Collection: Black Ivy
This is a story about menswear. This is an untold story about style. A revolt in style. It’s a story about a generation of people challenging the status quo, demanding racial and civil rights. When it comes to this period and these clothes it’s often mistakenly argued that Black Men appropriated this style out of a desire to be white, coming from a deep sense of inferiority. Countering racist preconceptions, the goal was to be recognized as at least equal to the rights they were fighting for, not only in the eyes of the American mainstream but throughout the world. Rather than a sign of conformity and compliance, Black Ivy was change. With the emergence of the civil rights movement, the look took another turn, still premised on the idea of equality and respect, it became synonymous with activism and rebellion. This image presented them with an overwhelming cognitive dissonance. The old adage it’s not what you wear it’s how you wear it is never truer than in the case of the Black Ivy style.
