2022 Made in Vancouver Awards Winners: Wildcard

We’ve put on these awards for four years now, and every year we put out the same call: we’re looking for awesome products that are made locally, including food, drinks, beauty, fashion, home goods and… anything else. This is the Wildcard category, our celebration of that “anything else.” Read on for the Made in Vancouver Awards recipients that can’t be categorized.

Photography by Jennilee Marigomen, styling by La Bomba Floral

Winner: Ash Wood Bicycle, Workbench Studio

We know—a wooden bike? But the shock of seeing such a traditional material used in such an unorthodox way is part of the design’s charm. Designer Mario Paredes (the mad woodworking genius behind Workbench Studio) has crafted something truly unique with his ash wood bicycle: a high-performance, shockingly lightweight hollow frame that celebrates the West Coast’s natural, renewable material in a new light. 

Says Paredes, “Our practice focuses on creating work that is honest and speaks the language of architecture.” But with this one-of-a-kind design, he’s speaking to bicycle nerds, too—and saying something truly beautiful in the process.
$15,000, workbenchstudio.ca

2022 Made in Vancouver Awards Honourable Mention in Wildcard

Eos Floral Arrangement, Thrive Flowerhouse

“My goal is to re-engage people with nature, in a contemporary way,” explains Thrive creative director Tina Wilson. Her meticulously handcrafted bouquet is composed of foraged and painted sea grass, handmade paper palms, painted faux anthuriums, faux orchids, and dried and painted leaves—a coordinated vision in lemon and lavendar hues.
$250, thriveflowerhouse.com

READ MORE: Meet the Winners of Vanmag‘s 2022 Made in Vancouver Awards