Emiree Sexton on the Heritage of Design

Trying to find a time to sit down, Emiree and I went back and forth shooting possible dates between his upcoming trip to Japan and my move to Berlin. The struggle is one that I look at fondly now, as I remember us in high school, both wondering what we would be doing in the next five years. Now, sitting in his New York City apartment, Emiree explains to me how he orchestrates his brand built on nostalgia and familial ties.

TIANI NELSON: Having not formally studied fashion, how did you educate yourself about the processes of creating a brand?

EMIREE SEXTON: I think that fashion and design are the last segments of everything. History for me is the first thing. Not going to school kind of allowed me to create my own process. When I talk to my friends about fashion, I tell them, “I think I'm a designer because I'm a historian.”

I feel like doing research about family heritage and wanting to spend time back in New Orleans seeing family and listening to music is the basis of my design process. I don't think not going to school shifted me in any way. I'm still open to going, but not necessarily for certification of anything, just so I can see what their processes are in a formal way.

TN: What was the process of assembling your team? How did you decide what was needed and where to look for these people?

ES: I think the foundation of who I work with is community-based. I don't search for people who have credibility or who I could be like, “Oh yeah, they work with so and so.” I kind of work from the cards I have in front of me. Like, here’s a person that I consider a brother to me, they could do this. How can I help them see my vision so we can make this?

Incorporating family is also a big part for me. For my first project, I used my little cousins. The person who does the music composition for everything is my barber’s son from when I used to get haircuts back in the day, and I've had the same barber for seven years. I've known them for a long time, my parents know them, and we go to family functions.

Community is first when it comes to that thing. I just use people who I feel have my best interests at heart. That's a big thing. I like feeling genuine energy, especially on set and in post-production.

TN: Was going back to Louisiana for the campaign of the A Black Bag a nostalgic experience? What was it like being back in that setting with all those familiar faces? 

ES: It definitely was a nostalgic experience. I think it was kind of premeditated for me. One of the parks that we used is a place I used to go to when I was young. I remember there were these random guys with horses that came one day, and my mom and I rode the horses. I was like five years old in that exact same park. All these memories are a part of the project. Nostalgia is a big thing for me, I think my biggest feelings and emotions come from a nostalgic thing. 

It was really important for me to go back there but to also have new friends that weren't there when I was five years old, and put them all in this one location. It was very interesting, like a time-lapse. Me from that age, playing, versus now, cameras and lights and these new people in my life working on an official project, you know?

TN: You spent a year at Prairie View University. Was there anything that you took from learning about architecture that you think helped you in the design of ready-to-wear?

ES: Studying architecture taught me how to organize my thoughts, like how to make a PowerPoint that translates to other people the vision I’m trying to get across. That was a huge thing. It also helped me with research, learning how to find the precedents and the references of what I'm going for.

We learned how when you walk into a church, the first segment of the building will be 10 feet tall, but then when you walk into the main part, it's 20 feet tall, and there's a meaning to that. When it's 10 feet, you're supposed to feel like you're under something, like you're under this power of God. Then when you walk into the sanctuary, it’s supposed to be relieving. I think that architecture taught me how to tie these details together to make a tangible item. 

TN: How important to you is the imagery and storytelling of a brand?

ES: I think a lot of people’s driving force in a brand is to make something new or create a feeling. Mine is more to go back to something I've already experienced and show someone who’s never felt that thing. Imagery is huge for me.

I try to listen to newer music, but I like listening to R&B and hip hop from 2008-2010 because I remember those feelings and the imagery of the videos. I like looking through family photo albums or being at a family function and just kind of taking a mental screenshot of the now. I need to have gratitude in this moment and keep that image because it's normal now but later I’d think, I wish I could go back there.

TN: What’s the significance behind the image that was chosen for A Black Bag and what was that selection process like? Did you sit down with your friends and family and have them kind of feed in, or was that a special moment for you?

ES: I didn't have anyone helping me, but that could have been a cool thing. I went down to New Orleans for my great-grandma who passed away around August of last year. I spent time going through all the photo albums, taking pictures out and scanning them. That exact photo is a picture of my mom and my grandma at my grandma's birthday party, probably 2001. My dad is also in the back, and you can see a Fleur-de-lys in the back representing New Orleans and the Saints.

I chose that image because not only is it community-based, but it’s Black people just having fun. I was like, how can I make this a template? How can I make this a thing where people say, “Dang, this reminds me of my aunt, or my grandma, or so and so?” That's why I blurred the image. You can see the silhouettes of the people, you can see what's going on, but it's for you to comprehend and say, “I'm going to name this person right here my aunt,” and “I'm going to name this person my mom because this reminds me of a time when I was young…” It's not the actual color black, but it represents Blackness.

TN: Did you go searching for this image with the bag in mind, or did you see the image and think, I need to create something that encapsulates this feeling? Chicken or the egg?

ES: I knew I wanted to portray the emotion first and the picture came after. I had to figure out what photo was going to really do it, and I chose that image because it did it for me. My mom had a full denim jumpsuit on with a little fur collar and a drink in her hand. My grandma had like one gold tooth. That's a signature thing, you know, they used to have like one or two golds in their mouths. So many people in my family had that. She also had a pin in her shirt with money hanging off, like the birthday thing. I was like, wow, this is exactly what it is to me.

TN: Your brand is self-titled. What did that decision mean to you?

ES: I'm big on breaking generational curses. My last name, you know. I'm the first generation out of New Orleans. Since slave ships landed there, none of my family ever left, we're direct descendants of Africa. My dad’s dad was in prison and my dad’s uncle was dying in Angola. This is what my last name has meant for centuries, so I feel like having the tools and this creative medium, I can shift the narrative for the last name.

I think it's important for me to be myself. I didn’t want to be like, “Oh, what would be a cool brand name?” Even if it takes longer because it doesn't catch on, or if people think it's pronounced Amiri like the other designer, I would rather take that chance. 

TN: You just dropped another tote, The Hitchhiker Bag. In my collection, I’ve got bags that could hold an entire week's worth of stuff, and others that I shove my phone and keys into simply for the silhouette or color. What do you think is the most important component of designing something to carry? Do you see yourself striving more for functionality or aesthetic?

ES: I would say it's a mixture of functionality and storytelling, but I would rather it have a story than be functional, honestly. I actually made that bag probably three years ago now, I just never released it. I think that once I realized how functional it was, that motivated me to drop it. I've used it like three times as a carry on, and it holds so much stuff it's crazy. I've traveled with a week's worth of clothes in that one bag. Whatever you put in it, of course it makes a crazy shape, but it fits.

TN: I’m going to need one for my next RyanAir flight. What’s the story you’re trying to tell with this bag?

ES: The Hitchhiker Bag was made to challenge a common stereotype against Black men. Sagging pants have been labeled a sign of danger in society. Coming from the South, the same men who sag their pants are the same men who help elders across the street, help their families pay bills, etc. Am I saying they’re perfect citizens? No, but the violence stems from a plethora of systemic issues and scarcity. It isn’t a product of just being born that way.

TN: You’ve teased some jewelry and a jacket in the past. Will these ever be released or are you still in the experimental realm?

ES: I’m not going to say that the exact jacket is going to drop, but the story will for sure. I’ll definitely have a Louisiana purchase collection. Jewelry-wise, maybe not that exact thing, but I'm sure one day I will drop some jewelry. That ring was strictly made for props and to add to the story. The gold teeth, gold rings, my mom and aunt with their long red nails—certain things like that are important for me to add, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a product to sell. 

TN: What do you see for the future of Emiree Sexton, both as a brand and as an individual?

ES: That's a good question. As a brand, I definitely want to do some runway shows. My goal is to be an actual fashion house. E-commerce is the easiest way out right now to sell products and display things, but I definitely want to go into shows and maybe some stores.

As an individual, I would say to keep learning. I want to figure out more ways to incorporate the things that I care about like systemic issues within design, maybe talk about the revolution a bit more. Yeah, staying genuine to myself and never compromising. That's a big thing for me, not compromising with what I'm doing, what I'm making, or who I'm working with just for money, status or anything like that. Just always being true to me and pushing the agenda that I want to push.