VICE | How Police Shootings and Personal Loss Have Inspired the Fashion of Pyer Moss
Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond has channeled his personal struggles into his art, creating fashion that honors the legacy of his late mother and highlights the systemic oppression of African-American people in the US.
"I got in trouble for the first year for being disruptive in class, and my homeroom teacher gave me an ultimatum to either take a suspension or intern with her roommate, who was an assistant to fashion designer Kay Unger. I took the internship because I didn't want my dad to kick my ass."
"Right off the bat, I saw in Kerby an innate talent for design thinking and solving problems," Unger said. "He has always had an element of genius for understanding a consumer and for finding the straight line between two points."
In 2003, when Kerby was 15 years old, Unger gave him $150 so he could start his own T-shirt line, which was first called Mary's Jungle and later called Montega's Fury. In 2009, he sold that line for $14,000 to help pay for his tuition at Hofstra University on Long Island. When Unger helped actress Georgina Chapman and model Keren Craig start the high fashion label Marchesa, she brought Kerby on board so he could see firsthand how to build a successful brand. This was essential training for his future work with Pyer Moss.