A new season and a new George Gets Curious. We reached out to the designer of one of our newest brands, Jean-Mat Vincent of Bon Vivant. If you didn't get a chance to meet Jean-Mat at the recent Bon Vivant Trunk Show we had at the shop, this is the perfect opportunity to learn a little bit more about the brand and the man behind it...particularly where he goes to eat in Montreal and his absolute fondness for poutine =)
pic c/o skatenewspot.com
First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up skateboarding around the streets of Montreal, which inspired me to do my own thing growing up. I like traveling, biking, coffee, dinner with friends and a good glass of wine.
Favourite place to hang out in Montreal?
I do my pit stop every morning at café Neve. At night I like going to Jardin de Panos where you can bring your own wine. After that, I usually go to my buddy’s new bar called Henrietta in the Mile End.
Why did you start Bon Vivant?
Traveling and working in the industry for a long time inspired me to create my own line. I started my store with the idea to introduce the brand within a year. I really wanted to design my own shirts; fit has always been really important for me and I knew exactly what I wanted so I started by designing The Gino, our signature shirt. Since then I grew the collection slowly to make sure every piece in the collection become a classic. I do a lot of research on fabrics to bring the best quality to make sure my clothes last and improve with wear.
Favourite poutine spot and “flavour”?
I hate poutine.
You’ve been travelling a lot lately…what’s your favourite/most inspiring global city? Why?
I like different cities and places for many different reasons. Sometime I like to be far from the city to get back to the roots and see different cultures, the way people live and their mentality there’s a little bit of bohemian/gipsy inside me. Of course I also love the city I was recently in, Tokyo, probably one of the best places I’ve been. I also love Copenhagen; the lifestyle there is something else, you don’t need a car because the bike system is really on another level. It’s nice to see a big city where people live in a community helping each other…you can really feel that people there are happy.
Beverage of choice (alcoholic or not)?
Coffee, water and red wine
What (if any) other creative hobbies do you have?
I always like sports and my new passion is my road bike! We have the mountain right in the Plateau so I can just go for a ride after work a few times a week. I love it!
Have you ever had any brushes with the law? If yes, elaborate.
I had my problem growing up which I’m not going to elaborate on. Mostly just skate, run, chill, which was part of my lifestyle for 15 years, so I got tickets…probably some that I’ve never paid.
What’s up next for Bon Vivant?
I am currently designing new pieces for the collection. Then I want to export the brand to other countries, specifically in Asia but always keeping it exclusive to a few store and work with people that I like.
How many pillows do you sleep with?
2
