Greg Lauren’s line has always been rooted in American identity, but for his latest collection he wanted to approach that theme with more specificity. “I started to have a lot of conversations about fashion, about the work, and creating a more equitable company,” said Lauren. “And I wanted to change the way I approach things. I wanted to take a look at the history and roots of things.” Lauren looked at the history of quilts. He’s worked with them before, but started to dig deeper and came across Gee’s Bend, a community of craftswomen in the rural area of Boykin, Alabama, who have a history of quilting that dates back to slavery.