Denim Tears looks up at the Statue of Liberty from below in its new collection

Alright, we’ve all seen the Statue of Liberty. We’ve seen it in films, on postcards, and on just about every New York souvenir T-shirt imaginable. But, as Tremaine Emory, founder of Denim Tears, reminds us, we don’t always pay close attention to what it’s actually saying.

Emory has. And quite deliberately. The brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, titled “Libertas” and unveiled exclusively through images shared with Highsnobiety, works as more than just another drop of graphic pieces. It’s also a history lesson — one that centres on a frequently overlooked detail of New York’s most famous monument: the broken chains at the statue’s feet.

Gifted by France in 1886 to commemorate the Union’s victory in the Civil War and more than a century of American independence, the Statue of Liberty doesn’t only stand for welcome and hope. The open shackles symbolise the end of slavery in the United States. A powerful message that, although it rarely takes centre stage, becomes the conceptual backbone of SS26.

In “Libertas”, the chains appear both directly and indirectly. Sometimes subtly, as part of a crest emblazoned on a leather jacket. At other times, without ambiguity: a model wearing a crown and holding a mock flame grips broken chains in hand. The result isn’t theatrical re-enactment, but a conscious reinterpretation.

The collection, launching on 20 February, sits seamlessly within the brand’s wider trajectory. If Denim Tears has proven anything, it’s that it’s never just about clothes. The iconic cotton wreath — the label’s most recognisable emblem — references the central role of cotton cultivation within the slave system and the economic foundation of the United States. More recent projects such as “5ᵗʰ Quarter” addressed the additional challenges faced by Black athletes after retirement, while “The Scorpion & The Frog” explored parallels between the African-American Civil Rights movement and the conflict in Northern Ireland.

In Emory’s hands, streetwear isn’t merely aesthetic; it’s archive, reflection and memory. With “Libertas”, Denim Tears quite literally asks us to look a little lower. And there, among broken links, liberty stops being a pleasant word and regains its weight.

Corteiz x Denim Tears: the most anticipated streetwear alliance lands this Christmas.