We don’t see a ton of three-way collaborations in the apparel world. Maybe it has something to do with logistics or licenses, but regardless of the reason, the three-way collaboration is a relatively rare sight. Recently, a highly notable three-way collaborative partnership was released by Stüssy, Denim Tears, and Our Legacy. The partnership resulted in just one apparel item, a collaboratively branded Stüssy Tribe Varsity Jacket that still manages to harness the essence of all three brands. Although it was released several months ago, the rapid resurgence of the Varsity Jacket in 2022 and certain recent events surrounding one of the brands make it this week’s StockX Pick of the Week.
The Stüssy x Denim Tears x Our Legacy Varsity Jacket features the branding motifs of all three brands on the front, back, and sleeves. Below the Stüssy logo on the jacket’s chest is cursive embroidery spelling out “Tribe Tears Legacy,” a combination of the three brands’ names that mimics and alters the California brand’s famous “International Stüssy Tribe” branding. All three brands are proudly represented on the back of the jacket, with Stüssy’s name appearing in large lettering above a collaborative Denim Tears cotton wreath logo and Our Legacy’s “Workshop” branding. The white leather sleeves of the jacket feature logo patches from all three brands, rounding out the garment’s logo-heavy design.
Stüssy has been on a roll over the last couple of years, releasing quality collaborations that build meaningfully on top of the brand’s rich California heritage. Among partners like Nike and Birkenstock, Stüssy has consistently worked closely with Denim Tears’ Tremaine Emory and Our Legacy. With both parties, Stüssy has delivered several quality collaborations that almost always sell out immediately. This most recent collaboration, which features the input of both Denim Tears and Our Legacy, cements the two partners as a part of Stüssy Tribe history.
The International Stüssy Tribe was originally recognized in the 1980s and 1990s as a collective community of creatives, a who’s who of cool kids, most of which are now renowned for their work and art. The original group included tastemakers like Hiroshi Fujiwara (known now as the ‘Godfather of Streetwear’), Mick Jones (from The Clash), Luca Benini (the founder of Slam Jam), Goldie, and Fraser Cooke. Shawn Stüssy founded the club during the 1980s, and it became widely known for setting trends and having a good time. For those on the inside during those days, the International Stüssy Tribe Varsity Jacket was an emblem worn with pride, an extremely limited friends and family only offering.
In recent years, the Stüssy Tribe Varsity Jacket has become more available but still highly limited. When the jackets are made available for sale, it’s often only at select stores o, in-store only – never online. On StockX, only two of Stüssy’s Tribe Varsity Jackets are available: one was released for the brand’s 40th anniversary in 2020, and the other is the one released in collaboration with Denim Tears and Our Legacy. Both resell for nearly triple their $550 retail prices on average.
The fact that this jacket was released in collaboration with Denim Tears, a brand run by Tremaine Emory, is also significant. In February, it was announced that Emory would be taking the reins of Creative Director at Supreme, a role most recently held by Brendon Babenzien, who left the brand in 2015. This announcement was a big deal and has since created a great deal of excitement around the industry’s most established brand. Tremaine Emory has been a supporter of Stüssy for years and owns at least one friends and family International Stüssy Tribe Jacket. Supreme’s founder, James Jebbia, held a position at Stüssy prior to founding the New York streetwear brand.ow, both Supreme’s founder and creative director have deep ties to Stüssy. With that in mind, one can only hope that the two monoliths of California and New York, surf and skate, will be brought together in collaboration at the hands of this new creative director appointment.
Buy & Sell the Stüssy x Denim Tears x Our Legacy Varsity Jacket alongside other collaborative Stüssy pieces from the three brands on StockX below.
