Comments on: The Fashion Trail | Vancouver’s Digital Olympics

By: Keshia Khan

Keshia Khan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:50:17 +0000

This is always seems to be a debate…I mean is it truly Canadian to be quiet and modest? To a certain extent I agree that it seems to be in our nature – however, we really need to start embracing and announcing the talent we have in this country. Being humble and modest is fine…but I feel it is also what holds our talent back from really “making it” – fashion included. There is a difference between humble and just plain passive. Is it too much for us to be “cocky” for once? Let’s try it out and celebrate our talent…push them to the next level. I am excited for the games and hope that all the social media outlets can help create a whole new experience for the Olympics. For interest sake, although I know that Lulu lost the opportunity…there are some other Canadian apparel brands that made it…including Trimark Sportswear’s Elevate line (branded fleece, etc) and Sunice I believe had a co-branded partnership.

Kesh
Toronto, Canada

By: Alexandra Suhner Isenberg

Alexandra Suhner Isenberg — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:37:50 +0000

Some very good points made Imran, as usual, and we Vancouverites are doing our best to be positive and get excited about the upcoming games. But as they near, I’ve learned of some shocking sponsorship regulations that I feel can truly damage the experience the visitors will have here.

When living in London I was always shocked that Arsenal’s football jerseys (or shall we call them Team Emirates) had the name of the sponsor much larger than the team name, so I wasn’t surprised to find out that GM Place, our stadium, had been renamed Canada Hockey Place because GM is not a sponsor. I was, however, surprised to find out that because McDonalds is the official food sponsor (yes, that too is pretty depressing) and they don’t have outlets in GM Place, the concession stands in the stadium are not allowed to sell any food similar to McDonalds. That means burgers and fries are replaced by Philly cheese steaks and potato wedges, and even White Spot, one of our burger chains, are not allowed to sell hamburgers.

In addition, the most incredible part of this sponsorship dictatorship is that Visa, one of the sponsors, has managed to wangle a deal stating that no one can pay for any official Olympic merchandise in any of the Olympic venues with anything but cash or Visa. No debit card, no Mastercard, and no American Express. Even Hudson’s Bay Company, the Canadian department store chain, who usually accepts all credit cards, will only allow customers to pay for Olympic merchandise with Visa or cash, but you can buy the rest of merchandise with any credit card. This is not very well advertised, which means that tourists visiting Vancouver will have a very unpleasant surprise if they turn up to venues with a debit card.

Maybe I’m ignorant to sporting event sponsorship regulations, but I feel that banning debit cards, which are the modern equivalent of cash, is going to cause some problems over the next few weeks.

On that very long note, I do sincerely pray that the games go well, and I fully intend on taking part in the festivities, carrying cash, of course.

By: J. L.

J. L. — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:42:35 +0000

As a Vancouverite who had to endure the growing pains leading up to the Vancouver Olympics, I was pleased to read your article about this huge event that is days away from descending on our city.

The Government of Canada likely overlooked the branding aspect of our country. However, I and many Canadians would agree with Mr. Ignatieff’s article. Canadians, both inside and outside our homes, have always been encouraged to have a quiet confidence. We hope (that’s the Canadian way) everyone will have a wonderful time in Vancouver and our hospitality will encourage you to visit us again.

Thank you for your wonderful and intelligently edited site. I visit it daily to get my “fix” of fashion articles.