Nathan Fielder opens 1-day Summit Ice pop-up store in Vancouver
Comedian and Summit Ice Apparel founder Nathan Fielder opened up a pop-up store in Vancouver on Sunday, using the opportunity to take another dig at competitor Taiga for its tribute to a Holocaust denier in one of its catalogues.
People lined up down the block on East Broadway to trade in their Taiga jacket for a Summit Ice one and a "deny nothing" pin.
Fielder, who grew up in Vancouver, also said he would donate $150,000 US to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre during the visit.
"We're trying to take all the Taiga jackets off the market in Vancouver," Fielder said at the store.
Fielder, who stars in the Comedy Central show Nathan for You, says he was prompted to start Summit Ice in 2015 after he discovered that Vancouver-based outdoor clothing manufacturer Taiga had published a tribute to the late Doug Collins, a columnist known for his anti-Semitic views.
That tribute was written for Collins when he died in 2001.
It read, "Although many disagreed with his views, he has to be admired, however grudgingly, for his lions courage in asserting and defending the rights of free opinion and free speech in these wimpy, politically correct times."
Fielder used to often wear a Taiga jacket, including while performing on his show.
"I'd been wearing it on TV for years, it was my favourite jacket," he said.
In response, he started Summit Ice to "create a brand that openly promotes the true story of the Holocaust."
All of the profit from the jackets go to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, which promotes Holocaust education throughout Western Canada.
Fielder, who also has a business degree from the University of Victoria, says the company has sold more than $500,000 worth of products since it began.
"It's been a very successful business, a very successful brand and we're very excited about it," he said.
The pop-up store was open from 11 a.m to 5 p.m. PT. It was the retailer's first physical location — right next door to a Taiga store.
Fielder said all of the Taiga jackets collected on Sunday would be thrown away.
Taiga did not respond to requests for comment.
With files from Deborah Goble
