Tremaine Emory Talks Origins of Denim Tears and the Future of Supreme
Tremaine Emory credits his career in fashion to his upbringing in New York City.
The Denim Tears founder and Supreme creative director talked about his start in the fashion industry during a panel discussion during Tuesday’s Fashion Tech Forum, appearing virtually to discuss how he got started, how he came up with his Denim Tears brand name and how he’s leading Supreme after the streetwear brand was acquired by VF Corp.
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Emory explained that he was inspired to work in fashion based on his upbringing in New York City, growing up around “people [who] care about what they wear and express themselves through style.” He credits New York as his first fashion school and found early inspiration in the fashion in the movies he watched at his parents’ video store.
When discussing the origins of his Denim Tears streetwear label, Emory explained that the name came from an inside joke during a dinner he had with close friends, including the late Virgil Abloh and Emory’s No Vacancy Inn collaborator Acyde.
“It was a pair of ripped up Levi’s that I had posted on Instagram and the back pocket looked like a ripped up heart,” he said. “The guys were basically roasting me and cracking jokes. Virgil or Acyde, someone said the denim was crying, denim tears and I just said, ‘that’s a good name.’”
Emory ultimately used the name to launch his streetwear brand in 2019 after founding No Vacancy Inn and working at Stüssy. The designer explained that at the time, he wanted to launch another brand because there were other stories that he wanted to tell.
“Denim Tears is really inspired by Wales Bonner, Martine Rose and Supreme,” he said. “Like, Supreme once in a blue [moon] would do Martin Luther King Jr. hoodies or Malcolm X hoodies or things like that. I was like, what if there was a brand that told stories even deeper? We always hear about Malcolm X and Harriet Tubman — and they’re amazing, incredible activists and stories — but what if I told other stories that aren’t really spoken about or taught and do it in the format of clothing and make it very subversive? That’s how I started Denim Tears.”
Emory also spoke about his role as creative director of Supreme, which he was appointed to last year. His appointment came after the streetwear brand was acquired by VF Corp. for $2.1 billion in 2020.
When talking about his plans for Supreme, Emory emphasized the importance of honoring the brand’s rich history and legacy in the streetwear market and continuing to bring that to the forefront of the brand.
“My main thing is Supreme is a New York brand,” he said. “Denim Tears, the muse is the African diaspora. The muse for Supreme is New York. There are so many stories and feelings to draw from New York and also how New York has influenced the world and put it into clothing. I want to carry on tradition, but push it forward and keep making clothing that’s meaningful to young people, to subculture, to culture and people who care about quality, well-made clothing that comes from a brand that means something.”
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