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Local independent snowboard and streetwear label #NomadCollective is open now until the 30th and they've taken over the front of our friend's store Space Lab in Chinatown. If Space Lab sounds familiar that's because you've probably seen it at 126 E. Pender where they hosted Luke's General Store pop-up and Bootleg Barber's in the back. In August they moved into an even bigger space at 230 E. Pender and brought the barber shop with them. Space Lab's owner and neighbourhood good-guy Clint is all about collaboration and we're working with him to fill the front of his store with revolving pop-ups.
#NomadCollective is spearheaded by owner and head designer, Dave Greenfield - you've probably got a friend like him. He's the kind of guy who guides backcountry snowmobile trips, scuba dives with sharks, and runs with the bulls in Pamplona. In another capacity, he's an illustrator and designer taking time to develop a brand that includes gear for both men and women (to be launched soon), mountain adventure films, and a snowboard team to represent the brand's collective vision (and it all looks as sharp as a freshly tuned snowboard's edge).
@thisopenspace: Tell us about the collective. Who's a part of it and what are the different pieces of the collective?
When did you know snowboarding was for you?
DG: I started skiing when I was 8 years old and I remember seeing snowboarders and just knowing that I had to try it. A few years later when I was eleven, I think I had bugged my parents enough that they got the message, and that season I got my first snowboard. It still remember it vividly it was Rossignol snowboard that my parents had bought secondhand from a rental shop.I remember it was black and had a tin man graphic on it outlined in white. It had these old bindings with really low backs and the bindings that you just push together to tighten (no ratchet back then), it had a leash, and a stomp pad and I loved it, it was also way too big for me but I didn't know.There was just something about it that I liked more than skiing, it was really hard to learn, I thought so many times in the beginning that I had gotten the hang of it finally, and would get cocky and try to go fast or try to jump something and just catch and edge and hit the ground so hard. Everyone who has snowboarded knows the feeling.I learned to snowboard at Big White and if you've ridden there you know they get amazing powder, but it also gets really windy, icy and super foggy a lot of the time so I learned in those conditions. I remember it going from so much fun to so much pain quicker than you can blink, I was hooked right away.
Here's the product plug. What can we expect in store?
DG: You'll see snowboards, new graphics and style tees, raglans (baseball tees), pullover hoodies, zip hoodies, crew sweatshirts, sweatpants, five panel hats, snapbacks, toques, and facemasks. And it is being released exclusively for the pop-up shop, so you won't be able to get this anywhere else. None of the product will be available online during the pop-up. The stock will be limited so get down there before your size is gone!
Where's the last place you travelled to outside of Canada?
DG: I went was Mexico for a friends wedding recently. I actually married them, but thats another story. It was my second time to Mexico and was a lot of fun, the most memorable experience of the trip was scuba diving.The dive instructor jokingly asked my friend if she wanted to see sharks on the second dive, which she said, "No!" But, the instructor took that as a "Yes!" because before we knew it we were back in the water, and diving down to the sea bed where there were two bull sharks.There is an instant sense of fear being in the water with sharks. But we swam down to the sea bed while these two bull sharks circled us and came within a couple arms lengths away. The whole time knowing that if the shark decided if it wanted to chomp you there wouldn't be anything you could do about it. They didn't though but the rest of the dive I couldn't help but have the wary feeling that they might be behind you. It was a really cool experience especially since we didn't die.
Do you have favourite mountain to board on?
DG: Favourite mountain is hard for me to answer, Mt. Seymour will always be one of my top mountains for a few reasons. I've snowboarded there for years, in high school I used to ride there some nights and weekends. Then once we could drive we would skip class to go, so I have many memories up there.They always have a good park, they know how to build jumps properly and have some innovative set ups, so big props to the park staff for keeping it fun up there. It's local so I can ride in the evenings when its not busy. Don't go there, you wouldn't like it!
