Nordstrom Launches Concept 014: Found in Translation
New Concepts@Nordstrom introduces Concept 014: Found In Translation: A New Language of American Style. Sam Lobban, SVP of Designer and New Concepts, partnered with Nordstrom Men’s Fashion and Editorial Director, Jian DeLeon and creative entrepreneur Joshua Kissi on the next iteration of the shop. DeLeon, a Philippine-born immigrant and Kissi, a Ghanaian-American, worked together to curate the in-store shop and visual campaign that speak to their interpretation of traditional American style codes.
“As an immigrant myself, this is the most personal project I’ve worked on. 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,” says DeLeon. “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.”
Concept 014 is a celebration of how global heritage and underground subculture have shaped modern menswear and features product from brands including Baracuta x Needles, Champion Tears, Eric Emanuel x New Era, as well as exclusive capsules from BEAMS, Bel-Air Athletics, Drake’s, Foreign Currency, G.H. Bass Originals, Our Legends, and Schott NYC.
Photo credit: Jack Koto
The shop has a range of men’s ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories, with products ranging from $20 - $1,960. "One of our favorite parts of the New Concepts platform is the opportunity to bring people together to create something special for the Nordstrom customer,” says Lobban. “Relationships like Jian and Joshua’s are the foundations of these shops and we are excited to share their unique point of view on modern menswear through Found In Translation.”
Nordstrom is giving 5% of total sales from Concept 014: Found In Translation to Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) and is committed to making a minimum donation of $25,000. KIND is the preeminent U.S.-based non-governmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children through their work to ensure that all children have access to legal counsel to safeguard their rights and well-being. Nordstrom will also partner with KIND to offer volunteer opportunities between employees and the children within KIND’s network.
The visual campaign for Concept 014 was shot by Ghanaian photographer Lawrence Agyei and led creatively by photographer and filmmaker Joshua Kissi, with editorial direction from Nordstrom Men's Fashion and Editorial Director Jian DeLeon. “As an artist and storyteller my culture has always been a backdrop of how I started to navigate the world around me. 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,” says Kissi. “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. I used to look at photos of my father back in Ghana during the 70s wearing a double-breasted blazer, flared tweed pants and a kente patterned shirt. It’s from those family albums that I immediately identified what it looked like to carry your culture with you wherever you go as it's your superpower.” The custom-built in-store shop was inspired by the juxtaposition of modern streetwear living within a classic men’s store aesthetic and features design details including raw woods, saturated colors, and vintage style wallpaper.
Concept 014: Found In Translation is available online starting August 19 through late October as well as 12 retail locations including Nordstrom Downtown Seattle.
About New Concepts
New Concepts@Nordstrom is a platform to discover what is next and best in fashion through partnerships with the world’s most exciting brands, as these unique collections come to life in the custom-built environments at Nordstrom flagship stores and online.
About Kids In Need of Defense (KIND)
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is the preeminent U.S.-based nongovernmental organization devoted to the protection of unaccompanied and separated children. KIND envisions a world in which every unaccompanied child on the move has access to legal counsel and their rights and well-being protected as they migrate alone in search of safety. In 2008, KIND was founded by the Microsoft Corporation and UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie to address the gap in legal services for unaccompanied children. KIND has offices across the United States and in Mexico that provide unaccompanied children with holistic care that includes legal assistance and social services.
