Brand New King

Concept: "Brand New King" is about the changing symbols of power, wealth, and status. I take the traditional image of a king and rebuild him using the visual language of contemporary consumer culture—luxury brands, sneakers, candy, champagne, and popular culture. The result is a new kind of royalty: a king created not by birth or bloodline, but by branding, consumption, and the things we associate with success and status. Context: Throughout history, people have used clothing, objects, symbols, and possessions to show power and status. Kings had crowns, armor, palaces, and jewels. Today, those symbols have been replaced—or at least joined—by designer logos, collectible sneakers, luxury goods, and recognizable brands. "Brand New King" plays with that shift. It asks, with a little humor: **Who are our kings now, and what does royalty look like in a consumer-driven culture?**