Key Takeaways
- Denim Tears founder Tremaine Emory explores American history and the African diaspora in his debut retrospective, 'Pool of Black Genius,' at Savannah College of Art and Design.
- The exhibition pairs Emory’s collaborations and reworked Levi’s 501 jeans with art by Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringgold, and Arthur Jafa, tracing cotton and denim’s ties to Black achievement and enslaved labor.
- Also spotlighting Black jockeys, bikers, and André Leon Talley, the retrospective runs through January 11, 2027, with a Tremaine Emory and Acyde panel scheduled for September 28.
Denim Tears founder Tremaine Emory is challenging the complexities of American history with the history of the African diaspora via his debut retrospective at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Now on view at SCAD through January 11, 2027, the retrospective, titled 'Pool of Black Genius' features a number of Emory's fashion collaborations along with works by accomplished Black visual artists like Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringold, Arthur Jafa and others.
Emory's manifold influences in the exhibit are featured alongside fashion references that shaped the designer’s work throughout the years, like reworked vintage Levi’s 501 jeans. The denim piece examines how Black people's achievements and the hardships of slave labor are intricately linked to the history of the material in the United States.
In a press release, Emory shared that "the cotton wreath has proud
significance: how far Black people have come. It is simple divine justice that it looks so beautifully strong across these pieces."
Other garments explored in the retrospective are bold racing silks worn by Black jockeys during the Kentucky Derby, leather and raw denim that have dressed the Black biker community, along with a spotlight on late fashion journalist André Leon Talley, who Emory honors in Denim Tears' Fall/Winter 2026 collection.
The first program dedicated to the exhibit, a live panel conversation between Tremaine Emory and British music producer Acyde, will be held on September 28.
