Tremaine Emory on Denim Tears, Virgil, Kanye, and Leaving Supreme | Idea Generation

Designer Tremaine Emory sits down with Noah Callahan-Bever to discuss his rise from retail worker at J Crew, to landing in Kanye West’s inner circle, to building his own brand, Denim Tears, using Champion blanks. Emory also breaks down his falling out with Kanye, what went wrong during his tenure as Supreme creative director, and how a near-death experience made him rethink his legacy. IDEA GENERATION is a 360° media platform catering to the creative class which exists to educate and inspire the mavericks of tomorrow. Follow IDEA GENERATION on Instagram: Subscribe to IDEA GENERATION’s The Spark Newsletter for creative entrepreneurs: To learn more about how Champion is moving the biggest brands in streetwear, look here: Chapters: 0:00 - 1:21 - Intro 1:21 - 2:49 - Influence of his parents 2:50 - 4:47 - Collabs with Champion 4:48 - 6:07 - Teen years and understanding the world 6:08 - 6:43 - “How do you know when to pivot?” 6:44 - 7:13 - College and dropping out 7:14 - 8:18 - Retail job at 8:19 - 8:56 - Opportunity to work at Marc Jacobs 8:57 - 9:30 - How customer interactions changed his thinking 9:31 - 10:50 - History behind the Denim Tears store 10:51 - 11:24 - Relocating to London 11:25 - 11:51 - Getting laid off from Marc Jacobs / Meeting Frank Ocean 11:52 - 12:15 - Meeting Virgil Abloh 12:16 - 12:40 - How to tell a good idea from a bad idea 12:41 - 13:55 - How DJing set the stage for brands like (Off-White, JJJound, etc.) 13:56 - 14:17 - Going to work on his own 14:18 - 15:10 - Connecting with Kanye 15:11 - 15:54 - Virgil’s advice on how to navigate working with Kanye 15:55 -16:24 - “What is success?” 16:25 -17:08 - Building confidence to provide Kanye feedback 17:09 -18:17 - Ending his partnership with Kanye 18:18 -18:54 - The importance of failing 18:55 -19:39 - Hosting parties to doing products and collabs 19:40 - 21:18 - How Denim Tears was born 21:19 - 22:51 - Origins of the cotton wreath 22:52 - 24:17 - Champion Alvin Ailey collab 24:18 - 25:12 - How preserving culture leads to the creation of culture 25:13 - 25:40 - How he made his retail space interesting 25:41 - 27:14 - Becoming creative director at Supreme and what went wrong 27:15 - 27:47 - “What is your ultimate creative goal?” 27:48 - 29:10 - Respecting legacy but also questioning it 29:11 - 29:29 - Health scare and reassessing approach to work 29:30 - 30:37 - Champion Creator Program 30:38 - 31:01 - “Do you ever doubt yourself?” 31:02 - 32:29 - Success in your 30s 32:30 - 34:07 - Getting sick and how it changed him 34:08 - 34:36 - “What’s the most important idea you’ve ever had?” 34:37 - 37:18 - The Future Subscribe to Complex on YouTube: Check out more of Complex here: COMPLEX is a community of creators and curators, armed with the Internet, committed to surfacing and sharing the voices and conversations that define our new America. Our videos exemplify convergence culture, exploring topics that include music, sneakers, style, sports, and pop culture through original shows and Complex News segments. Featuring your favorite celebrities, authoritative commentary, and a unique voice, our videos make culture pop.