Vancouver-born comedian Nathan Fielder, star of the Comedy Central series Nathan For You, opened a pop-up shop in East Vancouver Sunday with proceeds going to a local holocaust education centre.
Fielder was offering gear from his line of Summit Ice apparel, which he started when he learned that Taiga — a Vancouver-based clothier he had long admired — had published a tribute to late North Shore News columnist Doug Collins more than a decade ago.
During his controversial career, Collins was the subject of a complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Commission for some of his North Shore News columns, including one about the 1993 film Schindler’s List (which he called Swindler’s List) where he stated “what happened to the Jews during the Second World War is not only the longest lasting but also the most effective propaganda exercise ever.”
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“Not only could I not trust Taiga anymore, I couldn’t trust any outdoor apparel company to know their beliefs so I thought it would be safest, if I could be wearing a jacket on TV, to start my own company,” Fielder said.
Early Sunday morning, a line-up formed outside the pop-up shop, located at 138 East Broadway, two blocks from a Taiga store. The store offered customers the option to trade in their Taiga jacket for a free Summit Ice soft-shell jacket and a pin bearing the company’s motto: “Deny nothing.”
“I felt like if they’re putting out catalogues with Holocaust deniers in it, I felt that we could counter that by doing this in Vancouver as well,” Fielder said.
Over the years, Fielder, who studied business at the University of Victoria, has gotten celebrities like Jack Black and John Mayer to wear his clothing. Comedian Seth Rogen, who attended the same high school as Fielder, has also been spotted wearing the gear.
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During the run of his Comedy Central series, Fielder has launched several far-fetched business ideas such as Dumb Starbucks.
With Summit Ice, Fielder is using one of his ideas to help a good cause. Fielder has promised to donate $150,000 US to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, which is located inside the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
Fielder said his hometown was the perfect place for a pop-up store, given its status as a “world-class city.”
“I don’t know if you know but Vancouver hosted the Olympics in 2010, so it’s a very popular city,” he deadpanned.
-With files from Jennifer Palma
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