Top 5 Strangest Supreme Collaborations Ever Released
Fresh off the release of the 2nd collaboration between Supreme and Skater mag Trasher this past Thursday, got me thinking just how much brand collaborations have become the trend in today's fashion world. Not even 10 years ago brands view there IP like gold, a commodity that they protected with there lives and never would they allow that gold to cross pollinate with other brands within there industry or out. Oh how times have changed, fashion brands large and small have began doing the unthinkable and welcoming the creative efforts of sometimes even competitors in joint projects. When you think about it, this is not really a bad idea, there enough market share for everyone right? And if done correctly, joint marketing can be a huge success for both brands involved. No brand has embodied this more than Supreme, over the years they have welcomed countless collaborations from tons of compines around the globe. From Nike to North Face to Vans, it has almost become a defining element of Supreme it self. But today we complied a list of 5 of the most unlikely brand collaborations, mashups that you might have never expected and some that may even leave you scratching your head in confusion. So with that lets jump into the list 5. Playboy Supreme teaming up with playboy isn't really that much of a stretch, although I feel a bit ashamed to admit that before watching the Amazon series on Hue Heffner I had no clue how cool he really was when he was younger. I mean my entire life Hue was an old man, and though I thought it must be pretty cool for an old guy having tons of beautiful women around all the time, I had no idea how cool Hue was in his younger life. We won't go into detail here for the sake of time but you really should check out the Amazon series. Anyway, Supreme has actually worked with Playboy several times through out the years, including a holiday 2015 capsule which featured a hooded puffy leather jacket with a faux fur trim, and heavyweight cotton hoodie, with matching sweatpants. They followed that up with a 2016 spring/summer drop consisted of a short-sleeve crewneck, sweat-shorts, and a satin 5-panel cap. All told, this seems to be a relationship that's certain to continue in the future. 4. Popeye Popeye the sailor was a fictional character first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip, Thimble Theater, on January 17, 1929. The character proved popular, so popular that the strip was later named after him and forever know as Popeye the Sailor . Popeye gained further fame as WWII ramped up where The tattooed sailor was idolized by American GIs who emblazoned the character on there gear and clothes. Later being protracted in animated cartoons and even a live action movie, the Popeye character is recognizable to generations. But one might not notice the connection to skate brand Supreme right off the bat, which is why on Dec. 16 2010 when the collaboration released, it may have been a bit of a head scratcher to non hypebeast. As part of there 2010 fall/winter collaborative series, several pieces were made available including M-65 Military Jacket, Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt ,T-Shirt and Beanies all featuring graphics of the iconic sailor. The result was quite pleasing, with the Ma-65 jacket being a personal fav of mine. 3. Budweiser It's really no surprise that a skate company would favor a brand popularized for producing libations for the masses. What is surprising is that Supreme would choose a brand that produces piss water swill, that shouldn't even be allowed to carry beer to work with (if you can't tell I'm a craft beer guy). Biases aside, Budweiser is a household name and it was perhaps due to this that in 2009 Supreme released as part of there spring/summer collection several obviously Budweiser inspired pieces. I say obviously because the bucket hat, button down, tank top and tot bag featured an all over print design that would convenience anyone that you were either a Budweiser employee or a walking advertisement. The snapbacks were cool but I personally found this collab to be a bit forced and not too well thought out, defiantly one of the weaker joint efforts by Supreme. But perhaps its my strong disdain for Budweiser's product sways my opinions, what did you thing about this one? 2. White Castle Fast food chain White Castle first opened back in 1921, and though it didn't grow as fast as some burger joints we know. It did manage to gain a large cult following after 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle movie.I have to admit, since there are no White castle locations here in Dallas I had never herd of them until watching the movie, afterwards I remember going to try the frozen ones that they sell in the freezer section. Needless to say I'm sure they do the fresh versions no justice what so ever because if you have never tried frozen burgers, don't take it from me they are gross. But as part of Supreme's spring/summer 2015 line they teamed up with the burger company to produce a range of items including football tees, beanies and oxfords. Also released as part of a 3 way team up between long time collaborators Supreme and vans were several sneakers emblazoned with the White Castle monogram. This mashup wound up looking pretty nice, and with the insane popularity of the movie, in hindsight it's not so strange that the 2 brands would team up afterall. Honorably Mentioned Supreme x Louis Vuitton When news first leaked of a possible collaboration between Supreme and high fashion house Louis Vuitton jaws dropped and the web went nuts. Not only because the release of a collaborative effort between underground icon Supreme and high fashion heavyweight Louie Vuitton was such a watershed moment for streetwear, but because 17 years ago LV actually threatened to sue Supreme for using a monogram similar to there's. Going as far as to issuing a cease and desist order. Many went as far as describing LV as a “trademark bully.” as they have been ferocious in guarding there valuable IP over the years. As almost 20 years have passed the brass at LV clearly now see that streetwear has become a legit part of fashion culture and brands such as Supreme represent vast earning potential. An older brand like LV was looking to further cement there legacy in the minds of younger consumers, so they bacillary rented out the Supreme logo for lack of better terminology. Yelp, that's basically how it all went down, control is very important in any collaborative effort and LV wanted to make sure they had it all. LV doesn't take too kindly to others interfering with there IP However just like the collabs with Pharell and Kanye West which were done entirely in house, under the Louis Vuitton umbrella, and under premise that Louis Vuitton had control and ownership of the end products. The mashup with Supreme was almost certainly handled the same way, Louis Vuitton will ensure that it benefits from the partnership without many of the risks commonly associated with collaborations (namely, a lack of control). So when you think about it this way it's not so surprising at all, LV basically just rented out the Box Logo. What would have been a surprise however was if it were reversed and Supreme had control, but alas not the case. The main point is, the line between luxury items and streetwear fashion is more blurred than ever. With certain Supreme items fetching thousands of dollars on the resell market, safe to say it's a new day for fashion and the big guys want a piece of the action. 1. Rust-Oleum Rust-Oleum is a manufacturer of protective paints and coatings for home and industrial use. It was founded in 1921 by Robert Fergusson after he noticed that raw fish oil spilled on rusty metal decks stopped corrosion from spreading. He soon created a formula containing wale oil which took off in popularity. They obviously don't use wale oil anymore but Rust oleum is still going strong in the industrial world today. Now, what dose this have to do with fashion or even skating? Well nothing really, nothing at all. This is why it landed at number 1, Save for the fact that Rust oleum is useful for graffiti artist, it has no connection to the culture what so ever. The pieces themselves were not too intricate either, choosing to go with a vintage Rust oleum logo and simple block fonts and colorways. The collection was basic and certainly unexpected, but overall I must say was not that bad defiantly better than the Budweiser capsule. The main constant in all these collaborations were the unexpected nature of there release, and like all other Supreme drops they sold out instantly and became grailed shortly after. Proving that Supreme can pretty much do no wrong in the eyes of fans, what ever they release we gobble up like buffet pizza. Which brings us to next weeks video, Flight 214 presents top 5 craziest items ever released by Supreme. Stay tuned to see what makes that list, if you would like to be updated whenever we drop a video make sure to subscribe by clicking below the video box, and don't forget to shoot us a like and comment on what you think of our list, if there was anything you thought we missed or deserves to be in the top 5.
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