Life with GucciGhost: We chat with the on-fire Canadian artist

You don't need an art history degree to know that GucciGhost  has become one to watch. Four years ago, the Canadian-born artist, AKA Trevor 'Trouble' Andrew, started the project that would make him famous with a singular mission: "I was going to keep going until Gucci sues me or hires me," he says.

It started when the ex-Olympic snowboarder needed a last minute Halloween costume. Andrew cut two holes in his Gucci sheets, and thus, the GucciGhost was born. As he walked the streets of New York, he was amazed to see people call out to him, "yo, Gucci Ghost!" He got hooked.

Feeling good about the response, Andrew began spray-painting the Gucci logo on everything around him, from the streets to his clothes. "The idea was to transform trash into treasure," he says. From day one, his intention was to get noticed by the brand. "A lot of people didn't understand what I was doing, but I just kept pushing," says Andrew. "Part of the idea for the GucciGhost project was to make something real out of nothing; just believing in an idea so much it became real."

It became 100% real when Gucci actually came calling. "I kept saying to myself and to other people who kept saying I was crazy for doing what I was doing, 'it would just take the right person to understand it,'" he says. As it turned out, Gucci's newly appointed creative director, Alessandro Michele, was that right person. "That was a big move for him, after just having been appointed creative director and then all of a sudden grabbing somebody like me, and really just letting me run loose in Gucci and do whatever I wanted to do," Andrew explains.

When Andrew met Michele, the collaboration worked right away. "There was no don't do this, don't mess this up. We just encouraged each other and had fun," says Andrew. "There was no right or wrong way to do something, we just did it how we did it."

Now, Andrew's double G's bags are available worldwide at Gucci stores and retailers. The collaboration has become a hit with celebrities like Rihanna and Elton John, both of whom have been spotted wearing Andrew's designs. "Obviously, the celebrity factor is amazing, but I also just trip about seeing people on Instagram posting and hashtagging GucciGhost, and celebrating that moment of getting a piece or seeing the store," he says.

Earlier this month, Andrew travelled to Toronto for a new collaboration with Saks Fifth Avenue, for which he spray-painted his famous works in the luxury store's windows in honour of Canada's 150th. "I'm just in the process of doing my first solo show, and so it was a nice time to dip out, and get back home and eat Canadian candy," says Andrew.

The partnership is another career highlight for Andrew. "It's been interesting to me that I could say "life is Gucci," he says. "To me, what I was saying is "'life is good.'" Well then, life is Gucci indeed.

For even more from GucciGhost, check out our rapid fire round with the artist below.

Life with GucciGhost

TORONTO VISIT

Favourite thing you did or saw in Toronto? When I let off a fire extinguisher full of paint on the 9th floor of Saks...

STYLE & HOME

What's your desert island beauty product? Sunscreen 

Describe your look in one word: Scumbag chic

What's your favourite possession in your home? VHS TV set

LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS

What's date night for you and your wife? Netflix & chill

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Favourite place to snowboard in Canada? Whistler backcountry 

CULTURE AND ACTIVITIES

The one book you'd recommend to everyone? Art history 

Where is your favourite place on earth? Home

What is your favourite restaurant in the world? Bed-Stuy Fish Fry

SPIRIT AND SELF

What's your poison (fave drink)? Sugar 

What's your spirit animal? Emo cat 

Secret Internet obsession: Worldstarhiphop

What makes you nervous? Airplanes 

Favourite word or expression right now: "Life is Gucci."

What's most "Gucci" to you right now? Creating