The unspoken agreement

‘The unspoken agreement’ is a fashion editorial with a documentary approach, which tries to connect the Far East and the West. My fascination for local minorities, their traditions and their way of living took me to Myanmar. Contemporary western designers and the rural countryside of Myanmar, which has been deprived from most western influences during the military domination during the last decades, do not seem to have much in common at first. My personal challenge was to get in contact with the local hill tribes, to gain their trust without being able to speak their language, and to get permission to capture their lives. ‘The unspoken agreement’ shows that with some personal effort different worlds can be brought together quite easily. One could perceive ‘The unspoken agreement’ as a self-portrait, connecting my traditional Asian background with my current life in the Netherlands. By choosing mainly older models I want to emphasize that time is not one-directional. My younger years were in Asia, but by choosing older Asian models I want to emphasize that my roots are an essential part of me, and will always keep on shaping my future.