Levi’s and Denim Tears Pay Homage to the Black Biker Community
Levi’s and Denim Tears explore Black biker culture in their third collaboration.
Launched Thursday, the 10-piece collection pays homage to the community’s commitment to freedom and captures the “authenticity, realness, freedom, and defiance of conformity that forms the bikers’ code,” Levi’s stated.
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Denim Tears founder Tremaine Emory, who recently departed from Supreme due to what he termed “systemic racial issues” at the VF-owned brand, said he has been fascinated with Black bike culture and its many layers. “What seems like simple and functional attire at first glance is aesthetically informed by Native American, cowboy, rodeo evidence, workwear, military surplus, outlaw, and drifter influences,” he said.
The collection combines these motifs with mythical characters, pan-African flags and Denim Tears’ signature cotton wreath motif, which has been used in two previous collaborations with Levi’s. “We cooked all of these elements up with the legacy of flash show and Afro opulence to honor the powerful mind state of the Black biker,” Emory said. “I know that those who have the attitude, the character, and the front to wear these pieces will do so forever.”
The collection includes a Leather Cotton Wreath Type III Jacket crafted with premium Italian leather and finished with an all-over print of the cotton wreath motif, a suede embossed co-branded patch, and cinches that nod to traditional motorcycle patterns and matching leather pants.
Denim pieces include a pair of Western Stitch 501 jeans, which celebrates its 501’s 150th anniversary, and a matching Western Stitch Denim Shirt. Both items are offered in worn indigo and feature embroidered Western motifs down the arms, across the back yoke, and on the outside of each leg. Additionally, A Western Cowboy shirt comes in worn-in black denim and features a sherpa collar, fringe detailing and leather lace closure.
A Leather Vest boasts a chenille pharaoh patch that Levi’s said “evokes the mythical, heroic, and fantastic otherness that forms the biker identity while referencing the idea and resonance of Afro-Futurism and legend.”
The pharaoh is also repeated as a graphic on a T-shirt, surrounded by pan-African flags. A denim hat with an embossed leather patch, a black and gold bag with floral appliques, and a brown leather belt with a brass pharaoh buckle and stud details round out the collection.
Real members of the Black biker community bring the statement pieces to life in the collection’s campaign. The collection is available now on Denim Tears’ website and select wholesale doors. The collection launches on Sept. 14 on Levi’s website, app and in select stores.
