Glacier Glamping in the North Pole with EDISON CHEN

“I think I first knew of polar bears through Coca-Cola ads,” Chinese-Canadian actor, singer, and streetwear mogul EDISON CHEN tells 032c in Issue 31, “And I always thought they were – no pun intended – cool.”

Norway’s brick-cold Svalbard archipelago is home to more polar bears than humans. Floating past thick sheets of ice, the perpetual summer daylight provides Chen with an unsurpassed opportunity to spot his favorite animal. The Chinese celebrity travelled there with his “wifey” after she gifted him a polar bear safari for Christmas. Welcome to glacier glamping.

For the plugged-in Chen, the voyage was a much-needed break from his digital dependencies. There is no WiFi on the north Pole, an experience he highly suggests: “It was detox. Everyone should try this. No joke and no lies. We all need to give back to ourselves and get back to ourselves.”

Yet even at a distance from the network, Chen’s furry friends provide business wisdom for his streetwear brand CLOT: “I am kind of desensitized to the hunt now. We all hunt some way or another. But watching this bear get his meal, it was like the most beautiful painting you’ve ever seen, right in front of you. The way they hunt and live from season to season is like us in fashion. Fucking wild.”