Meet Mio: The Swedish designer behind the Canucks Pride jersey
"I really wanted to tell a story about being alive, being free, and finding yourself"
By
Brett Lee
If not for the online hockey community, Mio likely never would have developed an obsession with hockey and a passion for combining her love of the sport with her artistic gifts. Growing up, the graphic design student always saw sports as something that wasn't for her. As a queer individual, it wasn't a space that she thought she could fit into. However, after having met the queer people who help shape hockey into something she loves, she found her place.
The Canucks will wear their Pride jerseys during warmups on Friday night at Rogers Arena. These player-worn jerseys will be available for auction at vanbase.ca.
Below is an interview with Mio, edited for clarity and brevity about her journey into hockey and the story of the logo design.
What was your journey into hockey like?
It's a confusing journey because I feel like I'm the anti-hockey fan. Growing up and in my teens, I always hated sports. I'm an artist and that kind of nerdy culture, animation, movies, fashion, history, that's been my jam. So, the journey into hockey was surprising but not surprising now that I look back at it.
When I look back, it feels very natural, and it fits me because I think what introduced me to hockey was the people around me. Sweden is a hockey country so I've always had hockey in the back of my mind but what really made me see that hockey could be a place for me was when I read Check, Please - a queer hockey comic.
Flash forward to the pandemic. I was bored and chronically online, studies were online. During this time, I started seeing people on my Twitter feed talking about hockey stories and narratives. And so, I was vaguely curious about this world. And then the Seattle Kraken released their jerseys, which is what really kick-started my interest in hockey. Being an artist and designer I was like, "Oh this is cool. This is something that I want to get into."
From there, I met a friend and she essentially introduced me to watching the sport. She told me about the playoff bubble and that's when I got hooked on my team, the Flyers. That's when I started drawing hockey and after two weeks, I was obsessed with the sport. It was all I could think about and all I would draw. From there, it spiraled into me drawing for myself and my friends to posting it online, to other people noticing, and teams noticing. It kind of grew into something bigger than I ever expected it to be.
What has the experience been like finding a place within the hockey Twitter community?
Hockey Twitter was a new experience. I'm very used to art, animation, and comics Twitter and that is quite different from sports Twitter. So, there was an adjustment realizing that [hockey Twitter] doesn't really have art. This space doesn't have a ton of artists to explore.
There were a few but I think really in the past year, you've seen tons of people exploding with art in the hockey community. I think that's thanks to hockey Twitter and [us artists] realizing that there is a space for us.
How do you see online pop culture and art crossing over in the hockey space?
I think that's the next step. Sports has one of the most powerful stories through art so I think it's an inherent combination that those two will exist. I'm seeing both teams and individuals creatively explore the medium more and more and seeing it get more of a mainstream purpose beyond realistic player portraits or how it's been in the past.
The industry is taking notice to art, and it's really cool seeing that come alive and being a part of its growth.
What was important for you to represent in the Canucks crest?
I drew from my own experience because I don't think there's a universal queer experience. How everyone feels about being queer is unique. So, I really wanted to take on what I feel in my own queer experience and motifs and feelings and storytelling and narratives that I see in the queer world.
So, I really wanted to tell a story about being alive, being free, and finding yourself, and about community.
I wanted to tell a story about being stuck trying to find yourself, but finding yourself in others, finding a community, growing to accept yourself and going out and being able to wander the world. And even if the world is dangerous and unpredictable, you can still find beauty in it. I think that is really the story I want to tell.
I love nature as an artist, they are motifs that I use a lot in my work, and it is something that I very dearly connect with myself. That's why I connected [this project] with BC nature too because it's about being queer in Vancouver, and it felt very natural for me to work with [nature motifs] to tell the story.
What do you hope the fans feel when seeing these jerseys take the ice?
I want queer fans to feel represented. I want them to understand it, appreciate it, and like it. I want people to listen to and understand the story and connect to it. And even if you're not queer, I think the story strikes a chord.
I also want people to appreciate it as artwork. All these warmup jerseys are amazing. They're incredible things that I just want to put up on a wall.
Lastly, I want people to have fun with it. It's fun seeing art and colours on the ice.
