As a part of their continued effort to push their New Concepts line, Nordstrom has launched Concept 014: Found In Translation: A New Language of American Style.
Brought to life by Jian DeLeon, Nordstrom Men’s Fashion and Editorial Director, alongside creative entrepreneur Joshua Kissi, the collection is inspired by the two’s multicultural backgrounds meshing with their current surroundings.
“As an immigrant myself, this is the most personal project I’ve worked on,” DeLeon said. “It reflects my belief that personal style is a means for authentic self-expression, and it’s also an homage to how Joshua Kissi and I first met over a decade ago—two young guys who had an appreciation for classic sportswear and figuring out how to inject our own individuality into it.”
He added, “We’re both graduates of a certain school of men’s style enthusiasts who learned most of what we know about clothing off of the internet, and in the process realized that American style, like the country itself, is strengthened by the various cultures and identities who continue to redefine it for new generations.”
Kissi mirrored these sentiments, saying his culture continues to be the backdrop for his art, and that this collection reflects those different parts of his identity.
“Being Ghanaian and growing up in New York City in the west side of the Bronx felt like being on the streets of Accra sometimes,” Kissi said. “Found In Translation speaks to immigrant communities’ contributions here in America that supersede the economic development of the American “Dream” but rather the dreams they chose back in their respective homelands.”
Concept 014: Found In Translation is available online here through late October, and at Nordstrom’s retail locations. Check out some pieces from the collection below.
