When you’ve been around for 30 years like Supreme has, you get the chance to work on plenty of collaborations.
There are numerous capsules with heritage brands like The North Face and Dickies. The brand has partnered with fellow streetwear labels like Bape and sportswear giants like Nike. It has made mac and cheese with Kraft and Oreos with Nabisco. The works of iconic artists like KAWS and George Condo have graced its products. But some of its best partnerships are when Supreme gets to play in the luxury fashion arena.
When most people think of Supreme and luxury, their mind likely goes to the massive project with Kim Jones’ Louis Vuitton in 2017. Some of its best luxury fashion collabs actually happened years prior, thanks to frequent work with Comme des Garcons SHIRT. But the LV partnership was certainly a major catalyst for the brand. It was almost like a stamp of approval. Since then, we’ve seen everyone from Burberry to Tiffany and Co. tap in with the New York streetwear brand.
With the MM6 Maison Margiela collection hitting stores recently, we decided to rank the 10 best luxury collaborations in Supreme history.
8.Thom Browne
Year: 2010
It was pretty easy to slot this 2010 collab with Thom Browne at the bottom of the list. For one, it’s pretty forgettable. Thom Browne’s signature Oxford shirts were sold in red, blue, and grey complete with a co-branded white square patch sewn by the bottom left hem. Aside from how boring they are, they also apparently weren’t even really a collab. During a talk at FIT, Browne said he wasn't involved in the creation of the Oxfords. Thom Browne also wasn’t the American luxury juggernaut that it is today back in 2010. But technically, this one still counts. So number 10 it is.
7.Tiffany and Co.
Year: 2021
In 2021, Tiffany and Co. announced a new brand identity in an effort to attract the next generation of customers. Part of that push was this collaboration with Supreme. Truthfully, I barely remembered this happened until I started compiling this list, so I guess it didn’t really achieve its goal in getting me excited about the iconic fine jewelry brand (I’m 29 years old, so slightly older than they were targeting, but nonetheless). The various sterling silver jewelry and accessories are definitely true to Tiffany. It’s much better than if they had tried to execute a full apparel collection covered in Tiffany branding. Ironically, the best piece from the drop is the Tiffany Blue Box Logo T-shirt. Seeing the BOGO in that iconic shade of blue is sort of a big moment, but it ultimately isn’t the most exciting. And if I want some Tiffany silver, I'd rather just buy it sans Supreme branding.
6.Emilio Pucci
Year: 2020
Not that any of these luxury brands necessarily have any real connection to Supreme, but this 2020 collab with Emilio Pucci felt especially random. For one, Pucci is primarily known for womenswear, which Supreme doesn't make. Despite that, the capsule was visually appealing. Pucci is known as the “Prince of Prints” for a reason. The vibrant archival patterns featured across the capsule are visually interesting even if you have no idea what Emilio Pucci is. The result was all-over print pieces like short sleeve button-ups and cat-eye sunglasses that would be perfect for some tropical vacation fits. Things like this save it from the very bottom, but not by much.
5.Burberry
Year: 2022
This collab is a bit paint-by-numbers. When you think of Burberry, you think of its iconic House Check pattern. Well, guess what? This collection is pretty much just a bunch of House Check items. It fills in the Box Logo on T-shirts and hoodies. It lines the trench coats. It covers shearling-collared puffers, jeans, shorts, headwear, and skate decks. It’s overkill. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still sort of want a Burberry BOGO hoodie for some reason. Even if it’s overdone, at the end of the day its still an iconic print. There’s also some great pieces weaved in between all of the Baby Shower plaid like leather tracksuits and that pink trench coat. If they focused more on those types of items and dialed back the checkerboard just a bit, this could have been way better.
4.Jean Paul Gaultier
Year: 2019
When you first see it, Supreme working with Jean Paul Gaultier might not make a ton of sense, but the brands are actually kind of perfect for each other. Gaultier was known as “enfant terrible” for his use of provocative imagery throughout his work. Supreme has a long history of politically and sexually charged graphics in its own designs. Both brands are rebellious. They just occupy different realms of fashion. JPG is in the luxury world and Supreme in streetwear. The collab itself was inspired by French subcultures. It featured JPG’s signature collage prints punctuated by “Fuck Racism” in bold lettering across denim sets, casual plays on suiting through pinstriped vests and trousers with cargo pockets, and bold floral rayon shirts. Accessories like steampunk sunglasses and bottles of JPG’s signature Le Male fragrance altered with a red BOGO were the perfect finishing touch. For an added layer of storytelling, Supreme even tapped Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon to star in the lookbook. JPG made costumes for the pop star’s Blonde Ambition tour in the ‘90s including the infamous cone bra.
3.Louis Vuitton
Year: 2017
Plenty of people probably think this should be number one. And we get it. This collaboration is historic. It marked luxury’s full acceptance of streetwear and cemented Supreme as the king of it. There’s the runway show. There’s the Travis Scott outfit from Paris. But in hindsight, this collaboration is much more important for what it represents than what it actually delivered. Do we actually think a red Epi leather Keepall with “Supreme” etched across the side or a red monogram Box Logo hoodie are nice? Sure, those are only two items. But they’ve plagued my mind. And it doesn’t help that they’ve been faked into oblivion. More than half of the ones we’ve seen people wear probably aren’t even real. That isn’t to say there isn’t some amazing pieces in the collection. The jacquard denim parka, baseball jerseys, and camo chore coat have aged like fine wine. It isn't a total miss by any means. But it definitely isn’t deserving of the top spot even though it represents such a monumental moment in streetwear history.
2.MM6 Maison Margiela
Year: 2024
Maybe this is recency bias, but I’m a huge fan of the MM6 Maison Margiela collection. The lineup is pretty flawless top to bottom. Outside of the oversized T-shirt covered in Liquid Blue flaming skulls, there isn’t anything I truly dislike, even if I wouldn’t necessarily wear it all. The coated workwear pieces are a personal highlight. We can't forget about the incredibly fun accessories like the blonde wig and receipt wallet. And referencing the Margiela archive with paneled varsity jackets that splice together old Supreme releases or trompe l’oeil BOGO T-shirts is exactly what collaboration should do, fuse the best of both partners into one cohesive vision.
1.Junya Watanabe
Year: 2021
Ye and Playboi Carti have made it impossible for me to see “Junya Watanabe” and not scream the lyrics of the Donda cut “Junya.” But that’s besides the point. What a great collaboration. The range takes a lot of cues from the Junya Watanabe archive. Pieces like reconstructed military jackets and camouflage mohair sweaters reference looks from Watanabe's runway shows in the 2000s. Colorful reconstructed zip-up hoodies and striped T-shirts feature graphics by the New York City-based artist Bugsex, a detail that showcases Supreme’s penchant for spotlighting up-and-coming creatives through its clothing. Longtime fans of Watanabe can appreciate the nods to the past, while Supreme’s younger clientele can get put on to one of the greatest designers of our time without dropping crazy money on rare vintage pieces. Supreme x Junya Watanabe was a perfect marriage.