Considering Jean-Raymond’s ties to the music world and the themes that inspire his explicitly political designs, it perhaps comes as no surprise that he tapped legendary R&B artist and producer Raphael Saadiq to produce the music for his Fall 2018 collection. The Americana-inspired collection, which he titled “American, Also,” shines light on the 19th-century origins of the cowboy, and brings the once-derogatory term into new light. “We are researching topics that make us feel included in the fabric of American society, so this is specifically focused on the American cowboy and how that started by being a black thing,” says Jean-Raymond of his team’s new focus (he says that they’re treating Pyer Moss as a totally new project). Reframing the concept of the cowboy is the first way in which they’re challenging enduring racist cultural narratives. “Cowboy was a derogatory term used to describe men who weren’t allowed to be called men, so they’re called boys—house boys, field boys, etc. We essentially took that and flipped it on its head, and made it into something regal and something that we can be proud of,” says Jean-Raymond.