For the last two weeks Christie’s New York put on the first dedicated auction to the lifestyle brand we all know: Supreme. Taking place online from December 1 – December 15, the sale was curated by Supreme historian Ross Wilson, and sourced from a bunch of hypebeast collectors from around the world. It featured the most classic Supreme items from throughout the brand’s 26 year lifespan, from 1994 to now.
The Behind The Box: 1994-2020 lots included rare archive pieces, unreleased samples, and complete sets of Supreme’s most famous designs. Louis Vuitton, Comme des Garçons, and Nike are just a few of the capsule collabs, some collections estimated to go for as high as $26,000. $26,000 for three pieces!
The exclusive artist series skateboard decks listed (designed by KAWS, Takashi Murakami, and more), were realized between $1,250 to $30,000. For the entire sets of course.
And if you’re more into two-wheelers, they had a few bicycles and a motorbike that realized at $30,000, all catalogued between the clothing, accessories and even a statement chair by Supreme x Knoll ($3,750). Facebook marketplace has nothing on them.
Now, if you’re a diehard fan, they even had their entire set of every Supreme box logo sticker ever released throughout the brand’s lifetime, at an opening bid of $24,000. It didn’t sell.
The Box Logo Collection was the most insane part of it all. Offered for the first time in a private sale, the collection was a complete set of every Supreme box logo t-shirt released from 1994-2020. The total 253 shirt lot is the only known archive for the brand on the planet, and the most valuable Supreme collection to ever be offered in a single sale, expected to have cashed in around $2 million. That’s $7,905 per shirt!
The Supreme box logo was inspired by American artist Barbara Kruger’s use of type and imagery, and it’s come a long way from its origins as a simple skate shop t-shirt. It’s turned into a symbol that bridges the gap between streetwear, high fashion, and now art. The logo has become the pumping heart of the brand, and besides being obscene in the pricing department ($81,250 for a pinball machine!), this was a rare and unique opportunity for collectors.
“This whole auction and what Supreme is definitely puts a new mark in the world of streetwear, that it’s gotten to the point of gallery-level,” said longtime Supreme manager, Alex Corporan. What brand do you guys think should be next?