Tremaine Emory, better know as Denim Tears, has been a mainstay in the underground fashion/streetwear culture for the better part of the past decade. Collaborating with companies like Levi’s, New Balance, Nike and more in addition to having strong friendships with power-movers like Kanye West and Virgil Abloh, Tremaine is now taking a stand and demanding accountability from ALL the companies he’s worked with throughout the years. Taking to instagram recently to display the tech pack of a previously never-before seen Converse Chuck Taylor centered around the Pan-African flag inspired by David Hammons and Marcus Garvey, Tremaine stated that he will NOT give the ok for Nike to release the sneaker until he sees change within the powerhouse sportswear company.

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The sneakers above are my upcoming collaboration with converse “ veil on a black coffin” The flag is inspired by Marcus Garvey & david Hammons. The coffin with the hammons/Garvey flag with the cotton wreath pictured on the box is a piece of art I created to give a proper burial to every single black person murdered since the first slave ship arrived in America till now. This collaboration can not come out under an organisation that is giving 40 million dollars as a very expensive bandaid imo. I need to see one the largest companies in human history that has made all of it billions through marketing products through mainly black athletes ( and poc’s in general) with said products made cool by the black youth and black entertainers. The same people who suffer everyday from white supremacy which is part of every facet of American society that @benandjerrys so powerfully stated like no other brand has in the world in the last week. What the people need from Nike and all these brands 1. To stop all support of the Republican Party whilst Donald trump is theIR candidate running this November. 2.we need to see publicly how many black employees at Nike are working at HQ & at satellite offices VERUS How many black athletes they sponsor from a high school team to @kingjames 3.how many black people have leadership roles at Nike. 4. We need to see Nike aid in the defunding and total reform of all the police departments across America that brutalise all people that they make all of their money from…AFRICAN AMERICANS…repost this if you think Nike and all company’s in America need to take these simple steps to finally change this country and freeing all people of color from the reign of institutionalised white supremacy . -Tremaine EMORY

A post shared by Tremaine Emory (@denimtears) on Jun 5, 2020 at 10:32am PDT

Speaking with Highsnobiety, Tremaine said prior to giving the green light on the shoes

1) Nike must stop supporting the Republican Party as long as Donald Trump is the party’s leader 2) Report how many people of color and women work for the brand versus how many they sponsor 3) Report how many people of color and women have leadership roles at Nike and 4) Nike must aid in helping defund police departments across the country.

Read the full interview here.