Jeantrix Talks Their Jacket Feature in Beyonce's "Black Is King" and More

If you’ve watched Beyoncé’s new lyrical film, Black Is King, then you’ve definitely noticed the bold leather jackets that Ghanaian singer/writer/actor Shatta Wale dons throughout the “Already” video. What you might not have known is that these two specific pieces are by local designers Deric “Nyce” Crawley and Muhammad “Homm” Abdul-Basit of Jeantrix (jeantrix.com). “We wanted to bring that flair from the ’80s back,” says Homm of the brand’s aesthetic. Glancing through their current collections—all of which are available exclusively on their website—the eclectic mix of graffiti art and bold colors is prevalent, which flows through their T-shirts, leather jackets, hoodies, boots, sneakers, denim and accessories. Homm says, “Growing up, we didn’t really see a lot of things we wanted to wear in stores that reflected how we felt on the inside.” So, with the help of Nyce’s expertise— he attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia and studied fashion marketing—and a local craft store, the designers went to work to fill the gap. The product? Their first pair of custom-painted sneakers.

Since then, the two have worked on a variety of big projects. For Creed II, which was filmed in Philly, they collaborated with costume designers to create a pair of sneakers worn in one of the scenes. Prior to their spotlight on Black Is King, Homm and Nyce were also no strangers to the Carter family, having designed Blue Ivy’s internet-breaking Halloween Barbie jacket in 2016. More recently, Homm and Nyce released a new collection that collaborates with other artists. “It’s about the revolution of artists coming together and being united,” says Nyce, noting that this is a continuation from a similar line released in 2014. The collection features pieces like Jeantrix signature leather jackets, which are handpainted with new color palettes, and handpainted unisex cotton jumpsuits. Nyce continues, “[This year] was so hard for a lot of artists to get inspired, or just believe in themselves, because a lot of people weren’t shopping like they were.”