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BALANCE

Our first shoot takes place in Manhattan’s Chinatown. This pocket of the city has always brought me a sense of solace. It’s where I’ve enjoyed countless meals, bought groceries with my parents, hung out with friends, worked, wandered - - - a constant return symbolic of my identity, a place where I find balance. It’s full of contradictions: foreign and familiar, messy and beautiful, central yet outlying. It’s where different cultures bleed into each other. To some, it might feel chaotic or intimidating, but to me, it feels like a perfect balance.

It’s been a long journey to figure out my self-identity. I’ve spent a lot of time sorting all that out. I used to think I had to choose between who I am and who I am supposed to be. It always felt like being pulled between: “You’re Chinese, why are you wearing NBA jerseys and huge jeans? Why’s your Chinese so bad? Why do you talk like that? You don’t even watch TVB. You’re not really Chinese, you're a gwei lo” and “Why are you eating that, this is America and it smells funny. What are your parents saying? Are they yelling at you? What is that?” Imagine how confused a 10-year-old me was.

It took a while to learn that identity isn't fixed. It grows, shifts, and evolves. I learned that I'm the perfect balance of my lived culture and experiences - - - my upbringing, my surroundings, my values, and my passion. My identity will grow as I continue growing. From meeting people who share like experiences, to living in Asia and soaking in its culture, I’ve finally been able to develop this concept of who I am.

It’s not about fitting neatly into a box. It’s about synthesis - - - a balancing act of culture, memory, music, movement, and style into something that’s real and honest. Something that reflects a life lived in translation: between languages, boroughs, borders, and time periods.

This idea of balance is one of the key values of sei. Creating pieces that are elegant yet casual, classic yet modern, directional yet understandable. Taking these dichotomies and finding the perfect in-between. Just like all the kids here who got told to pick a lane but found a way to go down the middle. 

I’m still just a Chinese kid from Brooklyn. I still love what I love. I’m still figuring it out. But I’ve found peace in the in-between. I’ve found balance.

sei is a culmination. A fusion. A memory. A love letter to finding freedom in between the lines.

love,      j - - -