The Denim Tears Cotton Wreath is based off of artwork I’d made, and I was making one for André [when he died in 2022]. I had met him at Marc Jacobs’ wedding, and I was wearing a cotton boutonniere that night. He saw it and said he loved it, and I had an extra one in my pocket, so I gave it to him. He held it in his hands like someone would hold, like, a precious stone or a child or something, and that was part of what pushed me to roll Denim Tears out into the world. I wanted to give him that full expression, the wreath, but ran out of time, and he passed away. I was being neurotic and too much of a perfectionist. So when I was offered the opportunity to work with the estate, I didn’t want to run out of time again.
How did you go about fusing your sensibilities with Talley’s?
That’s the whole inspiration behind the collection. He wore Phat Farm, you know? Nothing like Galliano or Tom Ford or Prada, but it’s all clothing, and that’s what’s so beautiful about André’s style and how it developed in that era. He would wear Billionaire Boys Club with items from French or Italian fashion houses, and then he’d also wear a Phat Farm jacket made by a guy from Hollis, Queens. He appreciated beauty in all its forms, as well as depth and meaning.
Was there a standout piece for you? Something you felt had to be in the collection?
They‘re all parts of the whole. If I could have done more, if I’d had an unlimited budget and no constraints of time to work with, I would’ve just remade every damn piece of clothing he ever wore. He was such a masterclass in style, not just fashion but style with real depth. It was important to create synergies there, so it wasn’t just about one piece but piecing everything together into something that captured him.
Courtesy of Denim Tears