Denim Tears’ New Collection Is an Ode to André Leon Talley

When André Leon Talley passed away in 2022, the world lost one of the most prominent Black voices in fashion. Talley, the caftan-loving fixture of fashion week front rows and the Met Gala red carpet, used his platforms as Vogue’s Creative Director and Editor-at-Large to advocate for Black designers of every stripe, from Dapper Dan to Rocawear. He worked as a journalist, editor, stylist, author, and media personality, but the common thread in everything he did was advocacy: for Black creativity, for beauty, and for the dignity of all people. Tremaine Emory, the visionary behind Denim Tears, is one of many designers who benefited from Talley’s encouragement, and his latest collection is a tribute to Talley’s inimitable style.ALT Fall/Winter 2026, a sprawling 153-piece collection spanning fur-trimmed puffers, bejeweled chinos, and Polo-inspired sportswear, marks the first collaboration between Talley’s estate and a fashion brand. While not every piece was created in collaboration with the estate, its narrative reflects Talley’s appreciation for style at every level of the fashion world, from couture to streetwear, and features additional team-ups with Stüssy, Billionaire Boys Club, and the NAACP. On the eve of the collection’s drop, we spoke to Emory about Talley’s legacy, his poise, and the chance meeting that set the collab in motion.GQ: How did the collaboration with Talley's estate come to be?Tremaine Emory: I was doing a talk for the opening night of the Superfine Exhibition at the Met, and I spoke on my feelings about André, who was the impetus for the exhibition. After the talk, a woman stopped me and said she was working with the estate and that she loved what I had to say. Sometime later, she and the estate reached out to me and asked if I’d like to collaborate. I was totally flabbergasted and honored, and I said yes immediately.What made it feel like the right time to make this collection happen?The Denim Tears Cotton Wreath is based off of artwork I’d made, and I was making one for André [when he died in 2022]. I had met him at Marc Jacobs’ wedding, and I was wearing a cotton boutonniere that night. He saw it and said he loved it, and I had an extra one in my pocket, so I gave it to him. He held it in his hands like someone would hold, like, a precious stone or a child or something, and that was part of what pushed me to roll Denim Tears out into the world. I wanted to give him that full expression, the wreath, but ran out of time, and he passed away. I was being neurotic and too much of a perfectionist. So when I was offered the opportunity to work with the estate, I didn’t want to run out of time again.How did you go about fusing your sensibilities with Talley’s?That’s the whole inspiration behind the collection. He wore Phat Farm, you know? Nothing like Galliano or Tom Ford or Prada, but it’s all clothing, and that’s what’s so beautiful about André’s style and how it developed in that era. He would wear Billionaire Boys Club with items from French or Italian fashion houses, and then he’d also wear a Phat Farm jacket made by a guy from Hollis, Queens. He appreciated beauty in all its forms, as well as depth and meaning.Was there a standout piece for you? Something you felt had to be in the collection?They‘re all parts of the whole. If I could have done more, if I’d had an unlimited budget and no constraints of time to work with, I would’ve just remade every damn piece of clothing he ever wore. He was such a masterclass in style, not just fashion but style with real depth. It was important to create synergies there, so it wasn’t just about one piece but piecing everything together into something that captured him.Courtesy of Denim TearsWhat's the most important lesson you've learned from his work and legacy?It’s an easy answer. The first word is ‘endurance.’ And the second is ‘poise.’ To be Black in America, to be Black and work at any corporate company in America, especially in the era that André was from, you have to have endurance and poise and dignity. There are so many things I take away from his legacy, but those are the main ones.Why did you choose Andre Walker, Edward Buchanan, and Ashantéa Austin, three multihyphenate Black creatives, instead of professional models for this campaign?I first wanted someone who walked with him and knew him and was his friend. He and Edward knew each other and had respect for each other, but Edward walked in his path in his own way. And then I wanted a really young person, a Black woman, who is walking in André’s path and experiencing her version of the life he lived through fashion journalism. It’s important to me to have a designer and also a journalist and, above all else, people that are known for their style, which all three of these folks are.Did you know from the start that you wanted to bring other brands and voices into this collection?Yeah, absolutely. If you’ve been paying attention to Denim Tears over the last seven years, it’s what we’ve done from the beginning. Denim Tears is 4D. So, for example, the cardigan was a perfect way to show him respect. You know, he’s wearing it in the front row of a fashion show. And for him, that cardigan is just as important as the Tom Ford custom coat or the caftan that he’s had made. And he sees the beauty and importance of them both. You know, Loic [Villepontoux] from Billionaire Boys Club told me André would come and just hang out at their studio for hours. Same thing he probably did with Galliano or Tom Ford. He didn’t have the snobbery of the fashion world. And to me, he’s not a fashion guy. He’s a style guy, a philosopher, and he’s a writer, an artist. The medium he used and how he paid his bills was working for a fashion company for a time, but what he did was art and style. He championed so many designers and changed so many people’s careers.ALT Fall/Winter 2026 is available at denimtears.com