The Face Behind The Name: Ross Mylet - Tool And Eye Collective
I was never great at putting thoughts into words but I guess this is my shot at explaining exactly what I want to do. The idea of Tool & Eye started as a General Store and Collective of Toronto/GTA based brands and grew from there. In 2017 I was wondering how I could work with my friends and other makers that I thought were making and building cool things in the city. What better way than to have a hub to help sell their products. As it started to come to a reality I realized that there are tons of amazing makers, artists & creators in the city that people are unaware of. Sometimes it was as simple as people from the west end not knowing about stuff in the east and visa versa which to me was always a bit wild. I’m grateful to have a circle of friends that are always willing to share experiences and spots from all corners of the city. Sometimes I find that it’s a bit of an awareness thing and how willing people are to go out of their bubbles to experience something new but I’ve also found that people simply don’t know what Toronto has to offer [what’s made here, what brands exist here, where certain products are actually made].
Tool & Eye has evolved from a collective of Toronto based brands and a general store to a small media hub that is designed to give brands, designers, creators and makers a platform to show the city who they are and what they represent. I’ve found there is always bias and opinion on a lot of places and brands that may not come from a place of fact but a place of opinions of others. I want to give the brands, owners, makers & creators an unfiltered platform to set the bar and give their message directly from them. This is where “The Face Behind The Name” comes in. “The Face Behind The Name” is an interview series and later a podcast designed to open up conversations with the people involved in the collective. It started as a “how can I show people what my buddies are doing” template and moved into a platform to show the locals what’s here and who is behind what’s going on, sort of an unfiltered opportunity to get to know the people in the collective. It’s a dream to eventually start opening it up to shop owners, restaurants and other places as well so the city becomes a [majority] shop local hub.
Within the shop I will have goods made within the city, brands started in the city as well as my own items. To me its important to support local mills and creators so all of my garments will be made here locally in Toronto. Currently everything is actually cut, sewn and dyed right here in the city. My plan is to collaborate with other makers/brands, stock locally made goods and brands all within the shop as well as eventually open up some doors to friends and brands outside of our city in Montreal and Vancouver down the line.
As a personal note I have watched so many businesses, restaurants and industries my friends are involved in literally crumble beneath them during COVID which became the right moment for me to put this into reality. With the help of my wife (with a swift kick in the ass and a get it fuckin' done) and some great friends, I decided to get the ball rolling. I truly believe that we can become a united community that supports each others businesses and hustles whatever they may be. "The Face Behind The Name" is what I believe can help spread awareness of the amazing stuff we have going on in the city.
I have so much gratitude to everyone that has helped me create this platform and want to thank everyone for checking it out and reading this post. From this point on the site will be live and look forward to “The Face Behind The Name.”
Thanks for Everything
Ross