Denim Tears

What Denim Tears does

Denim Tears is a privately held US streetwear apparel brand founded by Tremaine Emory in 2019 and domiciled in New York as Denim Tears LLC. The company designs and sells clothing and accessories that center on storytelling around the Black American experience, with signature motifs such as the Cotton Wreath, Pan-African imagery, and religious iconography recurring across categories. Its product portfolio spans denim (jackets and pants from roughly $210 to $498), sweats ($100-$238), tees ($50-$110), headwear, outerwear (including leather jackets around $598), jewelry (pendants priced $1,215-$1,770), bags, accessories, and a dedicated kids line ($55-$138).

The business operates as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand with no disclosed wholesale distribution, selling through its own e-commerce site (denimtears.com) and an owned flagship physical store called African Diaspora Goods at 176 Spring Street in SoHo, New York, supplemented by a temporary Atlanta residency at Lenox Square mall. The e-commerce platform is built on Shopify using a headless commerce architecture (Storefront API, Hydrogen React framework, Oxygen hosting) and ships to over 100 countries. Pricing is structured as one-time unit sales across tiers ranging from accessible entry-level ($50 tees) through core streetwear ($150-$350) to luxury accessories (up to $1,770).

The brand monetizes via direct product sales and brand collaborations. Core strategic partnerships include the Levi's Cotton Wreath collection, Converse, Champion, with ecosystem ties to Supreme and Corteiz amplifying reach within the streetwear community. Marketing leans on Instagram, email/CRM, drop culture tied to cultural and historical dates, and earned media coverage (Complex, Forbes, NY Times) rather than heavy paid acquisition. The company is founder-led with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company, and operates with a 1-10 person team.

Name

Denim Tears

Legal name

Denim Tears LLC

Website

https://denimtears.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Denim Tears is a privately held, founder-led US streetwear brand (est. 2019, Tremaine Emory) that sells culturally rooted apparel, jewelry, and accessories direct-to-consumer via its Shopify site and African Diaspora Goods flagship in New York, shipping to over 100 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Streetwear Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denim & Casualwear Brands (CRAAAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Denim & Casualwear Specialty Retail (CRAAABAN), Luxury Denim & Premium Casualwear (CRAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Cultural streetwear apparel
• Premium denim clothing
• Graphic t-shirts
• Collaborative brand collections
• Direct-to-consumer fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: One-time sales of apparel including denim, sweats, tees, outerwear, headwear, accessories, bags, and kids categories. Prices range from $50 for basic tees to $1,770 for premium jewelry pieces.
2. Brand Collaborations: Collaborative collections with established brands (Levi's Cotton Wreath, Converse, Champion) that generate revenue through co-branded product drops with cultural significance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Denim Tears is a direct-to-consumer streetwear brand that designs, sells, and distributes culturally themed apparel including denim, sweatshirts, tees, headwear, outerwear, jewelry, bags, accessories, and kids clothing. The brand sells through its own Shopify-powered e-commerce site (denimtears.com) and a flagship retail store (African Diaspora Goods) at 176 Spring Street, New York. Pricing spans from $50 for basic tees up to $1,770 for premium jewelry pendants, with signature pieces featuring the Cotton Wreath motif tied to Black American history.

Product overview

Denim Tears is a streetwear brand founded by Tremaine Emory that uses clothing to explore and narrate the Black American experience through culturally significant motifs and collaborations. The brand operates as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business selling through its e-commerce platform (powered by Shopify) and physical retail locations. The product portfolio is organized across multiple categories: core denim (jackets, pants, shorts in various washes including Cotton Wreath and Jacquard variants), sweats (hoodies, sweatshirts, shorts, sweatpants), tees (various graphic designs including Panther, Jesus, Pan-African themes), headwear, outerwear, jewelry (pendants, rings, necklaces), bags, accessories, and a dedicated kids collection. Notable collaborations include Levi's Cotton Wreath collection, Converse, and Champion partnerships. The brand has implemented headless commerce architecture connected to Shopify's commerce engine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Denim Collection Core denim offering including jackets, straight and baggy fit pants, and shorts in light wash, dirty wash, selvedge, dark wash, jacquard, and floral variants with the signature Cotton Wreath motif. Sold direct-to-consumer to streetwear consumers.
• Sweats Collection Casual sweats including hoodies, sweatshirts, sweatshorts, and sweatpants featuring Cotton Wreath branding, ADG (African Diaspora Goods) stamp items, and Denim U paneled designs. Sold direct-to-consumer.
• Tees Collection T-shirt offerings in short sleeve and long sleeve cuts including Panther Tee, Jesus Tee, Mary Tee, ADG Tee, Liberty Rock Skyline Tee, Skyline Tee, Apple Tee, and Pan-African Star Tee across various colorways. Priced from $50 for short sleeve to $110 for long sleeve.
• Headwear Collection Headwear including caps, durags, wave caps, bucket hats, and beanies with Cotton Wreath branding, available direct-to-consumer.
• Outerwear Collection Jackets and outerwear including MA-1 Bomber Jacket, varsity jackets, suede welding jackets, leather jackets, puffer jackets, work jackets, coaches jackets, windbreakers, and track jackets. Priced from $358 to $598.
• Jewelry Collection Jewelry including pendants (Black Jesus Pendant, Black Mary Pendant, Pan African Flag Pendant, Mom Pendant Gold) plus rings and necklaces, priced from $1,215 to $1,770.
• Bags Collection Bags and totes including canvas tote bags (small and large), leather bags (small and large), nylon tote bags, and denim tote bags. Leather bags priced from $390 to $590.
• Accessories Collection Accessories including scarves, bandanas, belts, keychains, hat clips, and small leather goods (passport holders, wallets, zip pouches). Small leather goods priced from $95 to $282.
• Kids Collection Children's clothing including zip hoodies, sweatpants, denim pants, and tees in sizes 2Y–12Y with Cotton Wreath branding. Kids tees from $55, kids sweatshirts $125, kids denim $138, kids sweatpants $100.
• Levi's Cotton Wreath Collaboration Co-branded denim collaboration with Levi's featuring the Cotton Wreath motif on denim pieces, exploring the cotton industry's history and its connection to the Black American experience.
• Converse Collaboration Co-branded sneaker and apparel partnership with Converse incorporating Denim Tears' cultural storytelling with Converse's iconic silhouettes.
• Champion Collaboration Co-branded apparel collaboration with Champion featuring Denim Tears' signature motifs on Champion's athletic wear silhouettes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked among top 10 best brands of 2024 by Complex
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Levi'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLevi's Cotton Wreath collection — a signature collaborative line featuring denim pieces with the Cotton Wreath motif, exploring the cotton industry's history and its connection to Black American experience.
• ConversecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership resulting in co-branded footwear and apparel products that incorporate Denim Tears' cultural storytelling with Converse's iconic silhouettes.
• ChampioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Champion for collaborative apparel collections featuring Denim Tears' signature motifs on Champion's athletic wear silhouettes.
• SuprememinorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership between Corteiz and Denim Tears facilitated through Supreme connections in the streetwear ecosystem.
• CorteizminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic brand partnership where Denim Tears collaborated with Corteiz (London-based streetwear brand), showing cross-brand cultural alignment.
• African Diaspora GoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfrican Diaspora Goods serves as Denim Tears' owned flagship retail location at 176 Spring Street, New York, functioning as both retail storefront and cultural hub.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform partnership using Shopify's headless commerce toolkit including Storefront API, Hydrogen React-based framework, and Oxygen hosting environment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Noah NYC: Independent NYC streetwear brand with cultural/political storytelling, DTC model, and premium pricing—shares Denim Tears' founder-led, values-driven positioning.
• Aimé Leon Dore: NYC-founded lifestyle/streetwear brand with premium pricing, owned flagship, culturally-rooted storytelling, and collaborations with heritage brands like New Balance—directly comparable in DTC, aesthetic, and pricing approach.
• Kith: NYC streetwear/lifestyle brand operating DTC e-commerce, owned flagships, and extensive collaborations (e.g., with Nike, New Balance)—comparable in DTC discipline, retail expansion, and collaboration strategy.
• Corteiz: London-based streetwear label explicitly named as a Denim Tears collaboration partner; shares a community-driven, drop-led DTC model and culturally-anchored narrative.
• Supreme: Iconic NYC streetwear label operating a DTC drop model with weekly limited releases, owned retail, and frequent heritage-brand collaborations—the closest direct comparable to Denim Tears' GTM and cultural positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Off-White: Global luxury streetwear brand founded by Virgil Abloh, blending cultural commentary, premium pricing, and brand collaborations—comparable as a larger, more mature version of Denim Tears' cultural-playbook.
• Stüssy: Heritage streetwear label with global DTC, broad product range, and ongoing collaborations; comparable as a larger incumbent in the same cultural niche Denim Tears occupies.
• Fear of God: Luxury streetwear brand founded by Jerry Lorenzo, with premium price points, storytelling rooted in identity, and collaborations with Ermenegildo Zegna and Nike—comparable in positioning Denim Tears aspires toward.
• BAPE (A Bathing Ape): Japanese streetwear brand with global DTC, broad collaborations, and cultural-icon status—comparable as a larger incumbent operating in the same hype/streetwear category.

Emerging players

• A-COLD-WALL*: London-based label led by Samuel Ross with culturally-driven collections, premium pricing, and DTC focus—an emerging peer operating in a comparable cultural-streetwear lane.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/denimtears
• Xx.com/denimtears
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/denim-tears

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Denim Tears