Meet Keith Kennedy
Founder of Tribal Expression · Nearly 32 Years of Professional Piercing
Keith Kennedy is the founder and owner of Tribal Expression in Calgary, with nearly 32 years of professional piercing experience — one of Canada’s longest-practising professional piercers.
Long before professional needle ear piercing for children became widely accepted, Keith was among the early Canadian professional piercers willing to provide children the same professional piercing standards he expected for adults. At the time, children’s ear piercing was strongly associated with piercing guns and retail environments — and Keith received criticism for bringing children into a professional piercing studio.
Keith saw it differently. If a child was going to have their ears pierced, he believed they deserved professional placement, individually sterilized equipment, sterile single-use piercing needles, properly fitted jewellery, high-quality materials, honest preparation and a piercer who listened to the child. For Keith, that was a professional responsibility — not a business opportunity.
“I always felt that if kids were going to have their ears pierced, it was my professional duty to provide them with the safest, highest-quality professional piercing experience we could give them.”
Professional needle philosophy
Sterile single-use professional piercing needles — never spring-loaded retail piercing guns — with controlled placement a piercer can stop the moment a child withdraws consent.
Sterilization leadership
Tribal Expression’s workflow has been built around individual client sterilization for more than two decades, supported by Statim cassette sterilization and monitored spore testing.
Local jewellery manufacturing
Keith built much of Tribal Expression’s professional jewellery production locally in Calgary — control over materials, fit, design and quality.
Training piercers
Keith has trained professional piercers over his career — including his daughter Iliana Kennedy, who apprenticed under him in The Tribal Expression Way.
Learn more about how our body jewelry is manufactured in Calgary — local production, local jobs and the control it gives our piercers.
The next generation
Keith’s daughter, Iliana Kennedy, apprenticed under her father and now specializes in children’s ear piercing — carrying the same standards into a new generation. Sergi, one of the studio’s most requested kids piercers, works to the same professional system.
The two Tribal Expression Kids appointment piercers are Iliana Kennedy and Sergi. Keith leads the studio and the standards behind every appointment.
