Why Tremaine Emory Is Finally Making Denim Tears’s Famous Jeans Himself

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Earlier this week, Tremaine Emory launched what might have been one of the most ephemeral wheatpaste campaigns in the history of SoHo. Emory was debuting a line of Denim Tears jeans, the first to be made entirely by his brand after years of collaborating with Levi’s. The posters, printed on thin sheets of actual denim fabric, read “DENIM TEARS DENIM BY DENIM TEARS.” (Spot the Marc Jacobs reference.)

When I walked through the neighborhood on Tuesday on my way to the Denim Tears store on Spring Street, not a shred of indigo cotton was left anywhere in sight. Fans had been following the wheatpaste crews around and gingerly peeling the posters off as soon as they went up. “I haven’t even seen them in the flesh,” Emory told me, chuckling. “But I saw some videos of people taking them.”

To be clear, as far as Emory is concerned, the poster pilfering is fantastic, one of many signs of how much energy he has captured with his unapologetically political sportswear label. Another one: When I entered the Denim Tears shop under a prominent sign that says “African Diaspora Goods,” a gaggle of white preteens were using their parents’ credit cards to buy sweatpants.

Yet another sign: The cotton wreath motif that is emblazoned across the new denim line is recognizable (and bootlegged) the world over, a remarkable trajectory for a symbol that Emory devised in 2020 to signify cotton’s deep roots in American slavery.

Emory’s wild success and influence hasn’t come easy. There was the aneurysm that almost killed him in 2022, followed by his subsequent controversial exit from Supreme. And he’s had to contend with frequent sniping from critics who take issue with what they see as the commodification of painful histories. (To Emory, having these kinds of uncomfortable conversations is precisely the point.)

And yet, even as we’re told that woke is dead, Denim Tears—a brand originally devised as a way to Trojan Horse Black cultural narratives into the clout-drenched streetwear arena—is stronger than ever. The label does tens of millions in annual sales, and has reportedly doubled its revenues every year. Emory has minted collaborations with Dior, Stüssy, Comme des Garçons, and the Rolling Stones in addition to the wildly popular Levi’s partnership. A Tokyo store is set to open in 2026.