Supreme’s History
Supreme is a skateboarding shop/clothing brand[1][2] established in New York City in April 1994.
The brand was founded by James Jebbia. Although he was born in the US, he lived in England until he was nineteen.[3] The first Supreme store opened on Lafayette Street in downtown Manhattan in 1994.[4] It was designed with skaters in mind, with a unique design on the store layout; the clothes arranged around the outside of the store with a large space in the middle. This meant that skaters with backpacks on could skate right into the store, and still feel comfortable.[5] In 2004, a second location was opened on North Fairfax Ave in Los Angeles, California, which is nearly double the size of the original New York City store and features an indoor skate bowl.[6] Other locations include Paris, London, Tokyo (Harajuku, Daikanyama & Shibuya), Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka.[7] The additional locations emulate the original Lafayette Street store’s design.
The distinctive red box logo containing “Supreme” in Futura Heavy Oblique is largely based on Barbara Kruger‘s propaganda art.[8]
The brand caters to the skateboarding, hip hop and punk rock cultures, and the youth culture at large. They make clothes and accessories, but also manufacture skateboards that are collected like modern art. Supreme has released skateboard decks featuring the artworks of Rammellzee, Ryan McGinness, KAWS, Larry Clark, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Christopher Wool, Nate Lowman, Damien Hirst, and John Baldessari. They have also collaborated with other photographers, artists, and designers such as Marilyn Minter, Takashi Murakami, Daniel Johnston, Peter Saville, Futura 2000, Adam Kimmel, Bad Brains, H. R. Giger, Mark Gonzalez and recently Dash Snow.
Unlike other clothing brands, who release their new collections all at once, Supreme releases a few items at a time, typically five to fifteen. This “drop” occurs online and in store once every week on Thursdays at eleven in the morning (eastern US time and 11 am (GMT)). This strategy maintains the aura of “hype” that the brand creates. Their shoes, clothing, and accessories create a big secondary market for supreme clothing, because items are produced to a very limited quantity and also because there are only ten stores worldwide.[9] Supreme has a line of collaborations with brands such as Nike, Air Jordan, Vans,[10]Clarks, The North Face,[11] Hanes, Playboy, Levi’s, Timberland, Comme des Garçons, Stone Island, Undercover, and White Castle. Fashion photographer Terry Richardson has produced some of the most notable pieces which include photographs of Michael Jordan, Kermit the Frog,[12] Three Six Mafia, Lou Reed, Lady Gaga, Neil Young,[13] and Morrissey. Kenneth Cappello[14] is the man responsible for some of supreme’s most notable photo tees like Mike Tyson, Dipset and Raekwon[15]
Supreme stocks its own clothing label and Vans, Nike SB, Spitfire, Thrasher and Girl Distribution Company.[16]
Notable celebrities who have worn Supreme clothing in public include members of Odd Future – particularly Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, and Frank Ocean – Kanye West, Travis Scott, Chris Brown, ASAP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Drake, Nas, Pharrell Williams, John Mayer, Gucci Mane, Arif[disambiguation needed]
