I think one of the things that we don't talk about as black creatives often
is how much we seek...
white validation to bring back to the black community
so the black community can accept us.
Just jumping around, hanging out on the ceiling,
waiting on my next guest,
Mr. Kerby Jean-Raymond,
who's the creative director for Pyer Moss.
He's one of those people that uses
fashion as his medium
as he makes his artwork.
Kind of like me using flowers
as my medium for artwork.
- Welcome to "Centerpiece." - What's up? Make myself comfortable.
Please do.
You just go straight into, like, laying down.
Beautiful chair, though.
- Right? - Beautiful chair, beautiful chair.
- Ease into it. - Yeah.
And now let's take a journey to the center.
There's something that, like, I want you to talk about,
which is, like, how you've navigated your own access
and how you try to share that access with others.
Pyer Moss is one of the few brands that, like, actually
goes out of its way to create safe spaces for black people.
It's also to usher in a whole new wave of designers
that look and feel like you and I.
Till I see, like, a plethora of creatives
that look, feel, and talk this way and are also ushering other people,
it's not safe for me to leave.
You seem like a very in-tuned, sensitive, grounded...
...person.
Have you always been that way?
You know, in 2016, somebody very close to me,
I watched pass away.
I had always avoided death, 'cause I never went to my mom's funeral.
You know what I mean? I never knew because my family hid it from me, so...
I dealt with everybody's death in the sense of,
I didn't go to my mom's funeral, so why should I go to yours?
I had to clean up my own act, and, like, really, like,
start to appreciate life and stop feeling so entitled
to happiness.
Happiness is something that you have to work for.
it's something you have to earn.
Where do you go to source your inspiration?
A lot of our inspiration comes from, like, historical stories.
So, like, for the past three collections we've done,
they've been called "American Also."
The American flag, for a lot of us, feels like something
that's, like, not ours.
So we focused on things that were traditionally
American populist, like, pop-culture items,
like the cowboy,
the American family, rock and roll,
and showed how they're actually black.
- Yeah. Yeah. - I love that.
I love everything about that.
And now let's go deep.
Here we go.
Get back into my therapy pose. Yeah, this is very important.
British Knights or "Boogie Nights?"
British Knights.
Jean-Michel Basquiat or Jean-Paul Gaultier?
Basquiat.
Reeboks with the straps or Reeboks with the pump?
Straps.
"Fresh Prince of Bel Air" or "Family Matters"?
"Fresh Prince" all day.
And, lastly, most importantly...
Who knows, this may be happening, it may not.
We don't know.
But if I were to go to the Met Gala, how would you dress me?
The theme is time, and it revolves around Virginia Woolf,
who has displayed
lots of racism in her writings and her actions,
and I would be counterculture as it pertains to her,
and that's as far as I can say.
But I'll see you there.
Perfect.
Girl, it's time to process.
My boy Kerby had to master the rules of fashion
in order to be able to subvert them.
He reclaimed what it's meant to be an American designer
as a black man with his own deep-rooted traditions.
My centerpiece for Kerby pays tribute to an artist
who stands proudly and beautifully in his chocolate skin
and knows how to turn some shit upside down.
Was one of the most inspiring interviews that I think I've had
as a small business trying to grow what I'm doing
and trying to do, like...
You're actually building something.
Thank you for your grace, your beauty, your excellence.
Cue the curtain!
Join me.
Amazing.
So the idea around this...
...is centered around
your ability to take a traditional medium
and, like, put it in your own hands and make it
- black as hell... - Yeah.
...and make it you as hell
And just to literally turn that on its head is, like...
I wanted the floor to be dirt,
because I feel like you're rooted, you're grounded.
You keep it raw, actually,
which is, like, so bomb.
When I look at how you use color,
it's, like, bold but sophisticated and refined.
The reason why I use yellow so much in the collection
is because it's my mom's favorite color.
It's almost the exact same shade of, like, saffron.
- I love this. This is amazing. - Yeah.
- So... - How do I get this on the plane?
We have another surprise for you, though.
Okay.
When I heard about
the Pyer Moss Tabernacle Drip Choir Drenched in the Blood of Jesus,
I was like, "Well, I've got a root.
My sister's got a root."
And I think we would like to audition
for the choir, if you would allow us.
Go ahead.
Nobody knows
The trouble I see
Nobody knows
Try it, Jazz!
Kerby and his team
- Out here dripping in the sauce - Hot sauce!
These haters and these hustlers don't be wanted, get lost
- Bye! - We do it for the culture
- That's all facts and no pretend - Fake asshole!
Pyer Moss is a brand, and he getting...
Hey, you see us now?
Do you see us now? Hey!
You see us now?
Do you see us now? Hey!
You see us now?
Do you see us now? Hey!
I want to commend you, because your Milly rock was sturdy.
Thank you very much.
Your rap was original. I heard the shout-outs.
I just think you do this really well.
Yeah. And I think the world would miss you
if you were to come over to the Drip Choir.
But I love you guys.
And cut.