The occasion was the release of his “LeFrak” collection, an eight-piece unisex capsule—named after the massive apartment complex where he has lived since childhood—that includes black, blue, and white hoodies, tees, and hats printed and stitched with mash-up Telfar and White Castle logos and in some cases, the local zip code. Priced between $60 and $220, Clemens’s unusual new line is available on his website beginning today and will also be for sale inside that White Castle location, a fast-food outpost the designer grew up going to and still rides his bike past every day. For all items sold there, the burger chain will donate 100 percent of proceeds to the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Liberty and Justice fund, which works to bail out minors locked up on Rikers Island.
Ironically, and somewhat unfortunately, Clemens’s original party was shut down just three days before by the NYPD. It was meant to take place at the White Castle, with a surprise performance on the roof by rapper Cam’ron. But nevertheless—as has been the case since he was a scrappy kid making clothes at 15—he persisted. Cam’ron still performed out back at The Well, as did Dev Hynes, Venus X, and Total Freedom.