These Jackets Are Raising Holocaust Awareness — And Cutting Down Deniers

Image by Summit Ice

By Thea Glassman March 28, 2017

Can a polyester, wind-resistant jacket raise Holocaust awareness?

Comedian Nathan Fielder thinks so.

Summit Ice Apparel, a clothing company started by Fielder in 2015, donates 100% of its proceeds to Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, a teaching museum that includes survivor testimony projects, exhibits and school programs.

The idea came to Fielder after he discovered that his winter jacket came with an unsavory tie-in.

“When I was younger, and until recently, I used to wear a jacket brand called Taiga, which is from a shop just down the street,” he told Vice. “I discovered recently that they published a tribute to a Holocaust denier in their winter catalogue, but I was wearing their jacket on my TV show. I felt like that was bad because I was giving them publicity. I didn’t know what jacket company to trust, so I thought it was easiest to start my own company.”

During a pop-up store opening on Monday, Vice reported that the company mixed typical clothing racks and mannequins with signs detailing information about Auschwitz. Buttons with the words “Deny Nothing” were handed out for free, in exchange for listening to facts about the Holocaust. Taiga jackets could be turned over in exchange for free Summit Ice gear.

According to Summit Ice’s website, $150,000 has been raised for Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre so far.

Next up for Fielder? He’d like to see all Taiga jackets off the market in Vancouver. Those turned over to the comedian will, according to the company’s press release, “be disposed of in a manner deemed appropriate by Mr. Fielder.”

Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at glassman@forward.com

Thea Glassman was an associate editor for the Forward. Follow her on twitter @theakglassman.

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