TREMAINE EMORY, STILL NIGGA ?
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I like that second one
Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga
Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga
Still nigga, still nigga ?
JAY-Z
Recently, Tremaine Emory, former artistic director of the famous Supreme brand, announced in the BOF that he was resigning due to "systemic racism" within the team. He wanted to collaborate with video artist Arthur JAFA. Arthur JAFA is known for his political ideas, which are similar to those of Tremaine. The two artists share the same vision and have only one goal: to speak for the "black community".
I like that second one
Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga
Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga
Still nigga, still nigga ?
JAY-Z
For Tremaine, the designer showed his activism through "Denim Tears", a brand that aims to reveal the history of the African diaspora. Emory had already collaborated with Ugg, Converse and Dior.
As for video artist Arthur Jafa, he has produced several documentaries and films on the question of aesthetics and black identity, including "Seven Songs for Malcolm X", "Love Is the Message, Message is Death" and "The Black Identity". Love Is the Message, Message is Death", which was shown in several American museums. While others see him as an icon for the Black Lives Matter movement, some criticize him for romanticizing the violence committed against black people.
"Certainly, seeking to denounce acts of violence committed through the use of film, video, plastic art and clothing is in itself a gesture that is perhaps to be congratulated, but what about when we know that this art will essentially be consumed by elitist and hyper-privileged circles? "
Perhaps this is a pattern that Tremaine Emory can be criticized for. Wanting to make tee shirts with images of whipped slaves and hanged black men to be able to show in a radical way the violence that has been committed on black people, it’s embarrassing...Moreover, it's not without forgetting that these same tee shirts will come out during a Supreme drop that will benefit the same audience. In no way will it benefit the African-American community.
Supreme is a skate brand.
Supreme is edgy, Supreme is not radical.
Supreme is also popular thanks to black culture, but Supreme is not a brand for black culture.
Denim Tears is.
As Moriba Koné recently said in one of his Instagram posts, "the line between racism and/or purely business vision is blurred". So it's in this dynamic that we might understand the actions of a committed art director who wants to show that his commitment is an integral part of his identity, but also those of a brand that doesn't want to make clothes showing such a depreciatory image of black people.
Several questions arise:
Can we say that Tremaine has entered the wrong ecosystem?
Is it really wise to seek to change the system by entering the system?
Is the concept of inclusion within major brands illusory?
In any case, autonomy - be it financial, political or cultural - is always more interesting when you're trying to spread a message.
SK.