Tremaine Emory Exits His Role as Supreme Creative Director

Article updated 31/08/23: After rumours surfaced yesterday, it has now been confirmed that Tremaine Emory has stepped away from his role as creative director at Supreme. While we first speculated the departure could have to do with health issues or workload with his own brand, Denim Tears, according to Emory, there are far darker forces at play.

The news was confirmed by Business of Fashion earlier today after a resignation letter was seen by BoF, and a Supreme representative later confirmed the news. According to the report, the main reason for Emory's departure is over allegations that “systematic racism was at play within the structure of Supreme.”

These allegations stem from an incident in which Black American artist Arthur Jafa had his collaboration with the New York-based streetwear brand cancelled unexpectedly. Emory noted the senior management's “inability to communicate” regarding the issue and that there was no “full visibility for the reasons behind it.”

“This caused me a great amount of distress as well as the belief that systematic racism was at play within the structure of Supreme,” said Emory. So far, a Supreme representative has countered, saying "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.”

It's unclear at this time if further light will be shed on this dispute, but it's apparent that Tremaine Emory will no longer be moving forward with his work at the company.

Original Article: While Supreme's latest offerings have been fairly well received by the majority, there might be some trouble in paradise. Rumours are reporting that creative director Tremaine Emory is set to leave the New York-based streetwear imprint, with AW23 being his final season with the brand.

At this point, this is unconfirmed by both the brand and Emory, but if the rumours are true, it won't have been a long tenure for creative. With that said, it's not without reason. After taking on the role in February of 2022, Tremaine would sadly suffer a lower aorta aneurysm towards the end of last year, leaving him with a fair share of recovering to do.

In addition, Tremaine made the decision when he was offered the role to continue with his own brand, Denim Tears, and if his Instagram is anything to go by, things are looking busy for the label. If the rumours do turn out to be true, it will undoubtedly be a big loss for Supreme, so it will be interesting to see just how the brand intends to bounce back. In other fashion news, MKI x Northern Brewing Co. come together to celebrate their community.