The streetwear brand Denim Tears recently released their spring/summer line, “Libertas,” a collection of clothes whose themes and motifs are inspired by an often-overlooked part of the Statue of Liberty: the broken chains resting at her feet.
When people see the Statue of Liberty, they respond to things like the color, her striking pose with the torch pointing to the sky, or her crown, but not many people think about what’s at the base. Sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi decided to depict Lady Liberty standing on a broken chain and shackle to commemorate the national abolition of slavery. With this collection, Tremaine Emory, founder of Denim Tears, highlights this important feature of the landmark statue.
Emory founded Denim Tears in 2019. Known for his creative consultant work with artists like Ye, Emory also worked as the creative director at Supreme and was a longtime friend and collaborator of the late Virgil Abloh, the first Black artistic director at Louis Vuitton.
Denim Tears’ most recognizable pieces are their jeans and hoodies with the brand’s iconic cotton wreath emblem, representative of the cotton cultivation that took place during slavery. The brand has multiple references and tie-ins to racial struggle and aspects of the African Diaspora, often overlooked by other streetwear brands.
Walking through Harlem, you will occasionally see someone sporting the wreath emblem pattern, often on sweatpants or someone a piece from the brand’s Marc Jacobs handbag collaboration.
Lloyd B. Davis photos
In a blog post from the Library of Congress site, Neely Tucker wrote, “In the original design, the Statue of Liberty is shown holding a broken chain and shackle in her left hand, representing freedom newly achieved. Bartholdi later made a major change to his design by placing the chain and shackle, symbolically broken by Liberty, at her feet. He then positioned the familiar tablet, inscribed ‘July IV, MDCCLXXVI’ (July 4, 1776), in her left hand.”
Emory said at Hypebeast, “It’s about viewing something seen as ‘Americana’ and imbuing it with a history that hasn’t been recognized by the Western world.”
For this collection, Emory drew inspiration from Dr. Joy Degruy, author of the book “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.” In a conversation between Degruy and Emory leading up to the collection release, Emory said, “The collection is just a bridge to you and to your book. What I do with my team across all the collections twice a year is find a story that is a Black story, a part of the Diaspora, and make the clothing that represents the story the best we can, which is for me we’re putting out road signs towards these books.”
Degruy explained how people would visit the Statue of Liberty and say how their ancestors immigrated through Ellis Island, while Black people often felt no connection to the island, even though unbeknownst to them, the Statue of Liberty’s original designs were made to honor the liberation of slaves.
One notable item in the collection is the studded leather jacket and shorts with a reimagined look of Lady Liberty. Artists like Playboi Carti have brought renewed interest in Pelle Pelle jackets. Fans of these types of bejeweled jackets are sure to be interested in the design and color of Denim Tears’ rendition.
There’s also an interesting fur collar polo shirt and some camouflage jackets. Other pieces in the collection have designs of the Statue of Liberty with chains in different patterns and designs.
According to a conversation at Libertas, “A t-shirt, a jacket, they’re great, but they’re just road signs to the knowledge and to the location of it.”
The first drop of the collection was scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, with future installments to come.
The Denim Tears flagship store is in New York City. For more info, visit denimtears.com.