This October, Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss will take the stage at Vogue’s third annual Forces of Fashion conference, joining a diverse and unique lineup of people from all parts of the fashion industry. Recently, Vogue discussed five reasons why Kerby is a force in the fashion industry, and how his work to put Black and brown bodies in fashion is not only commendable but also necessary.
Here’s a peak of some of the reasons why Jean-Raymond is a force to be reckoned with, according to Vogue:
Because he made the runway a platform for social justice.
“For his Spring 2016 show, Jean-Raymond produced a short film that would spark an urgent conversation around political activism on the runway. The 12-minute-long clip addressed the issue of race and police brutality head on, featuring the families of several black men who had died at the hands of law enforcement, including Nicole Bell, fiancée of Sean Bell, and Emerald Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, as well as the designer’s high-profile friends: Victor Cruz, Usher, and artist Kehinde Wiley among them. Not everyone approved of his Black Lives Matter messaging—he received death threats from far-right extremists after the show and several of the brand’s biggest retail accounts dropped out. Still, Jean-Raymond wasn’t discouraged. With Pyer Moss, he continues to prove that fashion can be a vehicle for positive change.”
For context, I attended the Pyer Moss show in 2017 and was moved to tears by the beauty of the brand and it’s messaging.
Because his clothes are a celebration of the Black American experience.
“Since launching his label in 2013, Jean-Raymond has used his work to explore the rich and layered history of the Black American experience, a narrative that has, until now, been largely absent from the world of high fashion.
Last September the designer highlighted this aspect of his mission, staging a show in Weeksville, Brooklyn, a neighborhood that became one of the country’s first free black communities when it was founded by James Weeks, an African-American man, in 1838.
Jean-Raymond enlisted artist Derrick Adams to create the prints for the collection, and his heartwarming portraits of African-American family life covered silk pajama suiting and heavily embellished cocktail dresses. The tableau of black joy was completed with the presence of a full gospel choir, dressed in all white, who provided the soaring soundtrack. More than one of the best shows of the season, it presented a radical counterpoint to the tragedy porn and racist propaganda that continues to dominate tabloid headlines.”
Because he understands that to realize the future you have to know your past.
“When Jean-Raymond showed his Fall 2018 collection, there was one logo on the runway that stood out alongside Pyer Moss’s—that of Cross Colours. The cult streetwear label made racial unity its primary focus back in the ’90s, launching under the rallying cry ‘clothes without prejudice.’ A season later, he would collaborate with FUBU, or For Us By Us, the black-owned brand that was hugely successful around the same time. Speaking backstage after his Spring 2019 show, he underscored the importance of paying homage to those who came before him.
‘We wanted to highlight designers that weren’t seen,’ said Jean-Raymond. ‘These companies grossed hundreds of millions in their prime, but weren’t recognized in the same way that brands like Donna Karan were because they were considered urban, not fashion.’
With his sights set on creating a holding company akin to LVMH, Jean-Raymond is poised to open doors for the next generation too.”
To read the whole story, head to Vogue. I can’t wait to see the Pyer Moss show this season at Fashion Week and to champion my fashion brother in my head.
