While not necessarily a household name, Tremaine Emory has been working behind the scenes for some of fashion and art’s biggest names, including Kanye West’s Yeezy, Virgil Abloh, Frank Ocean, and plenty more. Recently coming into his own through his label Denim Tears and being named Creative Director of Supreme, the NYC-native had some choice words for his assumed-former friend Kanye West after his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show drew quite the controversy.
“I gotta draw the line at you using Virgil’s death in your ‘ye’ is the victim campaign in front your sycophant peanut algorithm gallery” Emory stated in his latest IG post, continuing “...this time last year you said Virgil’s designs are a disgrace to the black community in front of all your employees at yeezy -ASK LUCETTE HOLLAND [a footwear designer for Yeezy]… I GOT ALL THE “RECEIPTS” ( don’t let me get into the things you said about v after his death).”
As longtime friends and collaborators, Virgil was at one point the head of Donda, Ye’s creative agency, in the early 2010s in which he would be responsible for the Yeezus cover art and countless merch capsule in tandem with the tour for said album. As time passed, their two brands, Off-White and Yeezy, would explode in popularity with Abloh eventually becoming the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton, a job Ye had been eyeing for years. It was a bittersweet moment for the two at the end of his first LV runway show when Abloh and Ye embraced with tears going down both of their faces.
But according to Emory, it seems that behind the scenes their relationship (or Ye’s opinions on Virgil) was soured. “Ye tell the ppl why you didn’t get invited to Virgil’s actual funeral the one before the public one at the museum. You knew Virgil had terminal cancer and you rode on him in group chats, at yeezy, interviews… YOU ARE SO BROKEN. KEEP VIRGIL NAME OUT YOUR MOUTH…”
In the public eye, Ye only had great things to say about the late-great designer and artist with him even dedicating songs (the unreleased “Brothers” from 2018 and “You Did It Kid” from his forthcoming Donda 2) to Abloh. Recent interviews and Instagram posts had references to Virgil with him stating in his appearance on Fox News in August "I've lost my best friend, I've lost my family, and I'm still here creating."
Others connected to Ye, including long-time friend Ibn Jasper, ex-girlfriend Julia Fox, and supermodel Gigi Hadid, left comments on Emory’s post where the former of the three stated in regards to trying to talk with Ye about his recent behavior, “ “I’m not gonna argue with people who are broker than me” - That’s what he’s been telling us since he became a billionaire. He only wants sycophants (yes-men) around him. You can’t talk to anyone who has that mindset.”
Hours after Emory's post went live, Ye took to his own Instagram with a screenshot of his words and stated in the caption "IN WAR THEY WILL SEND YOUR OWN PEOPLE AT YOU GOOD ONE BERNAD," referring to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. We'll have to see how Ye and others involved will move forward in this situation. To stay updated on the latest regarding Ye’s recent actions and more within the sneaker and streetwear space, keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app.
Images via Instagram
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
