Denim Tears presents the Knowbody Nose capsule collection, a thoughtful exploration of ancient Egyptian heritage and its place within Black identity. Inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition, Flight into Egypt: Black Artists and Ancient Egypt, 1876–Now, Tremaine Emory created this collection as a wearable reflection on cultural legacy. The capsule, including a sweatshirt, t-shirt, tote, and hat, centers on Emory’s interpretation of the Great Sphinx’s missing nose, symbolizing the complex journey of artifacts from their origins to modern museums.
The Met’s Flight into Egypt exhibition, opening November 17, 2024, presents nearly 200 works from The Met’s collection and international loans, showcasing Black artists’ deep connections with ancient Egyptian iconography and mythology over the past 150 years. From 19th-century pieces to works emerging from the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, the exhibition explores how symbols of Egypt have become embedded in Black cultural expression. The artworks, including sculpture, literature, visual art, and performance, reveal how ancient Egyptian themes have been adapted to affirm identity, spark activism, and celebrate resilience.
Among the exhibition’s highlights are select items from Emory’s Denim Tears x Levi’s collaboration, such as Tracy’s King Tut Black Leather Vest and Leather Belt, pieces that interpret Egyptian motifs through the lens of modern fashion.
The collection takes its title from Emory’s own creative inquiry: How does an artifact from Egypt – or any ancient civilization – end up in a museum across the world? The Knowbody Nose capsule’s designs play on this question by encouraging viewers to reflect on how Egyptian cultural symbols have been circulated, transformed, and sometimes appropriated over centuries. Emory’s work becomes a call to reconsider the legacies behind these artifacts and to question the narratives museums present to modern audiences.
The Knowbody Nose capsule is available through Denim Tears’ website, in-store at Africa Diaspora Goods, and at The Met’s gift shop.
