The first big sneaker collab of the year is dropping this week. On March 5, Supreme and Nike are releasing the highly anticipated Air Force 1s. The two major brands have a pretty extensive history working together, on average dropping something at least once a year since they first joined forces in 2002. Despite this relationship, the latest collab is a simple one that combines each label’s most popular trope — the familiar Nike shoe model and the cultish Supreme box logo — in one sneaker.
The new Air Force 1 retains many of the shoe’s classic attributes. The sneaker, which is available in black or white, is made with premium leather and features the signature swoosh on the side. The red Supreme logo is printed towards the back of the shoe, undoubtedly elevating the otherwise ubiquitous footwear to coveted status. That won’t be the case, though — at only $96, the sneaker is one of the skatewear brand’s more affordable offerings and will be restocked throughout the year.
The Supreme x Nike Air Force 1 will be available in select stores and online on March 5.
It’s time to feast upon a new decade of Supreme. Yesterday, the New York-based streetwear brand teased a first look at its upcoming Spring/Summer 2020 collection on Instagram. The picture shows a distressed monogrammed tan denim-style jacket — similar to the ubiquitous Louis Vuitton monogram — worn over a graphic hoodie emblazoned with a photorealistic dollar bill print. There’s definitely some Uncut Gems influences in the first look, but we’ll need to see the rest before we can confirm.
Besides the promising image, the brand hasn’t revealed when fans can expect the collection. But in just the past year alone, the megabrand has partnered with Jean Paul Gaultier, added Swarovski crystals to its beloved box logo, and branded a pair of champagne flutes with Baccarat. And judging by the positive response on Instagram, it’s clear that fans are as hungry as ever for their next dose of Supreme.
Today GQ published an extensive feature with brand founder James Jebbia chronicling the history of Supreme. Jebbia is notoriously reclusive and seldom participates in interviews (even this profile was conducted through an “in-house interlocutor”), but this is probably the closest we’ll get to hear about the brand’s beginnings through the man himself. Read on for four things we learned about the mysterious master of streetwear.
HE OPENED UNION
Jebbia moved to New York from England in 1983 and quickly got a retail job working at Parachute, a former streetwear brand. Only six years later, he opened his own streetwear shop in SoHo, Union, which introduced various British brands stateside. The store shuttered in 2009 but is survived by several LA outposts, known today as Union Los Angeles.
HE INVENTED “THE DROP”
Supreme knew early on that the easiest way to increase the value and coveted cool factor of its merch was to limit the production quantity — 200 people wouldn’t be caught wearing the same shirt, because there wouldn’t be 200 of the same shirt. Brilliant! So to amplify the hype of the inevitable releases, the brand revealed the whole collection and then released it on a weekly basis, usually on Thursdays. Thus “The Drop,” a now-common term in the fashion sphere, was born.
“While many shoppers now hold out until end-of-season sales to buy, Supreme has created a considerable sense of urgency that has made every Thursday—“drop day,” in the parlance of Supreme fans—a major event.”
HE STANS HELMUT LANG
Jebbia sought influence from various aspects of skater culture and Harajuku more so than his traditional fashion contemporaries. But the stark minimalism of Helmut Lang left a lasting impression on him, with the label’s t-shirts, in particular, informing his own design.
“Atkinson recalls that Helmut Lang was the singular brand Jebbia referenced during their time working together. ‘He only used to wear Helmut Lang T-shirts,’ he says. ‘He was very particular about how the collars fit him. He used that as a benchmark.’”
HE IS NOT A DESIGNER
The founder behind the arguably most prominent skate label in the world is aware of the influence that Supreme has had on the current cultural landscape, but remains removed from the larger industry machine. When he was awarded the CFDA Award for Menswear in 2018, his speech (which you can watch above) was grateful and succinct.
“Jebbia accepted the award in a gray suit, white shirt, no tie. In his succinct speech, he said: ‘I’ve never considered Supreme to be a fashion company, or myself a designer, but I appreciate the recognition for what we do.'”
One of the buzziest pieces from the upcoming Supreme S/S 19 collection (dropping tomorrow) is a ceramic figurine. Designed in collaboration with European porcelain manufacturer Meissen, the fragile piece seems to be the latest novelty collector’s item from the legacy skate brand. To further fuel the hype around the latest drop, the brand shared a video that showed exactly how the statue is made, from preparing the material itself to hand-painting the ornament. The new decorative statue in correction depicts Cupid wearing a Supreme t-shirt (!!!) and piercing an arrow through a heart, possibly a metaphor for how the New York-brand continues to woo a generation of skaters, streetwear enthusiasts, fashion insiders, and all those in between. It’s rumored to cost over $3000.
