Case Study for Streetwear: Supreme

Supreme is a streetwear brand that has a cult-like following of up to 13 million dedication consumers on Instagram. The interesting question is how did Supreme reach this outstanding status? The founder of the brand, James Jebbia, started the brand in April of 1994. At first, it was merely a skateboarding shop located in New York. Now, people line up as soon as the new products are announced to be in stores to buy Supreme apparel and accessories. It is almost mind-boggling that people would go out of their way to spend their nights on the street and a high amount of fortune on a brand that has fairly simple designs compared to other high-end brands. 
Is it about Fashion?
The first thing that comes to mind is the place of Supreme in regards to fashion. Someone who might not have seen the designs might conclude that it has stunning and gorgeous pieces that are irresistible to the point of hype. However, Supreme offers almost identical clothing, footwear and accessories with slight variations in every collection. It can be stated that Supreme is not so much about staying in fashion as much as it is about following a certain trend. In the words of the business owner, Jebbia, “We don’t want to get stuck with stud nobody wants.”
The Streetwear Hype
Streetwear culture has significantly grown in the past few years to a point that everyone feels like they must own at least two products from famous brands like Nike, Adidas or Supreme, etc. However, Supreme remains the leading choice among people of all age groups. Whether it is fashion bloggers on Instagram or young teenagers learning about the hype, Supreme is popular among all equally. 
Other factors that might have played a role in the growth of the business are the association of hip-hop artists and rappers with the brand. We have all seen Drake and Kanye dressed in Supreme in Paparazzi pictures. This kind of celebrity association simply stresses the consumers’ minds that they must own similar objects to look trendy and fit in.
The Individual Representation
Another important thing that can be credited for Supreme’s huge success is the focus of consumers on authenticity and representation. Fashion has remained a personal statement for centuries. Wearing Supreme, similarly states a person’s association with the streetwear culture along with their relationship with the brand and what it stands for.
From a Startup to Huge Success
It is quite easy to interpret, given the reasons, the reason for the Supreme to be a huge and successful business. The products re-sell for up to 1200% more for their original retail price because of the popularity and demand. The owner of the Supreme startup, Jebbia, has the net worth of $400 million now. It is safe to assume that the numbers will continue to grow because, despite the transition of generational values, the place that Supreme has earned in the heart of consumers keeps expanding with every new collection.