Denim Tears announces the launch of its new collection The Scorpion & The Frog.
Conceived in examination of parallels shared by the African American Civil Rights movement in the United States and The Troubles of Northern Ireland, The Scorpion & The Frog offers an extensive reflection of two of the most poignant examples of social resistance in contemporary human history.
Although twelve years and almost 4,000 miles of separation exist between the onset of the Civil Rights Movement and The Troubles, The Scorpion & The Frog draws on their similarities to artistically interpret and communicate the philosophies of activism and solidarity.
The collection draws heavy inspiration from African-American documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne’s 1983 short film, The Black and the Green, which was screened at the MoMA in December 2023.
In the film, Bourne offers a deep exploration of the influence of the African American Civil Rights Movement—philosophically and strategically—on the political and nationalistic fight for independence in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998.
Presented by Bourne as a fact-finding trip to Belfast by five Black American activists, The Black and the Green showcases the group’s observations; Catholics living in ghettos under constant surveillance and the threat of violence; a dark mirror to the struggles of African Americans in their fight for the abolition of legalized racial segregation during the 1950s and 60s. A deeply introspective work, the film is, at its heart, a gesture of solidarity, giving light to the transformative power of activism to challenge and inspire change beyond borders.
A moral contrast to the messaging at the heart of The Black and the Green, the collection’s title is borrowed from the 20th-century animal fable The Scorpion and the Frog, which teaches violent people will hurt others even if it’s against their best interests – simply because it’s “in their nature.”
Tremaine Emory chose the fable, which appears in The Crying Game – a movie in which a Black British soldier bonds with one of his IRA captors – for its shared platitudes on human nature, setting the collection’s foundations and building a tapestry of provocative ideas and reflections.
Shin Murayama, a mask masker and soft sculptor with work exhibited across Tokyo, New York, and Paris, worked closely with Denim Tears to produce masks inspired by those worn during The Troubles. Where traditional masks feature hollow eyes, Murayama’s reimagining is fitted with goggles hand-braided from upcycled vintage Ralph Lauren herringbone jackets.
Upcycling has been further utilized in creating the collection’s bomber jackets in collaboration with Japanese design studio, DELICATE UNIT. American-made MA-1 bomber jackets from the late 1980s and '90s are refreshed through the application of globally sourced Guinness towels and complimentary with NIGERIA embroidery–in reference to Guinness Foreign Extra’s origins–before being deconstructed and re-constructed by DELICATE UNIT for distinct, high-detail finish.
With the Free Angela and Free Bernadette tees, Denim Tears champions key figures of the movements presented in The Black and the Green, Angela Davis and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey.
Davis, an American Marxist and feminist political activist, was listed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List following her support of the Soledad Brothers.
Tried for murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, her subsequent 16-month incarceration would see her become a major figure in the prison abolition movement. As an active member of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS) and an affiliate of the Communist Party USA, Davis’ tireless work over the past five decades has positioned her as one of American history's most important and respected activists.
Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, serving as a Member of Parliament in Northern Ireland from 1969-74, would rise to national and international prominence as the British parliament's youngest-ever member aged 21. An impassioned political activist and advocate for a socialist Irish republic, Bernadette would show her support for the African American civil rights movement, striking parallels with the Catholics’ struggles in Northern Ireland.
Similarly to Angela Davis, Bernadette was imprisoned for six months due to her involvement in the three-day Battle of the Bogside riot, often cited as the beginning of the Troubles.
On the Fist tee, Denim Tears draws attention to one of the most recognizable prejudice symbols of 1950s
Britain: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs. Appearing in Gaelic across the sleeve, this slogan embodied the racist rhetoric of the era, and now, alongside the Black Power emblem of self-reliance and self-determination, is symbolic of the themes presented in The Black and the Green.
Alongside the collection’s launch, a pop-up event will commence at Dover Street Market Paris during Paris Fashion Week from Saturday, January 25th to Sunday, January 26th. Further pop-ups will follow in Tokyo (Saturday, February 1st to Sunday, February 2nd) and Seoul (Saturday, February 8th to Sunday, February 9th).
