Tremaine Emory, no stranger to controversy, dropped some shocking pieces as part of his new Denim Tears collection.
Titled 'Kiss My Grits,' the SS24 capsule includes a 'Baroque Still Fruit Painting' sweatsuit set emblazoned with a graphic of fried chicken and watermelon, along with a handmade chicken bone necklace, priced at $700.
The collection continues Emory's narrative of centering the Black diaspora in his work, which led to his exiting Supreme in 2023 after he claimed that the streetwear brand had enacted "systemic racism" towards him. At the time, Supreme decided not to proceed with Emory's planned collection with visual artist Arthur Jafa, which reportedly depicted lynching and the whipped back of an enslaved person.
With Emory now leading Denim Tears full-time, "Kiss My Grits" features an assortment of pieces that nod to the anti-Black Jim Crow period. Included in the collection is a watermelon print leather zip pouch from Denim Tears' upcoming collaboration with COMME des GARÇONS.
Tied to "Kiss My Grits" is a companion short documentary of the same title, extensively highlighting Harlem-based fruit and vegetable processing company, Black Seed Brothers.
Emory was also a new guest on the Hypebeast webseries, Business of HYPE, where he chatted with host and Awake NY founder, Angelo Baque, about his post-Supreme endeavors.
Around the 31:31 mark of the video above, Emory spoke directly to the public's perception of Denim Tears. "I hear, ‘Denim Tears is talking about Black trauma all the time.’ No I’m not," he said. "There’s lots of beautiful, fun, weird stories that I’m telling. Some stories are about the plight of slavery, but that’s not the whole brand.”
