Snuneymuxw x Nanaimo Supply Co. Tee (Black)

100% Cotton Fine Jersey T-Shirts hand printed in Nanaimo by Mauro Dalla Costa/UFF Screen Printing.

These shirts were originally made in 2019 as part of a collaboration with Cory Landels and Nanaimo Supply Co. back when I worked with Petroglyph Development Group and Snuneymuxw. This project is about recontextualizing space in Snuneymuxw and creating something to rally around as members of our community. Our culture is rich and beautiful; it is something to be proud of. Bringing it back to the surface and ensuring that proper, meaningful recognition and representation is taking place is very important to us.

Nanaimo Supply Co. was a line of branded apparel that seeks to inspire people to take pride in their city. It was founded in the Fall of 2018 by local graphic designer Cory Landels. A launch event at White Rabbit Coffee Co. in May, as well as a weekly spot at the Commercial Street Night Market helped spread the word about the company's mission to represent opposition to a negative way of thinking of Nanaimo. "Nanaimo Supply is about celebrating the things that make our city great" Landels says, "but it also recognizes the potential we have to lead the charge and make positive changes in our community." The brand shut down in 2022 as Cory focused on his Common Foundry business and graphic design career, but we have continued to collaborate over the years.

This was one of my first creative projects like this, and it was before I started sharing my art. It holds a special place to me and I wanted to bring it back, because I loved seeing it around town as a symbol of Snuneymuxw pride.