The Supreme brand has popularized the streetwear style and is worth billions of dollars. The iconic red-and-white brand logo might be simple, but Supreme products often sell for thousands of dollars. So, why is Supreme so expensive?
Supreme products are expensive due to their popularity and scarcity. The brand advertises its products via celebrity endorsements and luxury brand collaborations. Their limited number of stores also keeps the brand exclusive, making Supreme products highly desirable to consumers.
If you’ve ever searched for a Supreme t-shirt or pair of sneakers, you’ve likely seen how costly this brand’s items can be. This guide will explain why Supreme products are so pricey and why you might want to invest in them sooner rather than later.
What Is Supreme?
Supreme is a brand name and a fashionable one at that. However, unlike Louis Vuitton (also known for its high-priced products), Supreme doesn’t sell handcrafted luxury goods. Instead, this brand is associated with casual streetwear.
For example, you’ll find hoodies, sneakers, t-shirts, and graphic button-ups at a Supreme store. That’s because this brand was initially catered to attract skaters.
The current in-store designs reflect this origin, with most shelves pushed against the walls to allow for plenty of space in the middle of the shop. This design enabled skaters to enter stores without hopping off their boards.
Nowadays, you won’t find people skating into their local Supreme store. These stores typically have a long queue of people waiting to enter. You’ll also need to reserve a date and time to do some shopping at one of these exclusive storefronts, so casually skating inside is no longer an option.
Here Are the Top 10 Reasons Why Supreme Is So Expensive:
- Customers can resell for high prices
- Supply never meets demand
- Supreme collaborates with top brands
- Supreme collaborates with artists
- There aren’t many supreme stores
- Customers aren’t allowed to buy many products
- Supreme clothing is a status symbol
- The brand is popular with celebrities
- The brand is easily recognizable and iconic
- People enjoy the brand’s aesthetic
10. People Enjoy the Brand’s Aesthetic
The more an audience enjoys something, the more costly that thing is likely to become. And many people (particularly young adults, teens, and celebrities) are attracted to the Supreme brand’s aesthetic.
Unlike other fashion brands, Supreme is geared toward a simple, casual style with plenty of pop-culture influences. This aesthetic could not be more relevant or desirable to hip consumers in the age of meme culture and social media influencers.
Today’s most fashionable celebrities and young adults combine luxury brands with casual clothing to create their own unique style (also called casual luxe fashion). Supreme understands this trend better than other fashion brands.
If you want to turn heads and get people talking about how amazing your outfit looks, wearing a Supreme hoodie or t-shirt will help. Besides, thanks to the bold logo on nearly every Supreme product, no one will mistake your iconic clothing for anything but a Supreme masterpiece.
9. The Brand Is Easily Recognizable and Iconic
Even if you’re unfamiliar with the Supreme brand, there’s a good chance you’ll recognize the logo. That’s because the Supreme logo is wonderfully straightforward and uncomplicated. It’s simply a red rectangle with the word ‘Supreme’ written in white Futura Heavy Oblique font.
This logo is easily recognizable, which is a brilliant marketing strategy. When a celebrity is spotted wearing a t-shirt or hoodie with the Supreme logo, sales for that item go through the roof.
Notably, the Supreme brand seems to be one of the most universally popular brands among the world’s most famous people. Thanks to the easy-to-spot Supreme logo, this popularity has created a unique type of advertising, boosting sales and generating ever-increasing consumer demand.
8. The Brand Is Popular With Celebrities
When celebrities start wearing your clothing, you know you’ve made it big. After all, celebrity fashion trends often set the tone for the average consumer. People naturally want to look like their idols, which usually means wearing the same clothes as they do.
Many celebrities have worn Supreme clothing, including Victoria Beckham, Kanye West (Ye), John Mayer, and Justin Bieber. When fans of these celebs see them wearing a specific Supreme item, they immediately begin scouring online stores for that product.
Thousands (potentially hundreds of thousands) of people could end up looking for this particular item, generating an immediate and astounding level of demand. Sellers lucky enough to have such an item in their inventory can then charge incredible prices, often hundreds or thousands of dollars.
7. Supreme Clothing Is a Status Symbol
Because many of the world’s most famous celebrities wear Supreme clothing, this brand has become a new type of status symbol. Like owning a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, owning Supreme products shows the world that you’re affluent, influential, and stylish.
Casually revealing your social and economic status is considered cool, and it’s far less socially repulsive than purchasing an elaborate mansion or a garage full of priceless cars. So, those looking to increase their social standing often invest in Supreme clothing.
This is true of social media influencers, streamers, and YouTube celebrities. However, if you’re looking to boost your social status by wearing Supreme clothing, you’ll need to create a long-term plan of attack.
After all, shoppers face specific limitations when purchasing clothes from Supreme stores.
6. Customers Aren’t Allowed to Buy Many Products
Did you know that customers are limited in how many items they can buy when they shop in a Supreme store? While there isn’t a specific quantity limit that shoppers have to adhere to, customers can only purchase one version of each item when shopping.
So, if you’d like to purchase a t-shirt with a blurred Supreme logo printed across the front, you’ll only be able to buy one color. The restriction helps ensure that all shoppers have the opportunity to buy their preferred item, but it also helps keep prices high.
Consumers eager to own every version of a particular item may hire shoppers to stand in line and purchase their desired products on their behalf. And those who can’t afford to hire others to shop for them end up spending hundreds of dollars to complete their collections, often buying items from private sellers who can afford to charge exorbitant prices.
But the one-item-type-per-customer policy isn’t the only factor that makes Supreme products so expensive. The relatively low number of storefronts also makes Supreme items more exclusive, making them pricier.
5. There Aren’t Many Supreme Stores
There are only 14 Supreme storefronts, four of which are in the United States. However, Japan has the highest number of storefronts, featuring six Supreme stores.
If you don’t live in one of the cities with a Supreme store, you have a limited number of shopping options. Firstly, you can choose to shop online. That said, most items sell out in minutes or hours after being listed online.
To purchase Supreme clothing online, you’ll need to be at your computer or have the website up on your smartphone at precisely 11 am EST every Thursday. That’s when the online store ‘restocks’ its items. And even then, there’s no guarantee you’ll get to buy anything, especially if you have your eye on a particular item.
Those who live far from a Supreme store can also purchase products from private sellers, but prices are often several times higher than in-store prices. The only other option is getting on an airplane, bus, or train and traveling to the nearest Supreme storefront.
No matter how you look at it, this limited number of storefronts results in higher overall prices. Supreme crossovers and collaborations also contribute to higher product prices.
4. Supreme Collaborates With Artists
The streetwear vibe that most Supreme clothing exudes is often elevated by unique artistic designs and artwork. That’s because Supreme has a long history of collaborating with artists, including R. Crumb and Peter Seville.
These collaborations have produced one-of-a-kind clothes that showcase each artist’s work.
As a result, hip and stylish consumers hoping to display their favorite artist’s work while walking around the city are often willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on these limited-edition shirts and hoodies.
The demand for these clothes is astounding, but it’s not the only type of collaboration Supreme engages in. This brand is also known to create crossover items with some of the world’s most widely recognized brands.
3. Supreme Collaborates With Top Brands
Not only has the Supreme brand collaborated with many notable artists, but they’ve also produced crossover items with top-notch brands. For example, Supreme has created products with The North Face, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Everlast, and many other brands.
These crossover products vary from boxing gloves to luggage. Typically, these products feature the Supreme logo and the collaborating brand’s logo. The combination of these markings makes these items particularly desirable.
However, crossovers are often limited. Therefore, products produced via these collaborations may only be available for a short time.
Because the demand for Supreme items is consistently high, those hoping to score one of these unique items may need to contact individual private sellers and spend thousands of dollars.
One of the most significant reasons Supreme products are so expensive is that the brand keeps the supply very low. This produces a sense of scarcity, making every item more unique and valuable in the eyes of consumers.
2. Supply Never Meets Demand
The relationship between supply and demand is one of the most crucial aspects influencing product prices. Low supply and high demand are responsible for generating some of the world’s priciest items, from costly luxury handbags to expensive Pokémon cards.
But while many manufacturers and brands work hard to ensure product supply meets demand, allowing all interested consumers to own their desired items, some brands do everything they can to keep supply low.
Supreme is one such brand. They consistently ensure that product supply remains low, even when demand for items increases. This practice makes each Supreme products far more valuable, as consumers have access to a limited number of items.
Think about it like this: if you were in the wilderness and found yourself without food, you’d likely be willing to pay almost any price for the chance to acquire something to eat.
If a food cart suddenly appeared and the man running it was selling apples for $10 per fruit, you’d likely purchase as many as possible, despite the inflated price. Your initial supply of food would be low, but your need to eat would create a high demand.
This fundamental economic principle influences the resell prices of all Supreme products, from sneakers to hoodies.
1. Customers Can Resell for High Prices
The carefully controlled supply of Supreme products has generated a thriving resell market. This market is the most significant reason behind the brand’s high prices. Once an item is no longer available in stores, the only way for consumers to own that specific product is to purchase from a private seller.
But because demand for Supreme clothing and products is consistently high, buyers may need to compete for the chance to own their desired item. So, a Supreme t-shirt that initially cost about $40 might sell for hundreds of dollars via online auctions.
Hoodies and sneakers are often far pricier, with many selling via secondhand clothing websites for $900 or more. Remember, many people don’t live near a Supreme store, but plenty of folks would love the chance to own one of these iconic clothing items.
Because the consumer demand for these products is so high, those willing to sell their Supreme merchandise can often make an astounding profit by selling online. If you’re willing to visit your nearest Supreme storefront (and stand in line) several times each week or month, you might be able to earn a decent living by simply buying and reselling Supreme products!
Why Is Supreme So Expensive?
So, why is Supreme so expensive? The primary reasons include high demand, low supply, and a thriving resell market.
After all, products sold in Supreme stores aren’t incredibly pricey, with most costing between $30 and $150. But once these products are gone from store shelves, their resale prices can skyrocket.
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