User:NikkiGrant/sandbox

Peace Collective is a Canadian clothing brand based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are most well known for their Toronto vs. Everybody shirts, which their founder first wore to a Toronto Raptors playoff game. The company was founded in 2014 by Yanal Dhailieh. Dhailieh is a graduate of the University of Waterloo and originally wanted to become a medical doctor. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree in biomedical science, he began working in sales at a computer software company and started Peace Collective. Dhailieh started the company out of a desire to give Torontonians and Canadians the ability to show pride in who they are, through their clothing. Dhailieh describes himself as a "[s]trong believer in chasing your passion and working hard at what you love". He is an "[a]vid reader and podcast enthusiast [who is obsessed with] [s]ports and music".

Peace collective sells clothing for women, men and children. In the past, the company has collaborated with Lululemon Athletica and as of May 2016, their products can be found in 18 Hudson's Bay locations across Canada. As well, they have worked with the Toronto Blue Jays to promote the brand. In 2015, following former Toronto Blue Jays player Joe Bautista's legendary bat flip game he put the "Toronto vs. Everybody" sweater on while celebrating on the field. Just before the game, Bautista purchased sweaters for his teammates.

The company believes that social media helped launch their brand since it "breaks down the traditional barriers that may stop a person from starting a business"

In April 2019, Peace collective unraveled Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign slogan "Make America Great Again"(MAGA) hat and amended the letters so that it read "Welcome to Canada" The slogan was designed by head of growth, Roman Hessary and is stitched on a red toque with white letters that look similar to the MAGA hat. "He hopes to transform the negativity associated with MAGA into a more welcoming Canadian stance" They worked with a creative agency to bring the message to life. The video shows the MAGA slogan being unraveled, letter by letter with clips of Canadian immigrants telling their stories about what the phrase means to them in between .Profits from all sales of the toque are being donated to WoodGreen Community Services, who help refugees and immigrants create a new life in Canada.

Partnerships
Peace collective is committed to giving back to the community. They have modelled their company after brands they admire who focus on community and giving back, like TOMS shoes. Peace Collective is part of charitable group Peace Foundation, whose philanthropic efforts operate as a one-for-one model, with each purchase leading to a donation going directly to a Canadian in need. "They donate two meals to a Canadian Child in need for every garment sold". Peace Collective have made their mark in the Canadian landscape through partnerships with major popular culture brands in Canada, such as the Toronto Blue Jays and the Juno Awards, in the form of official clothing lines featuring logos and messages related to these brands. These partnerships have helped propel Peace Collective into the Canadian spotlight and contribute to the Peace Foundation’s charitable efforts by raising awareness and through celebrity endorsements.

"Every item purchased provides 5 school meals to a child in need". Why does Peace Collective donate school meals? According to their website, "[b]y providing a daily meal in a place of learning [they] meet the immediate needs of hungry children and encourage them to go to school to gain an education that can, in the future, be their ladder out of poverty".

Peace collective partners with Mary's Meals school feeding programs to feed communities around the globe. "Mary's Meals are owned and run by community volunteers in the countries that they support". Wherever possible, Peace Collective will serve locally produced food to support the farmers and local community. "Hunger, with its adverse consequences for children, continues to be an important national problem" ."These life-changing meals attract hungry children into the classroom" says Peace Collective. Nearly two billion people are affected by hunger worldwide. Their "goal is to provide 10,000 children with school meals for an entire year by 2030". They would like every child to be given one meal daily at school.

Peace collective has a blog portion on their website which is titled "Community". There, they feature the passionate stories of Canadians. In their blog they feature a Toronto Argonauts cheerleader who competed on the Amazing Race television show, owners of Toronto based swim company 437 swimwear and a talented photographer among many others. They also feature stories from everyday Canadians.

Legal Action
"In September 2015, Dhailieh received a cease-and-desist letter from Detroit-based clothing designer Tommy Walker Jr". Walker claimed that Dhailieh stole his "Detroit vs. Everybody" slogan. The slogan, "Detroit vs. Everybody was registered as a trademark under Walker's name in the United States in October 2013 however, it was not registered in Canada .In an interview with the Star, Dhailieh advised that he put "Toronto vs. Everybody" on shirts during the Raptors playoff game in 2014, stating that he did a lot of research and was aware that others were selling similar clothing elsewhere

Locations
Their flagship store is located at 131 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON, M6J 2Z6. They also have a store located inside the concourse level of the Front Street Promenade inside Union Station.

Peace Treats
Due to the size of their flagship store on Ossington Avenue, Peace Collective sectioned off a portion of the retail space for a gourmet milkshake bar. It is equipped with a bar and some fridges, blenders, and a white tile backsplash. John Molina of Peace Collective and Jenny La, formerly the head of gelato at Soma Chocolate, spent months creating the shakes. They have four specialty flavoured milkshakes which retail at $8.50 and four basic flavours which retail at $6.00. One of their featured shakes is named " Go Shawty, It's Your Birthday": a vanilla shake with a slice of birthday cake blended right in, topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, caramel, rainbow sprinkles, and a little cube of birthday confetti cake with a lit candle" . They also have a milkshake called D.R.E.A.M which stands for donuts rule everything around me. "It's a vanilla shake with a pinch of chocolate chips for consistency, chocolate and caramel syrup inside, whipped cream, caramel on top, chocolate sprinkles, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and two store bought sugar donuts. In terms of specialty milkshakes, they also have the Amusement Park which is topped with cotton candy ice cream, whipped cream, sugar crystals, pink sprinkles, pieces of blue and pink cotton candy and a cotton candy flavoured lollipop. Most of their specialty shakes have a rim of icing and sprinkles and a coloured diner-style straw. Their ice cream is made by St. Clair Ice Cream.