Is Supreme the biggest streetwear brand in 2018?
Its 10:00am on a clear sunny Thursday morning in April on Peter Street in Soho, London. the street is heaving with a diverse stretch of people separated in to three lines all there for one reason, Supreme.
Supreme is a streetwear brand that evolved in to a cult status. In 2017, the brand sold a 50 percent stake in the business to the Carlyle Group for $500 million.
Today Supreme is releasing a highly anticipated collaboration with The North Face. This collection will include overalls, bags, hoodies, T-shirts etc. A queue like this outside the store is a weekly occurrence on this street.
In line was James Taylor, 20 from Birmingham. James booked a day off work to get here today and describes how he had prepared a list of items to buy.
“I don’t always come to the Supreme drops but I was really feeling this one. I’m hoping to buy the overalls, a rucksack and the stamp accessory that they’re dropping.”
“I really wanted the North Face collab and I’m definitely not paying the resell price for it so I signed up for the pre-register and booked Thursday off work hoping I got a place, luckily I did.”
Supreme originally started in New York as ‘the gang of rebellious New York skaters’ and despite its popularity and increasing hype there are still only six stores open worldwide.
This is not a brand that is sold across department stores but in fact is very limited and has an underground status. Each year a Spring/Summer collection and a Fall/Winter collection are released but these are gradually released across the year. There is usually a clothing release on a Thursday at 11:00am online and in store that is exclusive and sells out almost instantly.
Some of the bi
ggest celebrities have been spotted wearing Supreme such as Michael Jordan, Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
These clothes can then be resold on auction sites for a lot more than the retail price that they were purchased at because they’re unique and in demand. For example, a Supreme box logo hoodie which is sold for a retail price of £148 are being resold on Depop for £600.
The price that these items resell at can depend on how limited they are, collaborations with artists or brands or the design of the clothing. Supreme has collaborated with some of the biggest brands
in the world including Nike, Louis Vuitton and Stone Island continuing to identify their uniqueness.
The exclusivity of Supreme clothing is a huge factor in their success. Hoodies that simply have a box logo stating ‘Supreme’ sell out instantly and can be resold for more than five times their retail price. This brand is so dominant due to the social impact, the idea that people can wear unique clothes that not everybody will own.
People also go to the length of paying online ‘bots’ which run automated tasks at a faster rate than would be possible for a human alone. This increases the chance of people buying products online however is not always guaranteed.
The amount of ‘bots’ that are used online is a factor of what makes it so hard to buy online if you are just an individual sitting at your computer screen with your card details.
Not everybody buys Supreme to wear and show off the uniqueness of their clothes. Some people will see this as a business opportunity and will buy the brand to resell and make a profit. In the queue was Adam Mitchell, 22. Adam said he tries to come to the drop every week, but its harder than it used to be.
“Personally, I do like Supreme but I prefer designer brands rather than streetwear. I come here whenever I know there is going to be a hyped drop and buy as much as I can to resell, usually on Depop, it’s a very easy way to make money.”
“You can risk not signing up and hope to come later in the day when it’s not very busy, but even then, there is a chance that they won’t let you in. Also, if you’re looking to make money, all the items with resell value will definitely be sold out by then.”
A popular app used for reselling is Depop. With 54% of its members aged 14-24. This youth-targeted app allows people to sell the limited items they purchase at a far higher price.
The queue outside the store was very organised and controlled by security with three different areas to queue. The Thursday releases at the store used to work on a first come first serve basis with people queuing overnight with camping chairs and tents.
However, the amount of people on the street caused problems for the reputation of the brand and affected the neighbours so they had to introduce a new system for the eager shoppers.
The lines were in fact so rowdy that the Westminster Council threatened to close the store which forced Supreme to implement this new system.
This new system involves pre-registering online earlier in the week before the drop. On the Supreme website at 12:00 noon on a Tuesday you fill out information on the website and hope to receive a text in the next few days confirming your place in the line and your time slot to arrive.
This prevents the chaos outside the store every week with three separate lines snaking down the street and around the corner to ensure it is controlled and disciplined.
Outside the shop a team of security guards were very strict on keeping the street clear of tourists and people who were lingering to keep it as organised and smooth-running as possible.
Standing at the back of the queue was Nathan Barrows, 19 from London. Nathan used to come here every week and try get as close to the front as possible.
“Now I sign up online earlier in the week and pray that I get a good place in the line, its luck of the draw really. I guess it makes sense because it used to get a bit mad down this street but its calm now.”
As it seems, Supreme is still dominating the streetwear category and will only continue to rise in popularity.