The people behind Never Was Average
Oct 29, 2020
This week, spotlight on Never Was Average, our partner in D&I
If you don’t know them, you’ve certainly heard of one or more of their achievements. Over the past few years, Hanna and Harry have been very active. The founding duo of Never Was Average is actually behind the creation of the huge irrigated mural on Ste-Catherine Street, at the Berri intersection, titled "La Vie Des Noir·e·s Compte" last summer. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the two entrepreneurs, who have been specializing in Diversity and Inclusion in communities and businesses since 2017, recognized the importance of marking their city by displaying the symbol of Black Lives Matter, in French. It is, in fact, the very first in the world to be created in this language.
A few other accomplishments of Never Was Average
○ The participatory installation and curation of a space at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2018.
○ Awarded for Black History Month 2020 in Quebec.
○ The creation of the short film Amour is love while being nominated for the RIDM emerging talent award.
The duo's greatest pride, however, remains that they have managed to create a sense of belonging among their diverse community through a series of open and authentic conversations.
Quick-fire questions
How did you meet Hanna and Harry?
We met in 2006 through a mutual friend who is actually Hanna's best friend. We both attended the Marianne adult education school. We clicked immediately because we had the same desire to become entrepreneurs and to change the world.
How did you come up with the idea to found NWA?
The concept of Never Was Average was born organically in 2015 in Montreal while we were running our first men's fashion store. We realized that it would be quite difficult to navigate as young entrepreneurs and especially as young Black entrepreneurs. So we wanted to share our experience through a project. We also wanted to share what we had learned over the years. Share our knowledge with people who, like us, did not want to take the path that society tells us to take.
We then decided to close the store and change our cultural reality. For a year, following the closure, we dedicated ourselves to content creation. It was a good time to develop our creative side which also led us to officially launch Never Was Average in 2017 with the mission of creating inclusive spaces in the fields of arts, culture, fashion, well-being, and the workplace.
And why did you do it?
Never Was Average is a project that fulfills us. We have no limits! We can do what we want, the way we want. We have managed to find a guiding line for all our projects under the banner of Never Was Average. To change our world, it’s wonderful!
What do you think is the biggest issue related to Diversity and Inclusion in our society?
Over the years, we have seen brands do a lot to align with the values of Generation Y and Generation Z regarding diversity and inclusion, in order to increase engagement and have a stronger commercial impact. However, there is a large gap between what leaders believe and what employees say is happening on the ground. And this creates a company with two cultures.
We think that companies have too broad an approach, without noting that there are nuances; it all depends on the location of the companies, and more. An approach that generalizes all experiences under diversity and inclusion is not the solution. Diversity can mean something completely different for someone in Montreal and for someone living in Sherbrooke, for example. We can easily talk about intersectionality, identity, and even intergenerational issues. What we mean is that each experience is unique and that must be taken into consideration.
What motivates you the most to get up every morning?
To change the world today. Not tomorrow. Not the day after tomorrow. Now! Our mission is to create a society where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color can feel REPRESENTED, SUPPORTED, and FULFILLED, and we work very hard every day to achieve that.
If you want to know more about Never Was Average and the founders, we invite you to take a look here!
If you want to learn more about their role in our B Corp support service, come talk to us!
Article written by Judith, B Corp Consultant (she/her)
