-Story and photography by Lia Crowe
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A small-town boy from Campbell River with a big imagination and limitless creativity, Aidan Henry is driven by a love of creating unique events with moments that will be remembered for a lifetime.
鈥淭he basic root of why I do what I do is to create these moments for people. At the end of people鈥檚 lives, they may not remember much from their day-to-day life 20 to 30 years ago, but they are going to remember a few [significant] moments. And a lot of those moments are typically from events. We do a lot of unique events and create experiences that are enchanting, whimsical and a little bit different 鈥� we don鈥檛 do the status quo,鈥� says Aidan.
| Aidan Henry photographed for Inspired Style by Lia Crowe. Lia Crowe photography |
With a Bachelors of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria, Aidan first worked in digital marketing.
鈥淎t the age of 29, I had to do some soul searching. In digital marketing, I didn鈥檛 feel like I was being overly creative; I wasn鈥檛 really making a difference. So I did some career testing and the number one career match for me was event planning. I always knew that I loved hosting parties and seeing people have fun. So I started Brink in 2011 鈥� I threw myself into the deep end and learned how to swim.鈥�
Asked what innate quality has led to his success, he says, 鈥淚鈥檓 a little bit of a control freak. You can鈥檛 have even one thing go wrong in event design because it can throw the whole thing off and you don鈥檛 get a second chance. At Brink, we come up with a concept and follow it all the way through to execution. I think that things can get lost in the mix if you hand it over to someone else and don鈥檛 see it through to the end.鈥�
So what ingredients make those magic moments?
鈥淧eople are really busy these days 鈥� on their phones, always thinking about work. Life is cluttered. What I want to do is create a moment, three hours even, where people can just disconnect from all that stuff. Instead, they鈥檙e trying really great food, trying a cocktail, seeing beautiful flowers, hearing great music and it鈥檚 real 鈥� it鈥檚 tangible. It鈥檚 important to me because I think people need that and deserve that.鈥�
Outside of work Aidan is passionate about charity and giving back.
鈥淚 feel that I鈥檓 very fortunate, so I give back quite a bit. I love volunteering, whether it鈥檚 at Our Place (where I usually volunteer at least once a week) or a few other different places around town. And a big part of my work is organizing charity galas.鈥�
When it comes to good style for Aidan, clothing has to be properly fitted and have a bit of pop.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 go so far to say that I鈥檓 a peacock, but I like colours 鈥� things that pop 鈥� a little bit of something different to catch your eye.鈥�
STYLE INSPIRATION / LIFE
Style Icon: Conor McGregor.
Favourite Artist: Salvador Dali.
Favourite Fashion Designer or brand: Dolce & Gabbana.
Favourite Musician or band: Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Era of Time that inspires your style: 鈥�90s rock.
Film or TV show that inspires your style or that you just love the style of: Fight Club.
Favourite local restaurant: .
Favourite Cocktail/Wine: Bourbon Sour.
Favourite Flower: Calla lily.
Favourite city to visit: New York City.
Favourite Hotel: Fairmont Hotels.
Favourite App: Headspace.
Favourite place in the whole world: Hawaii.
CLOTHES/GROOMING
Favourite Denim, brand and cut: Diesel.
Current go-to clothing Item: Bow tie.
Best new purchase: Sport coat.
Accessory you spend the most money on: Watch.
Favourite work tool: Notepad.
Sunglasses: Tom Ford.
Necessary indulgence: Pocket squares.
Reading Material What do you read Online for style: PartySlate.
Fave Print magazine: BizBash.
Coffee table photography book: .
Favourite book of all time: by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.
