Today, for the first time in U.S. history, New Yorkers officially observe Juneteenth as a State holiday. The ​Juneteenth holiday​ celebrates the oldest most popular annual celebration of emancipation of slavery in the United States​ ​that values education, focused prayer, and honoring the past to forge roads for the future.  There’s much we can learn from the tradition of Juneteenth in the fashion community.

First and foremost, cultural accountability is ever more pressing in the fashion community. Inclusive visual representation is imperative for the continued collective growth of our industry. I believe this must begin with re-education.

In honor of Juneteenth, I’ve created a space to facilitate re-education through historical context. ​The Denim Collective​, an educational initiative by ​Oak & Acorn ~ Only for the Rebelles​, highlights Black Indigenous American and African’s contributions to the origins of fashion, throughout history to the present.

The American fashion community was born from the inception of indigo slave plantations in America. Indigo was the hidden commodity of the slave trade before cotton. The first indigo dyed hemp clothing was the uniform of the enslaved, called “Negro cloth,” and deemed unfit for anyone to wear but the enslaved Black Indigenous American and enslaved African people.

The production of Negro Cloth, a rough durable cloth (denim), woven, spun, and dyed by enslaved Black Indigenous Americans and enslaved Africans initiated an industrial movement throughout the entire east coast, propelling factory growth and expertise in the production of cotton goods including denim in America; thus developing an infrastructure that financially sponsored the legacy of American Denim and America’s fashion economy that continues to operate today. What we recognize as staple pieces of a denim collection — the overall, jumpsuit, trucker jacket & work shirt — all originated on the plantations of the American south.

The labor force included ‘contraband’ –  a population of people who were granted freedom from slavery, kidnapped and incarcerated. The penitentiary served as a manufacturing facility for American made goods. The 13th Amendment was the bill that abolished slavery officially, but as ​Jelani Cobb​ has stated, “the amendment created a ‘loophole’ that permitted the massive criminalization of blackness…”

“.. the current moment of the declaration that the lives of black people, our very breath, our very dignity, our very humanity, are valuable and matter to the world. – Ava Du Vernay

The origins of denim and I have ​a common thread. ​ My brand, ​Oak & Acorn ~ Only for the Rebelles​, the first sustainable denim brand in Harlem NY, serves as a backdrop to my personal story. In order to design denim authentically, I had to establish my connection to it. Sustainability to me means getting to the truth and operating from a place where I upheld every part of my narrative holistically. I launched Oak & Acorn with the signature Rebelle Coverall – the uniform of the farmer, the worker, the enslaved and the prisoner. The brand pays homage to the untold legacy of Black Indigenous American and African’s contribution to the origins of denim. Simultaneously, my sister Ebony, founder of nonprofit, ​We Got Us Now,​ began to advocate and speak publicly about our father who has been incarcerated for what is now 31 years. I was faced with our very private and personal story being launched onto a large platform. I had not shared with anyone in the industry of my father’s incarceration. I eventually learned that I was not alone. There are over 10 million children in the U.S. who have experienced the traumatic, stigmatizing impact of having a parent incarcerated at some point in their lifetime. With each Rebelle Coverall sold, a portion of the profits goes to supporting the advocacy efforts of We Got Us Now to give voice to this invisible population of children and young adults with parents behind bars.

The value of education and upliftment of historical contributions can no longer be understated. Much like the Juneteenth holiday that is nationally commemorated, but not federally recognized, Black American culture is often celebrated, but isn’t often credited historically. We must reckon with an American narrative that has been mostly untrue. By doing so, we will create space to engage in a full spectrum of cultural discourse.

Miko Underwood is an artist, wellness practitioner, design director and founder of Oak & Acorn – Only for the Rebelles, the first sustainable denim brand in Harlem, NY.

@mikomyco

@oakandacornofficial

@thednmcollective

Editor’s Note: From today, the CFDA has made Juneteenth a permanent holiday for all employees.