Kerby Jean-Raymond Talks Pyer Moss's Black Lives Matter-Inspired Collection
“I realized I had to use my show to talk about this problem.”
Up-and-coming New York-based clothing brand Pyer Moss consistently delivers strong, masculine cuts with bold prints and aggressive designs that is fronted by 28-year-old founder and designer designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. Inspired by NYC’s never-ending pulse, the passion project-turned-fashion label is adored by stars like Rihanna and Usher, and turned heads at this year’s NYFW runway show with a Black Lives Matter-themed collection with symbols of U.S. law enforcement’s extrajudicial killings of unarmed black people. The bold 2016 spring/summer range startled retailers, and many have pulled their orders resulting in more than $120,000 USD in losses for Jean-Raymond’s label. The young Flatbush-born fashion designer is used to selling $3,000 leather jackets that have been made by years of working with the craft in the industry, including an apprenticeship in womenswear under Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa as a teenager. VICE journalist Antwaun Sargent meets with Jean-Raymond who shares childhood stories of growing up in Flatbush and unnerving tales of near-death experiences with the NYPD. Read the full interview here and explore Pyer Moss’s Instagram page.
