the information provided, you may contact our team at community@pier-five.com . WITHDRAWING YOUR CONSENT Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at community@pier-five.com . Please note that if you withdraw your consent we may not be able to provide you with a particular product or service. We will explain the impact to you at the time to help you with your decision. CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address specified in your account and through a notice on the Website home page. We include the date the privacy policy was last revised at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date, active, and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes. CONTACT INFORMATION AND CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE We welcome your questions, comments, and requests regarding this privacy policy and our privacy practices. Please contact us at: community@pier-five.com Attention: Pier Five Team We have procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about our handling of personal information, our compliance with this policy, and with applicable privacy laws. To discuss our compliance with this policy please contact community@pier-five.com using the contact information listed above.

A Conversation With Tristan Banning Tristan Banning is a leader in spreading culture. In 2008 he founded Sidewalk Hustle, a music podcast which has since transformed Canada's premier media platform for all things music, fashion, food and art. When he's not overseeing interviews with some of the worlds leading musicians and designers, Tristan is probably cooking up the next stellar fit pic or adding to his more tan impressive collection of rare Supreme accessories. @tristanbanning // @sidewalkhustle From Ziplock bags to Oreos and ping pong paddles, you’re known to be an avid Supreme accessories collector. What are your top 5 Supreme accessories that you own or really want? LOL oh man! Well that all happened by accidentally tbh. I started collecting as kind of a reverse collector, meaning, I really like coffee, and I really like ramen (for example) so when I saw the supreme coffee mugs or the ramen noodle bowl I was like “I want that 😍😍”. So if I were to list my top 5 it would go like this (in no particular order): Honorable Mentions: Although phone cameras are essentially pocket-sized DSLR’s these days, you’re an advocate for film photography. What are 5 tips for anyone looking to shoot with film? Woof… good question. One reason I like film so much is that it’s not instant. In a world of instant gratification we want to take a picture, post it on social and get the likes right away. It spikes our endorphins and makes us happy but also makes us want more. You take a 100 pics and then pic which one you like the most from that and edit it or what have you. With film, you need to slow down. You need to consider framing, lighting and distance to subject. You need to hold still, you need to breathe. Then after that you need to wait to take the film in, develop it and then see if any of the pics worked. So you need to have confidence in yourself and what you’re doing. And sometimes it still doesn’t work out. But then at least you learned something. So my advice... Get a cheap film camera, a disposable from the local drug store and head out and shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Then learn from your shots. If you dig the process and the outcome you can start looking for “better” cameras on eBay or in film photography groups. Enjoy the ride. It’s a pretty fun journey if you’re down. In addition to Supreme, you’re a big sneaker collector. What are 5 sneakers you couldn’t ever live without? You know the funny thing is I love sneakers and as a result I guess I’m a collector. But I don’t really identify that way because I like to wear my sneakers. So I don’t buy or keep (if gifted) sneakers I won’t wear. So my favourites are… My Nike Air Max 1 bespoke’s I made at 21 Mercer NikeLab. They are literally 1 of 1 and are my dream shoe. Atmos Elephant Air Max Adidas Ultraboost v1 or Ultra 4D v1 Yeezy 700 Waverunner Rhude Vans Old skool / Converse chuck taylor Oxfords. BUT ALSO: Anything in a low with safari print. A classic white Air Force 1 The puma Thunder Spectra Jordan 1 Low 2020’s been a crazy year. What are your 5 favourite moments in pop-culture from this past year? To me, there were 4 that stole the show... I liked when Travis Scott performed in Fortnite not because it was an amazing performance or anything but because it changed the dichotomy on how we consume entertainment. Someone (Travis?) understood where his audience is. Strangely the release of The Last Dance, The Michael Jordan documentary. For me it was cool to see the whole world, give or take, finally get to experience the magic that was Michael Jordan. To understand why he is part of the cultural lexicon. I am old, so I watched Michael play in his prime, so even I got to learn something that I didn’t know about. It was cool to see everyone talking about it together. I also really enjoyed when Post Malone did a live concert from his house that was all covers of Nirvana. For many this was probably the first time they actually heard Nirvana songs, plural. And it opened that music up to a new fan base. And it’s always nice to see artists re-interpret and interpret their influences. I also enjoyed when everyone all of a sudden started playing Animal Crossing, and you would see fashion brands making clothes for the game, record labels etc. Even my mom was playing. Who have been your 5 favourite interviews that you’ve ever conducted? In my travels and adventures I have had the chance to interview a lot of people who I respect and admire. Although I have personally taken a step away from the interviewing, I have found that I am still meeting and talking to people, a little less this year. But last year I was on a preview of an art exhibit in Brooklyn and in the preview I talked to the guy giving us the tour. He gave me a lot of insight into the art and we started talking. I came back the next day to get a tattoo from a well know Brooklyn artist, and while getting the tattoo we talked about how he ended up here. It was a fascinating story that really delved into his experience but also the experience of many around him. It was great. While he was working on my tattoo a member of the band Blink 180 showed up, I also talked to artist Shepard Fairey. So while those aren’t interviews I have had the privilege of talking to and meeting some incredible people. When I was interviewing: Travis Scott (7 years ago) Bloc Party Foals Felipe Pantone (Artist) Tinashe Mayer Hawthorne Cut Copy Finally, this is an important one for us, what are 5 tips for conducting a great interview? ...maybe we should have asked this first [laughs]. Ha! Easy. Do a little research (which you did) Actively listen Actively respond. That will make for a good interview. HOWEVER, the real trick is, if possible, try to get in there and do a little small talk with the person to help break the ice and make it more conversational. Like how a comedian as someone “warm up the room” first. Or an opening act at a concert. Do your best to make a personal connection.

Earning Your Place With Titi Finlay A year ago we got the chance to speak with Titi Finlay, the Social Media Manager for Laced UK, artist and content creator who was taking the sneaker scene by storm through her advocacy for more inclusivity in the sneaker industry. Between her bold quote posts like "Make Sneakers Gender Neutral" or "Sneakerhead is defined by passion, not gender." and her incredible sneaker paintings and fit pics, there has been lots to talk about and now with the recent partnership with Nike, we had to catch up again. Check out the conversation below to hear about how everything came together, how she feels about the current state of inclusivity in sneakers and what she's looking forward to, this year and beyond. Getting the Nike Call "It was so surreal! I actually cried after I got off the phone with them because they wanted to bring in my art and my creative side rather than just the message I was pushing in the community. My art and paintings and my print making and all the stuff like illustrations has all been something that I’ve always wanted to make my main career but never felt like I could do that. For Nike to recognize that and give me the platform and the tools to actually execute it was just so amazing." Titi On Imposter Syndrome "My imposter syndrome has been at an all-time high this year. I think just because I’m moving into a much higher role in my work and also being seen by more people on social. It’s almost like the more success you have ,the more you feel like you have to lose." (Listen further below) As it turns out, before the partnership, Titi has been helping the brands roll out more inclusive products and launches. "I personally had a few calls with the Nike design teams where the had me and a couple of other women actually feed in on the products coming out for next year. It's super empowering for all of us to know that we’re being heard now. Obviously things don’t happen overnight with brands." With all the excitement, comes over-indulgence. Listen to how Titi is approaching sneaker madness today. Would you ever NFT your work? "I thought about this a lot. I'm obsessed with learning about it but I still find it baffling. Some of the stuff is so terrible. I feel like I could make a lot of money if I did go into it but I think there’s also the whole conversation around the sustainability and energy usage of NFT's. There are some really cool concepts coming out so I’m definitely not opposed to it but I’m also still a bit sceptical. I don’t like do crypto right now but I'm excited to see where the space goes." So what's next? Keep an eye out for more of Titi's projects with Nike coming out in April and hopefully some gallery or exhibition events coming soon! ...oh and potentially a world tour ?!?! Make sure to follow Titi on Instagram for news on her upcoming drops, events and all the best sneaker content and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

Protecting Your Brand With Zak Kurtz of Sneaker Legal Almost every creative entrepreneur starts their business out of passion but as time goes on and the business grows, the legal matters of the business become more important but also often fall to the wayside. Zak Kurtz, lawyer and founder of Sneaker & Streetwear Legal Services dba Sneaker Legal, has turned his passion for kicks and coveted streetwear into a business designed to help creative entrepreneurs with all of those legal matters so that they can focus on their passions, while he focuses on his. We got the chance to chat with Zak about how he found an opportunity in a niche legal space, his tips for new creative entrepreneurs and what some of the keys have been to his success. Read the conversation below! Hey Zak! Thanks for chatting with us. Can you tell us a bit about you and your firm? Hey guys! So, my name is Zak Kurtz and I'm the founder of Sneaker & Streetwear Legal Services, also known as Sneaker Legal . Sneaker Legal works with clients in the sneakers, fashion, sports and entertainment space to help them protect their brand across a number of legal matters. You've built a very cool career in an admittedly niche space. What was the key to getting there? If you like something, go do it. I read a good book last week, and a line that I remember from it is, "let your joy be your GPS", meaning, whatever brings you passion, whatever brings you joy, do that in your life. Let that guide you. My grandfather was a judge, so I knew I wanted to be a lawyer but I wasn't sure about what in. I played soccer soccer in college overseas, so I thought I wanted to be a sports lawyer but in law school, while I was doing sports law, and I was president of all these things, and I was making a lot of money, I wasn't happy. I would sit on my computer and I would just look at trademarks like drawings of sneakers. Never did I know that one day I'd have a special law firm that's niche was in sneakers and streetwear. If you never giving up and follow your passions, that will definitely lead you to a good career and also a good life. We love that story and the self awareness about what makes you happy. At the end of the day, just be you. Staying true to yourself and what you love is the most important thing. If you're passionate about something, maybe it's sneakers and law or maybe it's something else, that will find a way to shine. If you want to build a brand and you're a good human being, people will come to you. We only live so long and I think it's important to be yourself and that really attracts people and brings good things into your life. You seem to have a great capability at getting clients. Any secrets there? A lot of the time, people don't reach out to legal because they're afraid of legal's answer always being "no". Due to this, most of the time when people come to lawyers, it's reactive. It's after you're getting a cease and desist or after you're getting a lawsuit. So, it's very important just to be upfront and work with your client so that that stuff doesn't happen. If you're releasing a shoe, come to us and we could say, "hey, this looks like an Adidas or a Nike. You might want to change this" or "this name is already trademarked by another company so you might want to change your name". We always take a very open approach because we believe it's important to be proactive with legal and I think that openness has helped create a welcome environment for new clients. Once you get a new client, what's often the first legal item that they might need help with? Starting is the hardest thing for your brand but once you start, you need to start thinking about all the stuff like establishing an LLC, registering trademarks, bringing on a lawyer or having someone around that you can ask those types of questions to. I can't tell you how many questions I get daily about little things like "should I have a contract for this?" or "do I need an NDA for that?". These are simple questions that a lawyer could answer for free or in a few minutes and I think it's good to start building that network and have that team environment. If I was to focus on one thing though, It would be the trademark. Anyone could actually do their own application or do some research but if you take it the next step and actually hire a lawyer, working on the trademark will really help protect your brand. That way you're boxing out the other people from using that name or that logo. Lastly, outside of the legal field, what's one piece of advice you'd give to a new entrepreneur or small business owner? You need to have a great team and be able to rely on other people because you can't do everything yourself. Then, once you find the right people, you need to trust them and let them do their job. I'm very cautious about every micromanaging them. I want my team to know that, as long they get the work done, they can be creative and flexible with their approach and I feel like that's been a key to the success of my team. Make sure to follow Sneaker Legal for all of your sneakers and streetwear legal info and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creative entrepreneurs and small business owners. Legal Disclaimer: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. Readers of this website should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader, user, or browser of this site should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information on this site without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this website or any of the links or resources contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader, user, or browser and website authors, contributors, contributing law firms, or committee members and their respective employers. 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Pier Five x PUMA: Community Court Day 2023 Earlier this month, Pier Five proudly hosted its first ‘Community Court Day’ event in Toronto in partnership with PUMA. The event was designed to give entrepreneurs and creatives a new way to connect outside of the office in a space that was conducive to conversation and relationship building. As big proponents of 'breaking up the work week', Pier Five brought out 25 of Toronto's cultural change-makers, including business owners, artists, content creators and brand leads to spend a day on the court, a place that fostered so many relationships for us growing up. The day got started with guests arriving to a care package with some of PUMA's newest basketball gear; of course we had to hook them up in the best. From the beginning, strangers instantly started becoming friends and learning about each other. There's something about trying on new sneakers with others that get spirits high. After some introductions, basketball coach/trainer and founder of Core Basketball, Ali Nizam, started the day with warmups and partner drills designed to get people out of their comfort zone. Regardless of experience, every single person was sweating by the end of it. Spirits were definitely high, and safe to say we were all on an equal playing field after that. The warm ups were followed up refreshments from our friends at Neutria and Barbet who kept us hydrated throughout the day and a good 'ol fashioned 'name game' - of course we had to bring some summer camp memories back - to help everyone learn a bit more about who was in the room. After that, guests were put into teams to put their skills to the test. Every single person was playing hard and throwing it down! Lastly, we wrapped the day with a roundtable-style discussion focused on getting out of your comfort zone , something that is key for entrepreneurs and that every guest of the day demonstrated so well that day. The #1 goal of the day was give creatives and entrepreneurs a unique space to get to know each other and we couldn't be more proud of how much that was accomplished. In an age of social media connections and a non-stop grind to the top, finding time to meet likeminded individuals in-person, even those in our own backyard, can be very difficult but when you find a way to do it, break down all of the walls, and just let people jam, the results are incredible. A major thank you to every single person who came out with an open mind and willingness to learn. We can't wait to see how these conversations turn into incredible things outside of the gym doors. As well, thank you to Neutria and Barbet for the incredible drinks and of course, thank you so much to PUMA for supporting our vision of creating unique spaces for inspiring people to connect and grow. We can't wait until the next one!

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

A Conversation With Cereal Artist Cereal Artist has made a name for herself with her impressive sneaker and streetwear inspired sculptures. Coming off of strong collaborations with Footlocker and the mecca of footwear brands, Nike, Cereal Artist is taking the design scene by storm and crafting some of the coolest, functional, pieces for the streets. @cerealartist As someone who has turned DIY into a career, what are 5 do's or don'ts when starting to "do-it-yourself"? Definitely start things off easy depending on your technical skills, whether its a simple silhouette or even just sewing straight lines until they're perfected. Don't copy others. Practice a lot and find different ways to make things work until you develop your own flair. Nobody gets it perfect on the first go so don't stress the errors too much. Don't spend too much money up front. Don't think too far ahead. Focus on your current progress and have fun! We love the sneaker-made bags and hats. What are 5 other garments you'd like to make out of sneakers next? It's not 5 but I've got 4 key categories I'm going to be working on. Clothing pieces Definitely some other accessories Wall art Art decor There's a lot to choose from but can you rank your top 5 creations you've ever made? Mc'Nike Set Jelly Dunk Shoe Bag Shoe Hat NikebyYou With all the creativity going around Instagram these days, who are 5 other DIY artists that you're into? @kevinconcepts @hoopfr3sh @miniswoosh @gunuw228 @danielarsham And last but not least, you've spoken out about the importance of mental health. With such a busy career, what are 5 steps you take to maintaining good mental health? Make sure to take time to rest. A good break is important! More work isn't always better. Don't force yourself to take jobs that don't feel right. Connect and socialize with other likeminded creators. Don't consume too much social media. Don't worry about others. Do things at your own pace.