I’ve never enjoyed the concept of being realistic about one’s aspirations. In general—and especially in creative pursuits—to limit your ambitions is to create obstacles where none existed, and doing so without any attempt to go after what moves you is unrewarding and certainly not the path to success.

Recognizing the craving for content with a more international outlook and a longer lifespan, we set out each issue to create arresting visuals and engaging stories, designed to inspire our readers in Canada as well as abroad. And we achieve this by being incredibly selective with both who we work with and what we create.

The result is what you have in front of you. We were inspired to feature individuals who are living proof of what happens when you pursue your dreams and rise above circumstance. Such people include tech entrepreneur Whitney Wolfe Herd, who quit Tinder—a company she co-founded—after experiencing discrimination, to start Bumble with a goal to give women the upper hand and end misogyny; and hijabi model Ikram Abdi Omar, who has smashed stereotypes and paved a path for herself as a serious contender in the fashion world.

When it came to our photo shoots, we collaborated with the most colourful and ambitious talent. Whether it was enlisting the visionary—and world-class—Ellen von Unwerth to capture the most intricate Haute Couture shoot—in a suburb of Paris no less—to ever grace the pages of a Canadian publication, or shooting overnight in Coco Chanel’s decadent Rue Cambon apartment, we didn’t scale back on our collective vision of exceptional, one-of-a-kind photography. So, as you flip through the fruits of our labour, we hope you cherish the vibrant images and poignant stories as much as we do, and use them as an inspiring reference point for your own creative leaps.