HOW IT STARTED:

We are Kyle and Leah. We are a couple. We both run separate businesses within a few blocks of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

LYD is located in Chinatown and Unimpressed Screen Printing has settled into Gastown.

Though these moves were celebratory milestones for us both, we could not ignore the devastating circumstances of those occupying the neighbouring streets.

We felt helpless, and deeply affected by the daily tragedy so many are experiencing.

In an attempt to help, SERIES was born.

15% of each item sold in the collection will be donated to the DEWC [Downtown Eastside Women's Centre]. We chose this cause as we are aware of the disproportionate risks women face in the DTES.

It's a small gesture towards a much bigger issue. But it's someplace for us to start.

Why SERIES?

We decided on the name SERIES because we believe that:

"We are all a series of events away from someone else's life"

Under different circumstances, timing, or chance, every one of us could be living an entirely different life. We all have more in common than we do not.

Our hope is that this statement evokes empathy.

A personal note from Leah:

This project is deeply personal. 9 years ago I went through a series of events that left me with crippling anxiety. I had a complete physical breakdown and became so unwell that I could not work for 10 months.

My circumstance at that time included: an incredibly supportive partner (yup, that same guy you see in the photo), a safe home, access to a mental health professional, and enough savings to supplement our single income and bide time until I was fit to work again.

 

Those are overwhelmingly fortunate circumstances to be in at a time of need. And because of that, these questions have haunted me ever since:

What if I had been alone with no support? Had no safety net? Lived in an unsafe place?

I do believe that we influence our own destiny and ultimately we are responsible for the choices we make, but there's an unlimited number of ways things can turn out. And we all have different starting points and battles to fight. Sometimes it's a major event that changes someone's course, and sometimes it's tiny, seemingly insignificant events that nudge us along our path.

What I know for sure is this: someone right now doesn't have a safety net. And it could have been any one of us.

SERIES COLLECTION LAUNCHING 07-16-2021