Satori-Kensho: Fashion’s wake-up call

Satori: “The birth of enlightenment from an inspirational force, like a book or spiritual experience.”

Kensho: “The birth of enlightenment through tragedy, such as a loss in the family or an end of a relationship.”

Inspired by Buddhism and geometry in Eastern spiritual culture, Satori-Kensho is the brand new clothing line from the professional dancer and choreographer Cj Salvador, who is currently on Justin Bieber’s Purpose stadium tour.  

[pullquote align=”right”]“You can’t force people to wake up, but you can open up the doors for them.”[/pullquote]Research into the effects of clothing on cognitive processes shows that what we wear not only reflects our mood but can have a direct impact on our self-esteem levels.

Professor Karen J. Pine, of the University of Hertfordshire, found that clothing can affect a person’s mental processes and perceptions; scientists refer to this phenomenon as “enclothed cognition.”

Satori-Kensho is inviting us to dig a little deeper and become more conscious of our mental processes and perceptions through our fashion choices.

Creator, Cj Salvador, states: “The soul purpose of this brand is to help people wake up,” to see more than just what is “on the surface” and to make positive and conscious changes in our lives.

Each shirt holds a different meaning which he has left up to us to discover for ourselves.

“I’m putting messages sublimely throughout the designs, like leaving breadcrumbs; if people choose to look at the shirts and just see cool designs without thinking deeper into it that’s cool, but the preferred outcome is that they have a deeper understanding of themselves. You can’t force people to wake up, but you can open up the doors for them,” Cj said.

“You’ll either take something as it is or you’re gonna try and work out what it means and look out for evidence of it in the world around you.”

The brand’s website hints at the spiritual meaning of the shirts, offering the following definitions of the square and circle shapes:

The circle (yin) – represents ineffable oneness and the spiritual realms. Because of the transcendental number Pi, the circle cannot be described with the same degree of accuracy as the square.

The square (yang) – can be absolutely defined and measured, which is why throughout cultural history it represents the physical world.

Cj was inspired to begin Satori-Kensho in September 2016, as a result of going through a time of drastic change and realisation.

“In 2016 a lot of things happened in my life and, you know, everyone wants satori, everyone hopes for it, but when these things happen you realise that the kensho is just as important as the satori. Sometimes tragedy leaves more of a mark than just pure happiness. Everyone’s lives are made up of these realisations.”

Through Satori-Kensho he wants to encourage people to empower themselves by celebrating happiness and using their pain as a tool for growth, inspiration and purpose, offering us the opportunity to wear our strength, wear our truth.

The shirts represent a universal power; an understanding of both happiness and pain and an acceptance of it. They serve as a subtle reminder that although we all face adversity; with the right mindset it can be overcome. Satori-Kensho is a guide to a truth that is present in the art on the shirts and the strength in the people that wear them.

Another influence behind the brand was Vishen Lakhiani’s book The Code of an Extraordinary Mind, a New York Times bestseller, which served as a reminder for Cj: “When something bad happens to you, in three years time you are most likely gonna see it as a blessing.”

With over 100,000 followers on Instagram, Cj recognises his responsibility to use his platform to influence others in a positive way,

[pullquote align=”right”]“Sometimes tragedy leaves more of a mark than just pure happiness.”[/pullquote]”I do have a certain influence on social media so I really want to affect the next generation in the most positive way I can because the next generation is always the most important. If they’re wearing Satori-Kensho and actively making choices to become aware, it will help change the world in the most necessary way,” he told us.

Cj teaches choreography worldwide and has danced behind many famous artists including, Selena Gomez, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Ciara and he is currently on tour with Justin Bieber.

Artefact asked him how he is coping with both the tour and the release of his brand happening simultaneously and Cj admitted that it is “kind of hectic” due to the team moving around every two days or so to go to the next venue but “from moving around all the time, I find I am getting inspiration from all around the world.”

Due to the tour, Cj is releasing a piece at a time: “The good thing about the tour is that I have a lot of free time and I’m using all my free time on promoting the brand and its purpose. I just want to design all the t-shirts at once and send them out to the world, but this is all I can do at the moment.”

The next shirt set to be released is called GR, short for ‘Golden Ratio.’ But that is all the information we are getting.

“I don’t want to give you all the answers. It’s called the Golden Ratio and you can research it yourself,” Cj said.

 

 

 

The pre-order deadline for the first releases is February 23rd. The shirts are available worldwide and you can view and purchase them here.

To keep up to date with new releases and special offers follow the brand’s Instagram: Satorikensho17 and Cj’s personal Instagram: @_cjsalvador

Shirts available for pre-order now at satorikensho.com

---

Featured image by: @cbradyphotography