Jack Daniel’s tapped Nigeria Ealey, Creative Director of streetwear brand TIER, and Chicago-based jewelry designer Kristopher Kites, to create a fashion capsule for its Classic Remix collection. Established in 2021, the grant-based initiative aims to support and spotlight the next generation of streetwear designers, signifying the brand’s commitment to arts and culture. 100% of the featured designers’ sales from this collection will be matched by Jack Daniel’s and shared amongst the winners, up to $100,000 to fund the program. The duo created five unique pieces imbued with the essence of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Tennessee Apple spirits.

Working alongside co-founders Esaï Jean Simon and Victor James, Nigeria Ealey is on a mission to disrupt the fashion syllabus. TIER’s sartorial direction draws upon early ‘90s and Y2K influences, fusing these resurfaced elements with edgy, streetwear silhouettes. This theme largely influenced the brand’s New York Fashion Week runway show for the Spring/Summer 2023 collection. Coined “Project 5: TIER University,” the collection presented cotton hoodies, quilted pants, belted sport coats, varsity jackets, sweater vests and graphic crewnecks — namely reworking how these silhouettes carry over into professional environments. “I never dress for just one version of myself. The whole point is creating garments that have a natural sense of versatility. For us, it’s bigger than just making clothes; it’s also the experience people get outside of the product — the story behind it,” Ealey says of the collection.

It’s a sentiment also shared by jewelry designer Kristopher Kites, pulling from wistful pastimes that feel forever present in pop culture. If fashion is cyclical, both Ealey and Kites are happy to build upon its generational fabric, adding their own experiences to the rulebook. Kites’ inspiration primarily draws upon the ornate, weighty chains of hip-hop’s elite, but for the twenty-four-year-old artist, bling is a state of mind. Repurposing collectibles that would otherwise sit on the shelf, Kites’ work embraces nostalgic fandom, often utilizing found knickknacks to decorate his larger-than-life link chains. In doing so, Kite’s jewelry aims for eccentric self-expression and individuality. “My pieces feel personal to people. There’s always a story attached, and I feel like nine times out of ten, you’re not going to see someone else sporting your chain,” says Kites. He relishes the head-turning reactions his pieces often receive in the wild; in those moments, the chains speak for themselves. “I think my pieces are conversation starters. People from all walks of life start wearing my pieces, and other people light up because of them — on social media or on the streets,” says Kites.

While creating the Classic Remix capsule, the designers opted for a monochromatic color palette inspired by Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Tennessee Apple spirits. Kites offers an iridescent link chain, a chunky silhouette brought together with honey- and green-colored links adorned with the brand’s signature honey bee motif. Ealey’s unisex apparel introduces an oversized jacket fashioned with a standing collar and front panel piping resembling the brand’s “T” motif, complete with slanted front pockets and velcro details applied to the cuffs. The joggers feature 3-D cargo pockets and a utility pocket adorning the lower left panel, slanted velcro zippers at the waist and a ribbed, elastic waistband with metal-tipped drawstrings. It’s a sporty ensemble, easily reinterpreted with layered chains — all the more expressive when sourced from Kites’ whimsical archive.

Check out Ealey and Kites’ Classic Remix collection in the lookbook and video above, and shop the featured pieces on TIER’s website and Kristopher Kites’ website. Read more about the artists’ collaborative process here.

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