Kerby Jean-Raymond Creates Limited-Edition Sweatshirt to Prompt Discussion
CONVERSATION STARTER: Limited-edition collaborative museum merchandise tends to be a little ho-hum, but the one that Kerby Jean-Raymond has created for the Metropolitan Museum of Art is anything but that.
Available starting tomorrow at noon EST via @themetstore on Instagram, the crewneck sweatshirt is imprinted with Pyer Moss and the museum’s name on the front and numbers on the back that represent the most commonly used bullet calibers, according to a spokesperson. The reference is meant to generate more discussion about the prevalence of guns in the U.S.
More from WWD
The sweatshirt, which has the Pyer Moss label, will be offered in red or black.
The sweatshirt is one of the collaborative designer items for The Met that is being offered as a nod to the Costume Institute’s yearlong two-part exhibition that is dedicated to American fashion.
The first installment, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” is already on view and the second part, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” bows on May 5.
Jean-Raymond’s design is also derivative of the red ensemble that included a flak jacket he wore to the Met Gala in September. While designers such as the late Virgil Abloh previously featured flak jackets in their collections, the Pyer Moss designer took the issue of gun violence to the forefront, by wearing one on the red carpet at last fall’s Met Gala.
From 2019 to 2020, deaths caused by gun violence increased by 30 percent, according to the research group Gun Violence Archive, and last year that figure reportedly increased by 7 percent more totaling nearly 21,000 deaths.
In recent years, Gucci’s Alessandro Michele and Moschino’s Jeremy Scott helped to raise awareness about the issues of gun violence and gun safety. And in 2018, Cynthia Rowley and actress Julianne Moore launched the Everytown Fashion Council with the support of such designers as Tom Ford and Zac Posen. Operating under the gun safety advocacy group Everytown, the project was started to engage the fashion community to try to reduce gun violence.
Last year Jean-Raymond became the first Black American designer to be invited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to appear on its official calendar and to present a collection. Although he parted ways with Reebok after his contract wound down, the designer has the Kering-supported venture Your Friends in New York, which supports on-the-rise talent.
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
