Black designer hits back at police 'brutality and racism' with powerful collection of blood-spattered clothing - and starts his NYFW show with horrific footage of police violence, including Eric Garner's death

• Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, 28, showed the video before the catwalk show began on Thursday night
• He explained that he wanted to 'take a stand on something' but added that the show was not meant for 'shock value'
• The black and white 15-minute video also showed footage of Florida native Marlan Brown being run over by police

By Charlie Lankston At New York Fashion Week For Dailymail.com

Published: 16:12 EST, 12 September 2015 | Updated: 18:57 EST, 12 September 2015

A black designer making his womenswear debut at New York Fashion Week used his catwalk show as a forum to highlight incidents of police 'brutality and racism', starting his show with a 15-minute video featuring footage of different cases of violence and death at the hands of the police, before debuting a collection of blood-spattered, graffiti-covered clothing inspired by each horrific case.

Haitian-Ameircan Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, from Brooklyn, New York, explained to the Daily Beast that the video, and subsequent collection, was not intended 'for shock value', but rather to make the audience keep thinking about the content of the harrowing clip, and the show, long after the catwalk had come to a close. 

'I have like 10 minutes to show you this video. I’ve got to get as much gripping information in that 10 minutes as possible. What’s going to leave people affected?' 28-year-old Jean-Raymond explained after the end of the show on Thursday night. 

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Powerful image: Haitian-American Pyer Moss designer Kerby Jean-Raymond debuted his first womenswear collection at New York Fashion Week on Thursday night and included several thought-provoking pieces aimed at highlighting police brutality and racism

Meaningful: Many of the outfits were inspired by particular cases of police violence, such as an army green jacket which had the word 'breathe' painted on by a graffiti artist mid-show. The phrase was in honor of Eric Garner, who died after being put in a chokehold by police

Paying tribute: These combat boots also paid tribute to Garner, whose death was featured in a 15-minute clip shown at the start of the catwalk show

'It’s not for shock value, but it’s what’s going to make you think about this…after you go to three shows,' he added. 'What’s going to make you think about this again at 11 when you’re done for the day? That’s what it’s about.'

The video, which was shown in black and white, featured footage of the deaths of several black people at the hands of the police, including Eric Garner, who died in July last year in New York, after police officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in a chokehold for nearly 20 seconds while arresting him for selling loose cigarettes. 

The death of Marlon Brown, a Florida resident who was hit by a police cruiser in May 2013, while being chased down over a seat-belt violation, was also included, as was a now-infamous incident at a pool party in McKinney, Texas, when 15-year-old bikini-clad Dajerria Becton was forced to the ground by police officer Eric Casebolt, who later left the force following public outcry over the act of physical violence. 

Some cases included, such as the death of 93-year-old Pearly Golden, who was shot to death outside her home by police in May 2014, were less publicized at the time, but proved just as shocking to viewers at the show.  

Speaking out: 28-year-old Jean-Raymond (pictured) said after his show that the video and collection was 'not for shock value, but it’s what’s going to make you think about this'

Armed: One model's outfit featured a gun holster-style accessory, as well as a pair of blood-spattered combat boots

Contrast: These boots bore the words 'I can't breathe' on one shoe and 'breath' on the other

Artistic: Jean-Raymond teamed up with graffiti artist Gregory Siff, who decorated some of the clothing mid-way through the catwalk show, spray-painting the word 'breathe' onto the back of this jacket

According to the Huffington Post, the video included 16 different cases of police brutality, many of which resulted in the deaths of the victims; the horrific footage occasionally elicited gasps of shock and upset from the stylish fashionistas attending the show, but was otherwise greeted with an outraged, thoughtful silence. 

The clip also included interviews with the family members of some of the victims featured, including Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant, who was fatally shot by officers on New Year's Day 2009, Nicole Bell, the fiance of Sean Bell, who was shot and killed in November 2006 while leaving his bachelor party, and Emerald Garner, daughter of Eric. 

After the footage finished playing, Jean-Raymond debuted his first womenswear collection, which featured several pieces inspired by the same acts of brutality featured in the clip.

One model walked down the runway in a pair of white combat-style boots, which were covered with the names of all the victims featured in Jean-Raymond's video clip, written out in black marker, and splattered with blood stains.

Another pair of similar white combat boots featured the words 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe' written all over them in the same style of black marker; victim Eric Garner is believed to have said this phrase 11 times over while lying facedown on the sidewalk after being put in a chokehold by officers.  

Striking: The monochrome collection featured splashes of bright red, keeping the idea of violence and brutality present throughout the show

Breathe: Some of the outfits featured tight bands around the neck, once again paying mind to the death of Eric Garner

Personal: In addition to the incidents of violence and death featured in his video, Jean-Raymond also drew on his own experiences with the police. Earlier this year, two officers pulled guns on him when they mistook his black arm cast for a weapon

Imagery: Graffiti artist Siff explained that the use of red paint throughout the show was not intended to represent blood or aggression, necessarily, but was more a 'call to attention' for all those watching

This phrase was repeated on the back of an army green jacket, which featured the word 'breathe' three times on its back; the words were actually painted onto the model during the show by graffiti artist Gregory Siff, who helped Jean-Raymond bring his ideas and his messages of empowerment to life on the catwalk. 

One particularly harrowing outfit, a white jacket and trousers featuring Siff's black graffiti across the shoulders, had blood stains dripped down the back, as though the wearer had been shot in the back of the head, like South Carolina man Walter Scott, who was shot in the back eight times while running away from police officer Michael Slager. 

While the collection was arguably almost as powerful as the footage of the horrific incidents that inspired it, Jean-Raymond revealed to the Huffington Post shortly after the show that he had considered not featuring the clothing at all, and simply showing his guests the video in order to ensure maximum impact.

'I wasn't even going to show the collection; I wasn't 100 per cent sold on showing the collection,' he explained. 'I wanted to just show the video, open the doors and let everyone out.' 

But the clothing featured on the catwalk wasn't just inspired by the controversial incidents featured in the pre-catwalk footage; according to the Daily Beast, Jean-Raymond also drew on his own personal experiences with the police in order to create the collection. 

Inspiration: The death of Eric Garner (pictured), who was killed by police when they placed him in an aggressive chokehold (right) for nearly 20 seconds, was one of the main incidents to be featured in the catwalk collection

Aggression: Footage also Freddie Gray (pictured), who died in April after suffering a fatal injury while riding in the back of a police van following his arrest

Keeping the memory alive: The deaths of Marlon Brown (right) and Oscar Grant (left) were also included in the harrowing 15-minute clip

The website reports that the designer was confronted by officers just a few months before he was due to create and show the collection; he was wearing a black cast having broken a finger, and was accused by police of holding a gun. 

'I turned around, and I have two guns pointed at me,' he explained. 'If somebody points a gun at you, your first instinct as a human is to run. I don’t know what kept me grounded, but I felt like if I were to have ran, he would have like either tackled me, tazed me, shot me, whatever.' 

And even before this shocking incident occurred, Jean-Raymond had had his fair share of what many would see as unfair encounters with the law. While he was studying at Hofstra University, from which he graduated summa cum laude, he was accused of a hit and run, after officers stopped him in his newly-purchased Lexus. According to Jean-Raymond, the police 'yanked him out of the window' and 'slammed his head on the back of the trunk'. 

'If one person walks out of here today and is just nicer, or gives an opportunity... there are so many influential people in that room upstairs,' Jean-Raymond told the Huffington Post after his show. 

'If one person decides that I'm going to give a black kid a job now because the narrative I've been seeing on TV of him being a thug may or may not be true, I did my job. I changed one life and one life might change another life - and that's how the world changes. Little by little.' 

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