Lost in Translation delves into themes of colonisation and the erasure that occurs through translation and westernisation. Within this liminal space exists the third culture an identity not fully inherited, yet not entirely lost. For many third culture youths, this space carries the burden of reconciling ancestral traditions with socially acceptable identities.
This work is designed to be viewed from the back, where the backs of our outfits often say more than the fronts. From behind, we are perceived without the influence of our faces without expressions to soften or the need to explain ourselves. We exist as concept. This one way dialogue denies the viewer a response and allows the garment to assert itself unapologetically. It becomes a quiet act of rebellion a refusal to conform, a symbol rather than a subject.
The concept emerges from the identity of The Vanguardist, a persona that functions as both protection and provocation. It gestures toward the need to exist authentically, without attachment to a fixed identity. It is a mask a safeguard against being fully seen, accessed, or judged.
The work becomes a soft armour.
It is, simply, The Vanguardist.
