Denim Tears has stepped onto the adidas stage, and it did so with a nod to the streets of New York. Tremaine Emory's label has officially revealed its first collaboration with the Three Stripes, after weeks of speculation, reworking two of the brand's best-known silhouettes: the Stan Smith and the Superstar.
The pairs are wrapped in a woven plaid of black, blue, red and cream, drawn from the "Ghana Must Go" bag, also known as the Market bag. Cream appears on the soles and on the Superstar's shell toe, keeping the palette crisp. Both models also carry a Sankofa symbol beneath the co-branded details on the tongue. No release date has been announced yet.
The pattern will look familiar to anyone who has visited African Diaspora Goods, the Denim Tears flagship, where it shows up on in-store hangers and bags. It also appears around the exit of Canal Street Station, where purses, garments and tech accessories in similar plaid are sold on the street. In an exclusive interview, Emory described the project as rooted in the city: "It's a New York thing. It's a New York-inspired brand." He added that although Denim Tears has referenced many patterns, this one had never been used in its clothing before, and that for his first collaboration with adidas Originals he wanted to bring it to the shoes.
As ever with Emory's work, the surface design is only part of the story. With the plaid and the Sankofa symbol, the Denim Tears x adidas Originals debut pairs a New York street reference with cultural meaning. Stay tuned to Most Hyped Magazine for more details on the release.