LEVI'S® X DENIM TEARS
Campaigns and Collaborations /
July 2022
Multi-hyphenate artist & creative, Tremaine Emory of Denim Tears continues to viscerally explore the history of slavery in America. This time, through the history and traditions of the Gullah Geechee community.
"Emory's journey has continued to challenge the confines of his collaboration's 'status quo'."
AFRICAN AMERICAN CONCEPTUAL CONCEPTUALISM
For this collection, Tremaine chose to explore the history of slavery in America by recontextualizing the DNA of the Gullah Geechee community. Descendants of Africans enslaved on plantations of the lower Atlantic coast, the Gullah Geechee were forced to endure the indefatigable process of indigo dyeing. This 8-piece collection uses color-coded visual tropes, image, and design to symbolize their struggle and in-turn continues to tell the story of fashion’s intersection with the history of the African American Diaspora.
INDIGO HANDS
Aestheticizing a cultural emblem for the struggles and toils of the Gullah slaves, the all-over print of blue hands appear on white Levi’s® 501 Jeans, a white Levi’s® Type II Trucker, and a white Plantation Hat. Emory creates a visual blueprint that symbolizes the unrelenting work of the Gullah Geechee people, who’s hands would turn blue during from the indefatigable indigo dyeing process.
“This collection presents a striking historical perspective, where every character, every look, and every setting evokes an autonomous examination of America’s past, present, and future.” –TREMAINE EMORY
AFRICAN AMERICAN DIASPORA
Emory uses color-coded quilting, and patterns on Levi’s® 501 Jeans, a Levi’s® Western Shirt, a Levi’s® Shirt Jacket, a Canvas Tote, and his signature Plantation Hat, to tell the story of the Gullah Geechee and the African Diaspora in America. A yellow and green color scheme, symbolic graphics, and cultural emblems serve as a talisman for the suffering and endurance of the Gullah Geechee, embracing their shared culture, history, and shared experience.
