FUCK UR TRAINING WHEELS! & MEET THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADES!!

#1 Why the name “The Deadly Nightshades?” We have been around almost five years, so that mystery has many versions, but I like to believe that it was all fate. In the hands of the bike gods.  

#2 What is The Deadly Nightshades all about? We are about everything awesome! The three 'F's' mainly...   Friendship, Feminism, Fashion.  No, but really...It started as an all-girl-ass-kicking-midnight-bike-crew that was intended to be a joke.  We thought it was funny to make matching jackets and cause trouble. Then we (very organically) evolved into a group of super rad designers/photographers/activists who have their fashionable feet in a bit of everything that is artistic, sustainable, sewing, DIY  - doing it all on our bikes! We just recently curated Toronto's VeloReel, a bicycle themed film festival.  As well, we launched a line of DNS bike lights in collaboration with Bookman, a smart Swedish bike company.   You can find the lights for sale at Colette in Paris.  (http://en.colette.fr/catalog/product/view/id/336029/s/light-027-028-029-030-086-085-seafoam/category/17823/)

#3 How many people are involved in the group /how do you know each other? There are six members currently: Big Red, Thora, Snow White, Namtron, Fierce Bambi and Meg O. We met during those wacky years of post-secondary education.  Namtron met Bambi before that - they worked together on Queen St. W back in 2001.  

#4 Where do you get your inspiration? From other ladies who rule, of course!!  Right now we're inspired by the 'Suicide Motorcycle Club', which was a gang of women who started their own Motorcycle Club in the 1920s and biked all over Colorado and California.  We've tracked down a whole album of their photos but the woman who owns them can't access them because of the flooding in Colorado.   The originals were sold to a gallery in Europe, but she still has the low res versions of them.  They're really an inspiration. And I think I can speak for all the Nightshades when i say.... the colour SEAFOAM. It's our crew's colour. We have matching jackets. Actually, Our motto is "step 1: matching jackets, step 3: take over the world"

#5 Tell about one of your favorite projects? 
I think we get the most excited about the most current project...Fierce Bambi:  Right now I'm in the middle of opening a second studio in Leslieville - we just painted it sea foam and we're opening in November. (http://www.themakeden.com/calendar/leslieville-class-calendar)And Big Red is teaching a Mexican Wrestling Mask workshop in the morning in our Bloordale location! Big Red: Right now, Pigeons and Thread, a company of "garment engineers" I co-own is starting a locally produced women's line! Let's do this! www.pigeonsandthread.com

#6 Who do you wish you could kill? Big Red Says, "I dont think I would kill anyone but RobFord. Young James Dean. Karl Lagerfeld, <----- i="">(actaully, what a great idea, i might do this!)


#7 Will “The Deadly Nightshades” be hitting up any other cities… or is Toronto it for now? Actually we used to have members living in Vancouver who recently moved back and one who is currently ripping it up and representing in NYC! We are taking over the world you know... ;)

#8 What is “The Deadly Nightshades” working on currently? Oh, it's a secret.... So secret we don't even know where it's going! It's in the research phase right now.  We're trying not to get ahead of ourselves and  to collaborate on the creative process - which is hard because we're in different cities!  

#9 Where do we see “The Deadly nightshades” In 5 years? On the cover of the Rolling Stone, wearing matching jackets.   

#10 what’s one vice the gang cant live without? Bicycles and beers.