Supreme
TypeSubsidiary
Industryclothing industry Edit this on Wikidata
Founded1994 (1994)
FounderJames Jebbia (Founder & CEO)
Headquarters
New York City
,
U.S.
Number of locations
16
ProductsClothing, shoes, accessories, skateboards
RevenueDecrease US$523.1 million (2023)
Decrease US$64.8 million (2023)
ParentVF Corporation
Websitesupreme.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

Supreme (səˈpriːm) is an American clothing and skateboarding lifestyle brand established in New York City in April 1994. Supreme is recognized for its influence on streetwear culture, with products that cater to skateboarding and urban fashion trends. The company makes skateboards in addition to clothing and accessories. The red box logo with "Supreme" in white Futura Heavy Oblique is thought to be largely based on Barbara Kruger's art.[3] VF Corporation, a US-based apparel and footwear company, bought Supreme for $2.1 billion in December 2020.[4]

History

The brand was founded by James Jebbia in 1994. During the formation of the brand, Jebbia was given a book about Barbara Kruger as inspiration for the logo. Kruger's art inspired the red box logo with "Supreme" in white Futura Heavy Oblique, and Supreme later released unlicensed remixes with popular artists and brands such as Jackson Pollock and Coca-Cola.[5][6]

The first Supreme store opened in an old office space on Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan in April 1994.[7][8] It was designed with skaters in mind, featuring a layout that accommodates skateboarding and a selection of clothes arranged around the store's perimeter.[5] This store had its core group of skaters who served as its team,[5] including late actors Justin Pierce and Harold Hunter, and the first employees were extras from the Larry Clark film Kids. Jebbia explained that he opened Supreme in Lower Manhattan because at the time there was nowhere else to buy skate products in the area.[9]

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.[10] Other locations include London; which opened in September 2011, Paris; which opened in 2016, Tokyo (Harajuku, Daikanyama and Shibuya), Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka.[1] The additional locations emulate the original Lafayette Street store's design.[8][9]

On October 6, 2017, James Jebbia confirmed that the label had sold a significant stake in the company of roughly 50% (around $500 million) to private equity firm The Carlyle Group.[11][12] On February 25, 2019, Supreme moved their original Manhattan location.

In 2019, a collection of every Supreme deck ever produced sold for $800,000 at a Sotheby's auction.[13][14]

In November 2020, VF Corporation announced that they agreed to buy Supreme in an all cash deal for US$2.1 billion.[4] VF Corporation bought out the investors Carlyle Group and Goode Partners LLC, as well as founder James Jebbia. According to VF, Jebbia will continue to manage the business.[15]

Skate teams

The original Supreme skate team consisted of Ryan Hickey, Justin Pierce, Gio Estevez, Paul Leung, Chris Keefe, Jones Keefe, Peter Bici, and Mike Hernandez. Other pro skaters, such as Harold Hunter and Jeff Pang, became associates of the company due to Supreme's roots within New York City's skate culture. The skate team as of 2023 includes Aidan Mackey, Brian Anderson, Ben Kadow, Jason Dill, Sean Pablo, Tyshawn Jones, Mark Gonzales, Kader Sylla, Sage Elsesser, Rowan Zorilla, Seven Strong, Troy Gipson, Vince Touzery, Caleb Barnett, Yuto Horigome, Nik Stain, Kevin Rodrigues, and Beatrice Domond.[16][8]

Following the Paris store opening in 2016, Supreme also formed a French skate team that includes Dayanne Akadiri, Manuel Schenck, Lucien Momy, Dadoum Chabane, Damien Bulle, Victor Demonte, Valentin Jutant and Samir Krim.[17]

Trademarks

Supreme has been granted trademarks in many countries within North America, Europe and Asia.[18] In 2018, Supreme lost a lawsuit in an Italian court,[19] and the European Union refused to register its trademark,[20] so "Supreme" branded items not licensed, approved, or manufactured by Supreme could be sold in Italy and Spain.[21] The Supreme brand is popular in China and Japan.[22][23] Samsung was able to sign a promotion agreement with a fake Supreme brand in China.[24][25]

In November 2019, an appellate court of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) found that Supreme's brand is distinct and eligible for an EU trademark. "It has been widely demonstrated that the sign is used as a brand and in some cases seen as 'cult' in the field of streetwear", the court said.[18][26] On August 27, 2020, EUIPO granted Supreme a Europe-wide trademark for bags, clothing and retail stores.[27][28]

Marketing and awards

Supreme stocks its own clothing label, as well as other skateboard brands such as Vans, Nike SB, Spitfire Wheels, and Thrasher.[29] Supreme releases two collections each year. Instead of offering the entire line at once, the brand releases a few pieces online and in-store from the current season's collection every Thursday.[9] According to James Jebbia, Supreme's production runs are limited, not to create exclusivity, but to avoid surplus inventory of unpopular items.[5]

Fashion photographer Terry Richardson has produced some of the brand's most notable photographs, including of Michael Jordan, Kermit the Frog,[30] Three 6 Mafia, Lou Reed, Lady Gaga, Neil Young,[31] Gucci Mane, Nas, and Morrissey.

William "Bill" Strobeck serves as Supreme's main filmer, and has created several web edits for the brand such as Joyride (2014),[32] Swoosh (2015),[33] and King Puppy (2016).[34] Strobeck has also filmed and directed both of Supreme's full-length films - cherry (2014) and BLESSED (2018).[35][36]

In 2018, Supreme was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Menswear Designer of the Year Award.[8]

Collaborators

Supreme has engaged in various high-profile collaborations that have expanded its reach beyond the skateboarding community. Notably, its collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2017[37] resulted in a menswear collection that blended streetwear with luxury fashion, receiving significant attention in the fashion industry. Another notable collaboration was with artist Takashi Murakami in 2020, where a special edition product raised $1 million for COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts.[38]

The brand's collaborations often merge streetwear with other cultural elements, exemplified by its partnership with Yohji Yamamoto in late 2020, where the collection featured Yamamoto's avant-garde tailoring fused with Supreme's urban aesthetic. A subsequent collaboration in 2022 further highlighted this blend, incorporating graphics and designs from the Tekken video game series.[39][40]

References

  1. 1 2 Hine, Samuel (August 21, 2023). "Supreme's New Era Takes Shape in Seoul". GQ. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ Kelly, Dylan (June 12, 2023). "Supreme Reports Decreased Revenue in Financial Year Ending March 2023". Hypebeast. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ graphéine, Tiphaine (January 19, 2022). "Barbara Kruger/Supreme: who's hijacking whom?". Graphéine - Agence de communication Paris Lyon. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "VF to Buy Supreme for $2.1 Billion to Boost Apparel Brands". Bloomberg.com. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "50 Things You Didn't Know About Supreme". Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Supreme Box Logo". Highsnobiety. January 15, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2023 – via YouTube.
  7. ↑ Chaplin, Julia (October 3, 1999). "PULSE: LAFAYETTE STREET; 'Kids' Welcome, Dress: Baggy". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Jonathan (November 16, 2018). "Almost 25 Years Later, Supreme Is Still a Skate Shop". Vice. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Robert. "Charting the Rise of Supreme, From Cult Skate Shop to Fashion Superpower". Vogue. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ Abrams, Micah (April 16, 2006). "Into L.A.'s Deli Land, Enter the Skaters". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  11. ↑ "BoF Exclusive – Supreme Confirms Investment From Carlyle Group". October 6, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  12. ↑ "How Supreme Grew a $1 Billion Business with a Secret Partner". October 10, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  13. ↑ Frank, Robert (January 29, 2019). "Skateboard deck collection sells for a record $800,000". CNBC. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ Neuendorf, Henri (February 11, 2019). "Meet the 17-Year-Old Collector Who Bought $800,000 Worth of Supreme Skateboard Decks at Sotheby's". Artnet News. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ Sebastian, Dave (November 9, 2020). "Supreme Streetwear Brand Sold to VF in $2.1 Billion Deal". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Everything You Need To Know About Supreme (2019)". shredzshop.com. Shredz Shop. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Meet Supreme's French Team". i-d.vice.com. Vice. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  18. 1 2 Clark, van (May 5, 2020). "Supreme Secures Chinese Trademark". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Supreme Loses Counterfeit Case in Italy". HYPEBEAST.
  20. ↑ "Europen [sic] Union refuses to register Supreme as trademark". nss magazine.
  21. ↑ "Italian Court Rules Against Supreme in Counterfeit Case". Supreme California. August 2, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Supreme streetwear (including fakes) takes China by storm". South China Morning Post. September 26, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  23. ↑ "That Time James Jebbia Gave a Rare Interview and Talked About Supreme's History and Its Popularity in Japan". Complex. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  24. ↑ Etienne, Stefan (December 10, 2018). "Samsung angers hypebeasts by partnering with fake Supreme brand in China". The Verge. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  25. ↑ Meek, Andy (December 10, 2018). "Samsung teams up with a fake, knock-off brand of Supreme to make products in China". BGR. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  26. ↑ Turra, Alessandra (July 20, 2020). "Supreme to Enter the Milan Retail Arena". Women's Wear Daily (WWD). Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ Editorial Staff (December 9, 2020). "Supreme sweeps the fake table. The US trademark obtains registration in the EU". Pambianco News. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  28. ↑ Bittau, Laura (December 3, 2020). "Supreme obtains registration in the EU". MF Fashion News. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  29. ↑ Bahney, Anna (October 31, 2003). "Get 'Em While They're Cool: Footwear for the Few". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Terry Richardson x Supreme x Kermit the Frog". February 29, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  31. ↑ Cardiner, Brock (October 13, 2014). "Supreme Fall/Winter 2014 Editorial by Terry Richardson for SENSE Magazine". High Snobiety. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  32. ↑ Strobeck, William. "JOYRIDE". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  33. ↑ Strobeck, William. "SWOOSH". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  34. ↑ Strobeck, William. "KING PUPPY". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  35. ↑ Mehring, Jonathan. "The Making of "cherry"". Thrasher Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Bill Strobeck Talks "BLESSED" & Supreme Announces Release Date". Skate News Wire (Press release). 48 Blocks Media. November 13, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Here's Every Piece From the Supreme x Louis Vuitton Collection". Highsnobiety. June 29, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  38. ↑ Wolf, Cam (April 21, 2020). "Supreme Is Releasing a Box-Logo T-Shirt to Help in the Coronavirus Fight". GQ. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Supreme Is Far From Over, the Yohji Yamamoto Collab Proves It". Highsnobiety. September 17, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Yohji Yamamoto's Supreme Collaboration Is a Long Time Coming". HYPEBEAST. September 16, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
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