Following last week’s sold-out Stone Island collection, Supreme unveiled its next collaboration for spring 2022, this time with the Roy DeCarava Archives for a line of T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts.
Born in Harlem in 1919, Roy DeCarava has been an integral founder of today’s photographic movements for over 60 years.His work is dominated by tones, capturing the lives of those around him in his hometown, and later in his life, in 1950, his photographs will be exhibited for the first time.DeCarava has been critically acclaimed, with Roberta Smith and others stating that “DeCarava’s work itself is the best of both worlds. Visually rigorous, but with immeasurable sensitivity to human predicaments and the psychology of everyday life, especially involving but not limited to African Americans.”
With an understanding of painting, as it was his previous occupation, and also a printmaker and draftsman, DeCarava understood composition, which permeated heavily in his photographs.His striking, hazy silver gelatin prints would continue to open up new technical possibilities for contemporary photography, encouraging Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole to point out that “chiaroscuro effects come from technical choices: underexposure, darkroom virtuosity and the occasional on soft paper. .”
DeCarava’s career flourished after his first exhibition in 1950, and in 1952 he became the first African-American photographer to be awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship.He has since collaborated with poet Langston Hughes on a co-authored titled “Life’s Sweet Flying Paper,” a fictionalized Harlem grandmother, Sister Mary Bradley.This seminal work is considered a touchstone for the album anthology, inspiring his 1960 work “The Voice I See,” a handcrafted artist’s book that follows the New York City jazz scene.
As with all collaborations at Supreme, the process of choosing who to collaborate with or what to reference is second to none.Obviously, this is no exception.DeCarava has been a pioneer in photography, from establishing and operating the Photographers’ Gallery in 1955 until 1957, to joining Hunter College in 1975, where he taught undergraduate and MFA courses for decades, and then Distinguished Art Professor in 1988 And tell stories through the media.
Today, Supreme references his archival work on two T-shirts and a hoodie.The latter is available in five colors and has a picture of Malcolm X printed on the back, taken in 1964.The tee is also available in a variety of shades and also includes a Malcolm X photo, and another tee depicting the iconic piece. For DeCarava, it’s simple, impactful, focused and then intense.
All profits from the Roy DeCarava collection will benefit the Schomberg Center for the Study of Black Culture in Harlem.The Roy DeCarava x Supreme collection will be available in the US and the rest of the world on May 19th at 11AM ET, and finally on May 21st at 11AM JST in Japan, in stores and online as usual.
Get exclusive interviews, reflections, trend forecasts, guides and more from creative minds in the industry.
Post time: May-17-2022