August 31, 2023 |
Tremaine Emory has officially stepped down from his role as creative director of Supreme after just two seasons at its helm, citing “systemic racism” built into the structure of the cult NYC skate brand as the catalyst for his departure.
According to Business of Fashion, Emory penned the allegations in a leaked letter of resignation that also cites senior management’s “inability to communicate” with him or offer “full visibility” following the cancellation of a long-awaited collaborative release with Black American artist Arthur Jafa. Emory writes, “This caused me a great amount of distress as well as the belief that systematic racism was at play within the structure of Supreme.”
Supreme has denied that the collaboration was cancelled, stating in a response to the designer’s resignation: “While we take these concerns seriously, we strongly disagree with Tremaine’s characterisation of our company and the handling of the Arthur Jafa project, which has not been cancelled. This was the first time in 30 years where the company brought in a creative director. We are disappointed it did not work out with Tremaine and wish him the best of luck going forward.”
Emory was Supreme’s first major appointment since it was acquired by VF Corp in 2020 and has held the position since February 2022.
Photography courtesy of @tremaineemory.
