Skip to main content

Georgia Red Clay Inspires Tremaine Emory’s New Denim Tears-Asics Collaboration

Tremaine Emory's Denim Tears x ASICS GEL-MC Plus “Georgia Red Clay" sneakers.
Tremaine Emory’s Denim Tears x ASICS GEL-MC Plus ‘Georgia Red Clay’ sneakers. Denim Tears / Denim Tears

Fashion consultant Tremaine Emory, aka Denim Tears, lit up the sneaker community this summer with an Aug. 16 tease that featured light red running shoes as part of an upcoming collaboration with Asics. Now, as of Sept. 28, the Red Clay Denim Tears x Asics GEL-MC Plus running shoes are available online at denimtears.com. 

Though he was raised in Jamaica, Queens, New York, Emory was born in Georgia. After moving to London in 2010 to work, in part, for Marc Jacobs, Emory morphed into a cultural provocateur in several arenas including fashion and music. The creative consultant has provided output for companies large and small, for corporate and independent firms and for hotels, fashion companies, cult brands, and trending labels.

Emory’s newest Georgia Red Clay project is inspired by the designer’s roots in Harlem, Georgia. In a text message Emory shared on Instagram, his father texted that the light red-colored kicks align with the color that shoes would turn at the fire brick and water pipe factory where Emory’s maternal uncle and grandfather worked. 

“If I’m not telling a story that’s meaningful to me, then it’s ultimately pointless,” Emory told HighsNobiety.com. “This is a story that existed before I was born. Red clay and Georgia.”

Related Guides

Emory is known for powerful messaging through collaborations. His work with Converse on Chuck Taylors, for instance, was inspired by Jamaican political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey’s Pan-African flag and artist David Hammons’ African-American Flag work from 1990. In designing the shoes, Emory demanded Nike (Converse’s parent company) address its systemic racism before he released the partnered product.

As part of his debut partnership with Asics, Emory reworked two colorways of the GEL-MC Plus, an archival style designed by legendary GEL-Lyte 3 designer Mitsui-San, now being revitalized through the Red Clay project.

It’s not just the nostalgia of dusty sneakers and childhood summers that guided Emory’s inspiration for the red and cream sneakers. It’s a hearkening to the Earth that is more and more paved over in homogenous black and gray, Emory explained. Less and less are places like Georgia described by the soil that makes up its geography. Humans have to seek out that character more now that the American world is described more by the roads that pass through it than by the land that should define it.

Both pairs of the Denim Tears x Asics GEL-MC Plus are available now exclusively on the Denim Tears website alongside the collection’s collaborative t-shirt. The shoes retail for $160 while the tee is $55; denimtears.com.

Read More: The Tom’s Rover Shoe

Editors' Recommendations

Matthew Denis
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Matt Denis is an on-the-go remote multimedia reporter, exploring arts, culture, and the existential in the Pacific Northwest…
John Mayer debuts second limited-edition watch in new G-Shock, Hodinkee and Online Ceramics collab
This watch has some psychedelic easter eggs
G_SHOCK Online Ceramics collaboration

In a world where time is often overlooked, John Mayer, the maestro of music and style, once again graces us with his unique touch in the realm of watches. Hodinkee, the epicenter for all things watches and horology, has revealed their latest: a collaboration with Los Angeles-based design house Online Ceramics and the iconic G-SHOCK. The result? The G-SHOCK Ref. 5600 By Online Ceramics Limited Edition For Hodinkee.

This isn't Mayer's first dance with the world of watches for men. Across 2020, 2021, and 2022, Hodinkee and Mayer set the stage ablaze with a trio of G-SHOCK watches, each a symphony of design and functionality, selling out within minutes. Now, in a triumphant return, Mayer and Hodinkee embark on a new project, a journey of imagination that expands upon the legacy they've created together. The project, curated by Mayer himself, invites three new visionaries to design their own G-SHOCK collaboration with Hodinkee, connecting through the threads of music, design, and watches.

Read more
Undone Watches lets you customize your perfect timepiece without the custom price tag
Your next watch could be your own creation
undone watches custom timepieces vintage kelly

Your personality is all its own. You are truly unique. A one of a kind person without anyone else the same. So why should your watch be the same as the man standing next to you? Undone Watches allows you to build your watch (choosing from the options provided) from the ground up to suit your individual preferences. You can pay a premium on mass-produced luxury watches from brands like Rolex, Omega, Hublot, IWC, and Swatch; Undone looks to allow you to get a premium custom watch without paying the premium price.

Many brands will claim they offer custom products while they only have a few options and can slash prices by only offering a limited number of combinations they can still mass-produce. Undone Watches doesn't begin building your watch until you have selected everything from the strap to the hour hands. The process means you can have something that is truly tailored to fit your style and the life you lead.

Read more
The 10 best chore coats for men: They’re perfect for seasonal layering
Look great and work hard when you wear these canvas barn coats
Man zipping up a jacket

At a certain age, there are things that every respectable male should possess: a decent suit, a reliable pocket knife, and the confidence to change a tire, for starters. Some tasks require tougher tools and tougher apparel, though. Things like splitting wood, grinding in the shed, and mending fences at the ranch, for example, all call for a proper barn coat (also called a barn jacket or chore coat) -- a durable outer layer that blends timeless style and rugged construction with all-day comfort.

Like virtually all menswear items, there is a long list of options for you to choose from if you are in the market for such a coat. If you're looking to upgrade your life while working hard or looking rugged when you're not in the barn, we have done all the heavy lifting for you. Here are the best men's chore coat options for you to look and work your best in.

Read more