Ah, July 4. A great time to sit in the shade, grill some hot dogs, and toast to American imperialism. Er, what? Anyways, Independence Day 2022 is coming up and Denim Tears, Cactus Plant Flea Market, and Levi’s making a real case for the holiday.
Denim Tears is coming off of the latest reissue of its fan-favorite Levi’s collab, while CPFM most recently joined Stüssy for another instantly sold-out summer 2022 capsule.
But why slow down? Summer’s a great time to drop clothing because we all wanna do anything except go outside and sweat — as I write this, the temperature in New York is 91°F.
Tremaine Emory, the man behind Denim Tears and Supreme’s creative director, always infuses his drops with thoughtful storytelling.
Rarely does anything bearing his brands’ names release without a meaningful exploration of American Black culture or the African diaspora.
Denim Tears x CPFM is no different and it’s bringing Emory’s longtime partners at Levi’s along for the ride.
Though the drops are best when they’re explained by Emory himself, the July 4 capsule was announced on Denim Tears’ Instagram page with a length snippet from a January 2021 New Yorker article about Jimi Hendrix’s unforgettable deconstruction of America’s national anthem at Woodstock ’69.
“Jimi’s Woodstock anthem was both an expression of protest at the obscene violence of a wholly unnecessary war and an affirmation of aspects of the American experiment entirely worth fighting for,” says writer Paul Grimstad, later drawing parallels between Hendrix’s improvised, guitar-destroying performance and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s analysis of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty.
Thus, Denim Tears x CPFM x Levi’s are dropping a collaboration rife with riffs on Americana, including an all-over American Flag print and “CACTUS TEARS DENIM PLANT” embroidery that creates the colors of the Pan-African flag — a crucial motif in Emory’s work.
Finally, a good reason to celebrate July 4 besides it being a bank holiday.
