The African American flag is an artistic evolution of Marcus Garvey’s red, black, and green Pan-African flag. Near Jamaica Queens, where Tremaine Emory aka Denim Tears grew up, these colors cover the Liberty Rock monument, symbolizing the civil rights, group identity, and experience of African Americans.

The substitution of red, white, and blue to red, green, and black reclaim the icon of America through the context of the Black diaspora. Through the appropriation of these three symbolic colors, our understanding of “land of the free” is challenged. By nesting Tremaine's interpretation within the Americana Chucks, we hope the visuals will invoke dialogues surrounding questions of ownership, race, and identity.

Project: Converse X Denim Tears Global Campaign
Date: October 2020
Art Director: Justin Jiang
Photographer: Manolo Sandoval