Friends of VSSL: Holiday collaboration with Kay Foye
From the day I started VSSL, I wanted us to participate in meaningful ways that extended into our local community as well as supporting and collaborating with a broader community of like-minded brands and creators. These are things I didn't just want to say we would do in the future "when we're bigger", but wanted to do from the start, and make them part of our culture. And as our "voice" grows, hopefully so will our impact. And with that, the Holiday season is the perfect time of year to celebrate these connections through valuable traditions and partnerships.
This year marks 3 years of the VSSL x Kay Foye partnership. When I first met Kay, I was drawn by the way that her knives are created with nostalgia at the core, by infusing the knife handles with mementos, keepsakes, and artifacts that are personal to Kay or the recipient. To commemorate this third year of partnership, this year’s knife collection is comprised of materials and components that Kay has been collecting since her first VSSL collaboration back in 2018. These components have traveled with Kay all across the country as her business has grown and expanded, and are a symbol of how her career, and our partnership, has evolved and flourished in the last 3 years.
This year’s offering of 30 knives marks an important milestone for Kay, as they make up the first full, cohesive collection that she has ever produced.
When we first reached out in 2016 to ask Kay if she'd do her first special project with us, we didn't realize that, right at that moment, she was thinking of throwing in the towel and closing her business. This partnership came at the right place and the right time - and it’s been incredible to have played a part in helping Kay’s business grow throughout the last three years. Knowing that VSSL has played such an integral and meaningful part in Kay's journey and in her continuing to pursue her passion makes doing another knife collection with her that much more special.
One of the other friendships that stays core to VSSL and our values is our partnership with Communitas, a local Abbotsford based organization that supports people living with developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, and acquired brain injury. One way that they support youth with special needs is through employment. Communitas has been providing VSSL with amazing young folk who have been doing product assembly in our local Abbotsford, Canada HQ since VSSL started. When I first started VSSL, I knew we’d need to build up a workforce if we intended to create unique products with multiple parts from several manufacturers, and many sources, from around the globe. We’d have to funnel everything into one facility and assemble final products here for this to work. Some wise, successful friends and advisors warned against taking the “risky” step of building such a key part of our infrastructure using people with unique, and often very challenging, mental health issues. But our Operations Manager, Nathan Bosch, has a heart of gold and felt that he was up to the challenge.
The VSSL x Kay Foye collection will be launching on vsslgear.com and vsslgear.ca on December 1st. To continue our mission of participating in and giving back to the community, VSSL will be donating 10% of all proceeds from knife sales to Communitas. As a continuation of our ‘Friends of VSSL’ Holiday tradition, we’ll also be running a social giveaway to give one of our followers the chance to win a Kay Foye knife by nominating an unsung hero in their community.
And as always, thank you so much for your support. We’re pretty excited to show you this incredible collection from Kay and help you “check the box” in finding that meaningful gift for that special someone in your life this holiday season.
Todd Weimer | Founder
