Brands can’t seem to stop cashing in on Supreme’s success, and Louis Vuitton is the latest retailer hoping to ride the cult brand’s wave.
The storied luxury brand debuted a joint collaboration with Supreme during its men’s runway show in Paris on Thursday, becoming the first high-end designer to partner with the buzzy streetwear brand. The partnership includes a collection of co-branded apparel, accessories and shoes, and builds upon the robust roster of brands Supreme has teamed up with over the years.
Products from the Supreme and Louis Vuitton collaboration featured on Louis Vuitton’s Snapchat channel.
Supreme and Louis Vuitton have come a long way since 2000, when the luxury brand issued a cease and desist order to Supreme for products that had appropriated the famed Louis Vuitton logo. David Fisher, founder of streetwear website HighSnobiety, said the mended relationship is a significant indication of the rise of Supreme’s status.
“It’s an interesting comeback, because it’s almost coming full circle now that it’s an official collaboration between two brands which many years ago were fighting each other [over legalities],” he said. “You have the most hyped, loved streetwear brand on earth meeting the most iconic luxury brand on earth.”
Dominik Prinz, partner at strategy firm cg42, said he was surprised to hear about the partnership and suspects the move was a ploy for Louis Vuitton to expand its consumer base.
“Louis Vuitton and many other brands that seek out these partnerships are driven by the desire, to retain relevancy in a culture and among a generation they historically haven’t been the first choice for,” he said.
Regardless, for brands, it’s proving increasingly advantageous to partner with Supreme. Glossy takes a look at some of Supreme’s biggest collaborations before Louis Vuitton. (You can check out the full list of partnerships on Supreme’s website.)
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
1994: Artist and musician Rammellzee teamed up with Supreme for its first collaboration, which resulted in a line of hand-painted trucker hats and backpacks.
1996: Supreme joined forces with skater brand Vans to develop its “Old Skool” shoe line. The duo have since collaborated on several products over the years.
2002: Supreme launched one if its largest partnerships, with Nike. It started with a design for the Air Jordan III and later resulted in 15 capsule collections.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos2
Nike X Supreme sneakers.
2006: Artist Jeff Koons designed a set of Supreme skateboard decks using monkey imagery on surreal backgrounds.
2007: Popular outerwear brand North Face launched two special edition jackets in partnership with Supreme that were inspired by ’90s fashion.
The Supreme North Face special edition jacket.
2009: Supreme pairs with Hanes on sets of socks and T-shirts featuring the brand’s logo.
2009: Referencing ’90s nostalgia yet again, Supreme launches a Budweiser line of button-down shirts, tank tops and bucket hats emblazoned with the beer label.
Looks from the Supreme X Budweiser collection.
2011: Supreme collaborated with shoe company Timberland to develop its Euro Hiker shoe.
2014: Brooks Brothers and Supreme may seem like a dichotomous pairing, but together they developed a seersucker suit tailored for skaters that included a bucket hat.
