While many people may be surprised to hear it, Supreme already has nine stores around the world, and is set to open it’s 10th store in Paris very soon. The brand has always thrived on its simplicity and it’s pioneering technique of releasing very, very limited quantities of its product. So it could seem antithetical for a brand couched in exclusivity to do anything that would make it more accessible, but the brand’s founder James Jebbia dismisses these misconceptions in a rare interview with Business of Fashion.
“I think a lot of people still want us to be this exclusive, precious brand, but we’re not at all,” Jebbia says. “It’s much more complex than that.” The skate brand’s founder also dismisses the idea that the brand is reflexive, and can sell out any product regardless of what is. “We can’t explain it, other than we have some really cool shit.”
Supreme originated in New York as a skate brand, but has found much of its success in the online world of streetwear. Kids line up around the block when ever any of Supreme’s stores releases a new line, and that attention has only served to amplify the brand’s appeal. Jebbia embraces the online aspect, minimizing the importance of New York to the brand. "I’ve seen a lot of brands fail because they went, ‘Hey, look, we’re from New York, and that’s what we’re all about.’ But wherever you go, people are proud of where they are,” Jebbia explains. “So even though we’re from New York, what we do is a mindset: it’s got to work in Japan, in Los Angeles, London, wherever.”
We see no reason they can’t continue to thrive in new markets, even those as dense with competing fashion shops like Paris. Supreme's Spring/Summer '16 line is available now online and in-store.