ALL PIECES:

Deltas main idea was rooted in my love for nature as a kid. It started out with product concepts and eventually evolved into a much greater idea. All products are themed off of an animal that I admired throughout my childhood, and represent a different step in the journey that I took through my adolescence. 

Delta, in nature, is by definition, "flat, low-lying landform or wetland created when a river slows down and deposits sediment (such as sand, silt, and clay) as it empties into a larger body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake"

As soon as I saw delta, it proposed a different idea to me. It is a composition of many different paths of riverways, that all end up starting in the river, and ending in the ocean. I think it is a really good way to look at our life as humans, how we all are born, and die at the end of the day.

Tying this back to my original idea with nature, I realized that humans are always bound to things they cannot control. They are swayed by nature in ways that can only happen through their own path. It almost feels like we are chimes, determined by the wind of life.

Delta carries that essence of the "Wind Chime" through its clothes as well. First, the type 3 tiger windbreaker talks about my early childhood, and how I always felt like "the white tiger" for being bullied for my hair and unique personality. The white tiger also talks about the place I grew up in, Sammamish, where it rained most days. This product feels like a magnum opus for me, as it goes much deeper than that, diving into concepts of albinism, the real history of white tigers, and the idea of the type 3 denim jacket.

Next, we focus on the stingray chinos. When you say a stingray rise to the surface in a dream, it represents the need to move on from past trauma. After an extended period of bullying, the stingray chino represents my path of starting kohara and pursuing my passion instead of trying to keep blending in with the ocean floor. It also shows a unique turning point for me as a designer, offering a completely new take on a silhouette and pair of chino pants.

Lastly, the crane cable knit. The cables represents the wind, and the long neck references the anatomy of a crane, where they typically have very long necks. Every animal in delta is directly chosen to serve a purpose in my story I have created. In ancient Chinese Daoism, a crane represents bridging a gap between the Earth and the immortal world. I first heard this on the "Born in China" documentary, one of my favorite nature documentaries ever created. In terms of delta, this represents moving on from just starting my brand, and devoting my life to changing the landscapes of the creative industry forever. I have now chosen the path of the crane.

Delta is my first ever collection striving away from pure trends and trying to build a world in kohara. It is a very personal collection that describes every little and big aspect of my story in life so far, and I hope can give a valuable lesson, that we are only as good as the nature is around us. In other words, we are just controlled by the wind, we are the chimes.

-Jacob