Denim Tears’ designer Tremaine Emory has collaborated with shoe brand Ugg. The collaboration has resulted in two shoe styles that will be part of the Spring-Summer 2022 collection, Ugg announced on February 1.
The two models reflect Emory’s signature design language. The designer embellished the Ugg’s ankle-high boot model with graphic elements and red overcast stitching. The “Tasman” slipper model is more playful, with floral embroidery in yellow and white tones on a green suede background.
Denim Tears is a creative venture exploring African American narratives. Through collaborations, founder Tremaine Emory examines the African diaspora from a cultural and political point of view. He also incorporates his own family experience into his creativity. For the Ugg collection, he followed in the footsteps of his ancestors – especially those of his great-grandmother.
While searching for inspiration in his own ancestral history, he came across the Black Masking Culture in New Orleans, also known as the “Mardi Gras Indians”, a group of natives who created their own version of the French Mardi Gras tradition during the French colonial period. The Mardi Gras Indians played a major role in the liberation of African American slaves. Today, the black masking community also stands for the celebration of complex, artistic and traditional clothing that finds its origins in Mardi Gras. With his creations for Ugg, Emory points to the historical similarities between African Americans and Native Americans.
As part of the collaboration, Ugg is donating a total of €50,000 to two non-governmental organizations – the Backstreet Cultural Museum and the Guardians Institute. Both organizations are committed to preserving traditions that played a role in Emory’s research for the collection.
Both models of the Ugg x Denim Tears collection are made of suede and lined with sheepskin. The collaboration will be available from February 17th.