SỐC
Yvan Tran's Senior Thesis
Vietnamese for “Shock”
My collection is called "Sốc," which is Vietnamese for “shock." The Vietnamese pronunciation is almost similar to how it is pronounced in English.
“Sốc” is a story about my experience with culture shock. I am a Vietnamese American born and raised in Huntington Beach. My first trip to Vietnam was when I was twelve years old and when I experience my culture shock, struggling to assimilate myself in my own cultural society.
In 2016, my mom, cousin, and I went on an outdoor adventure; from the Sapa
mountains to the Ha Long Bay caves, the outdoors began the healing of my long-term cultural shock. It made me appreciate my Vietnamese culture more. It was also a time where I truly self-reflected.
As a designer, my inspiration first began in my hometown of Huntington Beach, where I developed interests in action sports and sustainable fashion. Going deeper and exploring my personal inner vision, my culture shock became a revelation to why I want to create for the outdoor enthusiast.
