Menswear designer Darryl Bordenave takes denim to a new level

Darryl Bordenave at the Ruckage Denim
                   Exhibition at Bloomingdale's           

For Darryl Bordenave the heroism of the past led him to launch Ruckage Denim, a clothing line made of rare denim inspired by the silhouettes of history makers. Currently, pieces from his Tuskegee Airmen collection are on display in an exhibition at Bloomingdale’s in Atlanta giving shoppers a glimpse into his process as a designer. Presented by Atlanta Fashion Week in partnership with Bloomingdale’s, the Ruckage Denim Collection is a bold reinterpretation of history, craftsmanship, and innovation. The Tuskegee Airmen exhibition is the first of a two part series with the second installation titled American Flight, that will debut at the American Flight Fashion Art Exhibition.

A self described storyteller, Bordenave says he’s a little bit of a history buff. He chose denim because denim is a durable fabric that represents the characteristics of the Tuskegee Airmen who overcame numerous challenges in order to fly for the United States Air Force. The exhibit includes jackets made of denim with quilted accents, tapered pants, and more jackets with closures taken from different aspects of the Tuskegee Airmen uniforms with a modern twists. Viewers can read the story of the Tuskegee Airmen along with sketches to learn how Bordenave conceptualized the designs. “It’s a history lesson using fashion,” says Bordenave who incorporated different aspects of the P51 plane as the foundation of the collection.

“I wanted to design pieces that reflected what the Tuskegee Airmen would look like if they were flying planes today,” Bordenave says. “I took inspiration from the cock pit, the goggles, and the patches they wore on their jackets are used as references to create the collection.”

The original flight suit of Cornelius Coffey, the first Black American to create an aeronautical school and the man who taught the Tuskegee Airmen how to fly, is also on display. During segregation Black Americans were not allowed to fly or learn how to fly, so Coffey tapped some of his colleagues to form an aviation school. The group built their own planes to teach themselves how to fly which eventually led to the formation of the Tuskegee Institute training program. Also partnered with the Legacy Flight Academy, a non-profit that dedicated to the legacy of the 99th Fighter Squadron, an all African-

American unit in the United States Military during WWII.

Every detail of the collection is inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen, and Bordenave says it’s the resilience of Coffey, that motivates him today. Originally from New Orleans, he learned how to sew at the age of eight. As a boy he began drawing clothes on the computer which evolved into sewing. At first, the young creative was embarrassed because he thought sewing was a woman’s profession, but behind closed doors he stayed persistent. Under the tutelage of his grandmother, Boredenave mastered the art of sewing and after graduating high school attended SCAD Atlanta. While in school the entrepreneur worked with celebrities as a designer and stylist. Balancing school and work came easy for him, until he was unable to finish his senior year at SCAD due to financial barriers - but he took in stride.

“SCAD teaches you how to work for a designer and I wanted my own business,” Bordenave says.

During that time the young designer indulged in his passion creating the Ruckage Denim collection with designs that revolve around the modern man. All Ruckage Denim pieces are made to order using brushed denim, a rare denim that has undergone a unique brushing process to make if softer, giving it more comfort for the wearer with the feel of suede. The Race to Runway Collection is inspired by the lifestyle of American race car drivers and his Doublet Collection is created around the look of 14^th and 15^th century characters such as Samurais and Prince Charming. The one of a kind pieces are custom made and have been worn by singers Omarion, Tank and Mario. But Bordenave says he knew he was on the right path when he received an email from someone asking about one of his pieces that was worn in a Tubi movie.

“I told my mama I made it,” he laughs. “I got an email from someone with a link to the movie. He researched the jacket and wanted to know where he could get it, but it had sold out.”

The jacket was a part of the Ruckage Denim and Shein collaboration - an eight piece capsule collection featuring the Ruckage Denim jackets and slightly tampered pant. Right now he says he’s willing to do more collaborations, but he’s focused on his next collection-American Flight. The second iteration of the series takes Bordenave’s creativity a step further blending history and innovation. Instead of using deni, Bordenave will embrace cashmere, wool, satin and leather to dive deeper into the story of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Ruckage Denim Exhibition is on display in the lower level art gallery at Bloomingdale’s in Atlanta through March 31, 2025.