GENEs

Welcome back to GENEs.These interviews reveal the stories behind peoples coveted items and we unravel the connections and history that have brought them to where they are today.To check out the previous interviews covering a range of clothing with intimate and gorgeous stories, see the link here.Let’s pull the thread.In this episode of GENEs, I sit down with Brenden Wren, also known as B-Wren, the founder of Leo’s Clothing Supply on Vancouver’s Granville Strip. We talk through his journey from thrifting and selling on Grailed in Calgary, to working long nights in bars and flea markets, and eventually opening Leo’s in a historic space once home to a camera supply store for over 65 years. Brenden shares how hustle, exhaustion, and curiosity shaped his relationship with clothing, vintage, and building something of his own.Our conversation moves beyond retail into community, legacy, and place. We talk about Leo’s as a multi-use space, supporting people without moralizing, navigating city bureaucracy, and what it means to create something meaningful in a difficult environment. We close by getting into the GENEs of the project, a pair of jeans Brenden made himself, using sewing, trial and error, and mentorship as another extension of the same mindset that built Leo’s. At its core, this is a conversation about showing up, learning by doing, and continuing to ask, why not? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In this episode of GENEs, I sit down with Vancouver filmmaker Corey Adams, AKA Machotaildrop. His career stretches from cult skateboarding films to music videos, commercials, and his recent series Edge of Sleep.We talk about his winding path into—and out of—the film world, his love for stop-motion, and the objects that inspire him, including a jacket with a story of its own. Corey’s a natural storyteller, and our conversation ranges from scouting caves in Europe to creative partnerships in East Van.For photos and Corey’s recommendation for a future GENEs guest, visit the companion piece on Substack.Intro and Outro music by my good friend, Andrew DiPaola. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In the 20th episode of GENEs, I sit down with Malik (also known as evidence doll) a multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans music videos, clothing design, tattooing, and world-building. We talk about their cathartic music video BBB, the importance of safe creative spaces, the fluidity of identity and personas, and the playful relationship between clothing, memory, and self-expression. From DIY aesthetics to conversations about being visibly trans in Vancouver, Malik shares the stories behind their art and the artifacts they hold close, reminding us how creativity, identity, and survival are always intertwined.For the photos that accompany the story, please see the Substack.Intro and Outro music by my good friend, Andrew DiPaola. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

What does it take to spot a garment that will quietly change your relationship to clothing? In this episode, I sat down with Saager Dilawri of Neighbour to talk about how he navigates fashion weeks in Paris and Tokyo, what makes certain pieces stop him in his tracks, and why some clothes are worth wearing for years.We recorded before the shop opened, surrounded by racks of carefully chosen garments, as he walked me through the stories behind a few of his favorite pieces. If you’ve ever been curious about what elevates a shop—or a shirt—this one's for you.For the photos and full interview essay, see the Substack.Music by my good friend Andrew DiPaola. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In this episode of GENEs, I sit down with Skylar Stock, the longtime owner of Mintage, one of East Vancouver’s most iconic vintage shops. After over a decade of observing his work from afar, we finally chat in the back of his Commercial Drive location about his early days at True Value Vintage, his time picking for Rocket in London, and the unlikely path that led him back to Vancouver to open Mintage. We dive into how he’s seen the vintage landscape evolve, the emotional pull of old dresses, and the one item he’d grab in a fire: his father’s 1940s swimsuit. Skylar also reflects on sustainability, taste, and what it means to quietly shape style in a changing city.You can check out Mintages website and Instagram here.Intro and Outro music brought to you by my good friend Andrew DiPaola (Mister Manic). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In this special 17th episode of GENEs, I sit down with one of my closest friends, Andrew, whose influence helped shape this project from the start. Unlike past interviews with strangers I’ve met on the street, this one is deeply personal, tracing our shared history and Andrew’s own journey through sport, style, and fatherhood. We begin with a vintage FRC coaches jacket, passed down from his father, a long-time high school coach in Winnipeg, and unravel how clothing, community, and sport have defined his path.We talk about Andrew’s upbringing, finding belonging through basketball, and the powerful mentorship from his dad. We also dig into his current efforts revitalizing Britannia’s basketball courts with Buckets & Borders, a community-driven project uniting sport, art, and East Van pride. This episode is about more than clothing. It’s about legacy, fatherhood, and building things that last.Listen in for stories on style, sport, and grassroots change, and learn how a single jacket ties together decades of identity, memory, and community. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In this episode of GENEs, I sit down with Two Smudge—also known as Matthew Provost—a Blackfoot artist, designer, and cultural storyteller. We talk about growing up between Lethbridge and the reserves, his journey into fashion, and the importance of protocol, community, and collaboration in his multidisciplinary practice. From hats passed down through generations to ledger art on century-old maps, this conversation is a deep dive into what it means to create with purpose, memory, and respect. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

For this GENEs interview, I sat down with Matt Roberge of Vintage Sponsor. I’ve been visiting Matt for months, always leaving with something; a piece of vintage gold or a story I wasn’t expecting. This conversation ended up going way beyond clothing. We talked about family lineage, obsession, and what it means to inherit “the sickness”; that instinct to dig, collect, and preserve. Centered on a faded red t-shirt from his grandfather’s old antique store, this episode traces how Matt’s eye for quality and storytelling was passed down through generations. We covered Y2K sweaters, sustainability, and even outhouse archaeology in New York. It’s one of the deepest dives I’ve done—into style, memory, and what it means to build something that lasts. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

In this episode of GENEs, part of an ongoing series where I talk to people about a favorite item of clothing to learn more about their personal history and creative approach, I sit down with Aly—designer and founder of NENA HANSEN. Known for transforming men’s dress shirts into unique, upcycled pieces for women, Aly’s work sits at the intersection of sustainability, style, and discipline. We talk about her journey through art and design, the quiet grind behind building a one-product brand, and what it means to grow a label rooted in community. This was my first downtown interview, and the first recorded with audio in mind. A new format, a new neighborhood, and a refreshing conversation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com

The original intent of this piece was to announce that my GENEs interview series is now available in audio format. I have been able to conduct 14 of these interviews so far, but for many of the earlier episodes, I was simply recording interviews on my phone mic—either outside on the street or in cafés—so the audio was unusable for editing. Thankfully, for the more recent ones, I had the foresight to invest in some decent gear. Mainly to avoid situations like my phone dying mid-interview or mysteriously stopping the recording altogether. Now, I have useable audio that I can attach to the interviews to make them a listenable experience, but I’ve been hesitating to release them.Thanks for reading (or listening) MikeDi's Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.As I’ve been preparing to “officially” publish these episodes, I’ve found myself stuck in this weird back-and-forth: should I even pursue this? Why am I hesitating? And I realized—most of the resistance comes down to self-sabotage... and my irrational hate for the word “podcast.”Let me explain.(If you'd rather skip my explanations and just go back to listen to the audio versions of my GENEs interviews with Andy [@owensoddities], Matt [@vintagesponsor], links are here. My newest one, with Aly (@nenahansen), will be coming soon!)If I think back far enough, I’ve always been a bit resistant to labels. Some of that comes from being contrarian in nature, but it’s also about not wanting to be lumped into a group I don’t fully align with.Take high school, for example. I was jokingly called a “self-loathing Italian,” not because I wasn’t proud of my heritage, but because I didn’t want to be boxed in with a group just because of where my parents were born. There were parts of me that fit in, and parts that didn’t. And I resented the expectation that I had to belong and look or act a certain way. I realize that this may come off as a bit whiny, especially as someone who fits into the privileged heteronormative majority, with people dealing with way more substantial prejudices in their lives, but I’ve always used it as a source of empathy and awareness. In this photography (and now writing) project, I have tried to do my best in recognizing and then ignoring prejudices I may hold based on people's appearances alone. Being constantly out in the community, talking and photographing people who may “appear” to fit into one category or another, always breaks any mold I could have originally held in my mind about certain types of people.This pattern of fitting into a group, but resisting the label, has also followed me into adulthood. Across different hobbies, jobs, and creative pursuits, I’ve learned that there’s power in community, but I also feel like I lose something when I’m identified too closely with a group. The assumptions people make about you based on a label? That’s the part that stings.For example, when I tell people I’m a teacher, it instantly triggers a whole cascade of assumptions about who I am, how I think, how I live. Just because everyone’s had a teacher, you get lumped into every good and bad memory someone’s ever had in a classroom.Or take the name I still regret: “Seasons of East Van.” I’ve talked about this before, but the worst part is how often people misremember it, or worse, call me the “Humans of East Van” guy. The projects definitely share some surface-level similarities, but in my mind, what I do is different. I admire Humans of New York, of course. I just don’t want to be confused with it anymore.Okay, so, what does any of this have to do with audio versions of GENEs?Well... I guess I’m now publishing a podcast and already I am being resistant to another label.When I first started these interviews, I didn’t like the idea of recording them for a bunch of reasons: I didn’t know if they’d be interesting. I wasn’t sure I could pull off an interview. I didn’t know if I’d find enough guests. Or if people would even have clothing they wanted to talk about. And, probably most of all, I hated the idea of having to go back and listen to the sound of my own voice.But after publishing a few of the written interviews, I started hearing the same thing over and over:“I love these GENEs interviews—but I just hate reading. I wish I could listen to them.”At first, I resisted this feedback—because that’s often my default. But as the encouragement started coming from people I deeply respect, the hesitation started to feel more like my ego getting in the way. So I decided to buy some entry level recording gear, telling myself it was so that I could listen back to the conversations rather than rely on my spotty iPhone recordings…thinking I’d maybe be able to publish them as well.The more interviews I did, the more comfortable I got in the process. The gear didn’t feel intimidating anymore. I even started enjoying the process of editing these essays and then preparing the audio (with some help from Jonah, of course).So here I am recording myself reading the earlier pieces to splice in the interviewees voice so that people can listen to a version of the interview.The only hurdle left? Getting over the fact that I have to call it a podcast.Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love podcasts. When I was commuting from east van to South Surrey daily for work from 2017-2022, I was consuming hours and hours of podcasts. It helped me stay relaxed in traffic, it allowed me to expand my understanding of many different topics, or it offered a light-hearted break to an otherwise heavy day.I have been “that friend” to suggest podcasts to people for years.So why the resistance to making my own now?It comes down to a few things…First, I still want to honor and respect the fact that people are sharing intimate and personal stories with me, and I want to be present with them, and share their story in a way that makes them feel good. I thought that putting a recording device between us might hinder the authenticity of the conversation, but so far, I haven’t felt that, and I don’t think my guests have either. But, I will continue (for now) to be narrating my essays with their voice spliced in rather than just publishing the entire conversation in full. This gives me both the chance to sit back and think about the narrative, but also gives the interviewee a chance to preview the work before it gets published.Second, I have zero expectations for this. Everything I’ve done in this “side-hustle” has been a creative endeavor, with little to no expectations that anyone would ever consume it. I am super grateful for my local and enthusiastic followers on Instagram, and my new, albeit much more refined following on Substack. But to now think I have to convince everyone to also follow me on Spotify, or wherever else this is published, seems annoying, so I likely won’t be pushing it too hard. I won’t be overtly telling you to listen to “my new podcast”.So, yeah…I’ll keep resisting the term podcast, I will still be calling this an “audio essay” or some other bulky term. It will be published on Substack and Spotify under their podcast label…but really it’s just another version of what I’ve already been doing: collecting stories, editing them carefully, and putting them out into the world in a format that feels personal and human. The stories of course, will always be accompanied by photos, so I hope people can continue to engage through Substack to see the photos as well.At the end of the day, GENEs has always been about connection. It’s about clothing, yes—but more so, it’s about the people wearing the clothing and the stories that live in the fabric. If hearing those stories instead of reading them means more people can engage with them, then I’m happy to oblige. Just don’t expect me to start calling myself a podcaster anytime soon.Thanks for listening, or reading, or both. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mikecldi.substack.com