Comedian fights Holocaust denial with jackets

Thinking of buying a new windbreaker jacket? Before you opt for one of the established brands, you might consider buying a jacket from Summit Ice, comedian Nathan Fielder’s new outerwear company.

Not only will you acquire an attractive water- and wind-resistant all-season softshell jacket, but you’ll also be supporting Holocaust education.

With his deadpan demeanor, it’s sometimes hard to know when Fielder, whose “Nathan for You” show is on Comedy Central, is being serious and when he is joking. However, it seems that Summit Ice is a bona fide non-profit endeavor directing all its profits to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

“I’ve launched it as the first outdoor apparel company to openly promote the true story of the Holocaust,” Fielder, 32, recently told Conan O’Brien.

So, how exactly does one come up with the idea to promote Holocaust awareness by selling windbreakers at $109.99 a pop? Well, it has to do with making amends for Fielder’s inadvertently having worn on camera for years a jacket made by Taiga, a Vancouver-based company that had published a tribute to known Holocaust denier writer Doug Collins. The tribute was published in Taiga’s winter catalogue in 2002, but Fielder only became aware of it this year.

Fielder, who is Jewish and grew up in Vancouver, decided it wasn’t enough to just take off the offensive jacket.

“In searching for a replacement, I realized I couldn’t be sure that any of these other jacket companies weren’t hiding dark secrets as well. So, I thought the only way to be safe was to start a jacket company of my own,” he told O’Brien.

His company’s slogan: “Summit Ice. Deny Nothing.”

All this came as a surprise to Nina Krieger, executive director of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.

“We were not aware of Nathan Fielder’s plans until the VHEC was forwarded a link to the Summit Ice Apparel website, referencing donations to the VHEC, and a clip of Nathan’s recent appearance on Conan. We were surprised but pleased to learn that the VHEC had been named the beneficiary of proceeds from Summit Ice sales,” Krieger told The Times of Israel.

Krieger said there has already been a significant increase in traffic to VHEC’s website due to the publicity generated by Fielder’s pledge to donate profits to further the center’s Holocaust education and remembrance activities.

Photos of celebrities wearing the jackets published on various entertainment websites could create even more of a buzz.

There are reports that Summit Ice has already generated at least $45,000 in sales, but Krieger said that VHEC has yet to see any of the promised funds.

“We have been in contact with members of Nathan Fielder’s team, and they have confirmed his pledge to donate profits from Summit Ice Apparel sales to the VHEC. We hope to receive an update about sales and donations soon,” she said.