Supreme: What is the Hype About?
Supreme — what started as a small skateboarding store in New York City in 1994 — has turned into an over 1 billion-dollar streetwear company. They’ve done it without any traditional marketing and advertising techniques.
How is this possible? The answer is not simple.
There are so many factors that make Supreme such an iconic brand in today's society. Through its smart marketing technique, or lack thereof, along with their high culture influence and vibrant clothing style, Supreme has been able to change not only the fashion industry, but also our culture as a whole.
Supreme was founded in 1994 by James Jebbia as a simple skateboarding store in SoHo. The store was aimed at the culture of the skaters and people interested in the streetwear phenomenon.
What made Supreme different than many of their counterparts was their authenticity and simplicity. From their start, Supreme has been able to create immaculate brand pieces that have attracted people around the world.
Supreme's leading foundation for the clothes is creating an art piece rather than a piece of clothing. Supreme has been able to develop an intricate clothing piece that has simplicity and style. Through the use of popular culture photographs and collaborations, Supreme has been able to create pieces of clothes that many would deem as art.
This sense of simplicity and pop culture attraction is what makes Supreme unlike any other brand. Supreme's intricate clothing style is one of the reasons why it is such a significant company today.
However, merely having a simple yet creative clothing style cannot make a company go from “0 to 100” in just a few years. There has to be some sort of cultural influence to go with it.
Sadly, in our day and age, status has become something that is of some importance to us whether or not it is conscious. Unfortunately, I know that I am a victim of this.
Unconsciously, I find myself wanting to showcase my status in the world and wanting to one-up the people around me. Now, I have never been this type of person; but, due to the influence of social media, this idea of wanting to become someone you are not is something many have experienced.
It is a sad reality that not many of us know how to admit to ourselves but, is so prevalent in our society and culture today. This is precisely where the Supreme’s hype drives on.
In 2007, at the Grammy Foundation Starry Night Party, Kanye West, being the icon he is, was photographed wearing a pair of Supreme Blazer SBs, a Supreme and Nike shoe collaboration. This exact moment would be the event that shot Supreme into the modern-day sensation that it is today.
After that day, resale prices of Supreme apparel went up drastically. This led to the sense of value that Supreme’s clothes and items hold in today's society. With many celebrities like John Mayer, Jaden Smith, Tyler, the Creator, and others wearing Supreme, it makes Supreme extremely valuable within the community. With celebrities posting pictures of themselves wearing Supreme, it only adds fuel to the wildfire that Supreme has created. Now with such high demand for Supreme products, how does Supreme market their clothes? This answer is straightforward, low supply.
Right off the bat, that sounds odd, right? Why would a company not want to sell the clothes that many people desire? Wouldn’t that make them a ton of money? The answer here is yes and no. There is a case to be made of why Supreme should always be selling clothes and how it should be the clothes that the consumer wants. However, the exact reason for not doing this is the reason why Supreme is such a revolutionary company.
Supreme’s marketing is unlike any other brand out there. As you now may know, Supreme takes its own approach on how to sell their products. Supreme release products in season. Usually, the seasons are fall & winter and spring & summer. Each week, for 20 weeks, Supreme releases new clothes and accessories. These clothes and accessories are priced typically with t-shirts priced at $32 and sweatshirts around $168. However, when these items sell out, they sell out for good.
There is no guarantee that Supreme will ever re-release these items ever again. This once and a lifetime purchase is what makes Supreme so successful. Since there is no guarantee of the item ever being re-released again, almost every time the items drop, they sell out within seconds. Now, this also has to do with the resell market and collectors, but this constant high demand for the product makes it rare for one to get their hands on one.
All in all, Supreme is more than just hype of a box logo. Supreme is a revolutionary company that has defined what it means for a company to be successful in our society today.
Source: cchana via Creative Commons