Denim Tears Reclaims Forgotten Symbols of Liberty (EXCLUSIVE)
Everyone’s seen the Statue of Liberty, right? The towering monument synonymous with the most famous city on the planet that people from around the world travel to see in person? Yeah, that one.
But does everyone know its history? Tremaine Emory, the New Yorker who founded fashion label Denim Tears, fears not.
Denim Tears Spring/Summer 2026, unveiled here through photos shared exclusively with Highsnobiety, is both a new range of graphic gear and a history lesson.
The new season is a chance for Emory to set the record straight and, according to the brand, tell “the untold history behind the Statue of Liberty.” Crucially, the history that Emory is focused on is the broken chains at Lady Liberty’s feet, which ostensibly mark the end of slavery in America.
A gift from France in 1886, meant to celebrate the Union victory in the Civil War and 100+ years of American independence, the Statue of Liberty’s unchained feet are a vital yet often overlooked part of the statue’s intent.
Denim Tears SS26 puts the focus on these chains both directly and not. In the latter case, they’re added to a crest embellishing a leather jacket and, in the former, a model wearing a crown and fake flame to more overtly reference the Statue of Liberty holds broken chains.
Titled “Libertas,” Denim Tears’ new collection releases on February 20. It’s a poignant example of the depth of the narratives woven into Denim Tears’ clothing.
The brand’s most famous symbol, the cotton wreath, is a manifestation of how America’s slave trade was an instrumental of cotton farming, an intrinsic element of the nation’s founding; its recent 5ᵗʰ Quarter collection underscored the additional difficulties faced by retired Black athletes; “The Scorpion & The Frog” explored parallels between the African-American Civil Rights movement and the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
With Denim Tears, it’s never just clothes.
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