Here’s a Beginner’s Guide to Buying Supreme - Cape Kickz
As any veteran of the line will tell you, it takes more than some cash or a credit card to buy Supreme clothing. Though it’s true that Supreme has always been a brand defined by scarcity and hype, in the past 10 years the long queues that snake around the brand’s flagship stores every Thursday have more and more embodied the challenge of buying Supreme.
Even back in the days before Supreme blew up into a global megabrand – before Europe even had a Supreme store, for example – getting hold of Supreme clothing required strategy. And though you now have a much greater variety of choices in terms of where to try and buy, it’s no less of a challenge to get hold of the latest drop.
It’s true, between the Supreme shops, online store, resellers, auction sites, forums and Facebook groups, it’s no longer the end of the world if you can’t get to a brick-and-mortar location on a Thursday, but each new avenue presents its own set of problems. With that in mind, here’s a comprehensive guide on when, how and where to buy Supreme clothing. Well, as comprehensive as I can give you without having a mental breakdown from typing the word “Supreme” over and over until it loses almost all meaning.
Seeing the Latest Supreme Collection
Supreme releases two collections a year – one for Spring/Summer, and one for Fall/Winter. Before the launch of each season, they put a preview up on their website listing (almost) every item that will release. You can view this by clicking the “preview” link on the Supreme website at any time.
Seeing the Latest Supreme Collaboration/Special Release
Beyond the main collection itself, Supreme also regularly releases collaborative product throughout the season, such as skateboards, clothing, accessories, footwear and more. Some of these, such as their collaborations with The North Face, Nike, Vans, and a number of contemporary artists, are often the most hyped, and hardest to get hold of, out of all their releases.
Special product is released almost every week during a season, and is usually announced on Mondays via the brand’s “news” page. However, in recent years Supreme has taken to announcing more hyped collaborations as late as Wednesday evening, the night before the drop. This is possibly to try and deter people from camping outside the store for days before a release. Long story short, if you want to stay on top of special releases, stay on your toes.
How Do I See the Supreme Drop List for This Week?
A few years back, the only way you could find out what was releasing in the Supreme store that coming Thursday was to phone a store directly, ask, and hope you got one of the friendlier members of staff who would tell you. Fortunately, nowadays there are Instagram accounts dedicated to providing up-to-date information about the latest drops, and we even have our own feature here at Highsnobiety to put all the information in one place. Hey, don’t mention it.
Buying from the Supreme Shop
Let’s start with the most obvious route if you want to buy Supreme clothing – but by no means the easiest. Collections launch a large initial drop on a Thursday, followed by an online drop the following Thursday. After those first two weeks, a new selection of pieces will release every Thursday at the Supreme store.
The initial challenge of buying from a Supreme shop is the long lines you’ll have to endure to even get your foot in the door. Supreme drops attract huge numbers of people, and unless you’re well-connected or part of an organised group, you’ll probably struggle to get in before the hyped items sell out. And though items occasionally restock when things calm down a few days later, in recent months the New York and London flagships have been busy all week round.
Not only that, things appear to have complicated even further; the Supreme London and New York stores have apparently begun operating a “pre-queue” system, where customers have to register to an anonymous mailing list, and head to a separate location on Mondays to claim a position in the Thursday line. It’s not clear whether this system has been implemented at all Supreme shops, but if the brand’s popularity continues to grow as it has done, there’s no doubt it will be rolled out further.
When does the Supreme Store Open?
During each season, Supreme’s New York, Los Angeles, London and Paris stores open from 11am to 7pm on Monday to Saturday, and from 12pm to 6pm on Sundays. In Japan, every Supreme location is open from 11am to 8pm, 7 days a week. In the space between one season ending and another launching, the Supreme store will be completely closed and covered up as they prepare for the next season’s launch.
Buying from the Supreme Online Store
If you don’t live close to a Supreme shop, your only other official option is to try the Supreme online store. Drops take place every Thursday, like the stores, with drop times taking place at 11am (New York time for the USA and London time for Europe).
Though you won’t have to struggle with long lines and obstacle courses, the online store presents its own set of challenges. In recent years, buyers and resellers alike have been using custom-made shopping bots to make purchases in seconds.
During Fall/Winter 2017, a number of items have remained available for up to a few hours after release, suggesting Supreme has upped its production numbers, but when it comes to coveted releases such as box logo pieces, or collaborations with Vans and The North Face, you’re not going to have any luck without a bot.
Here’s a guide to buying hyped Supreme pieces online.
Source: Highsnobiety
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