The Supreme x Louis Vuitton Collab Is Here But, Is It Worth It?
The big news out of Paris on Thursday came from Louis Vuitton, which officially unveiled its collaboration with Supreme with a massive red splash on the fall 2017 men's runway. Needless to say, people are freaking the entire eff out about it and I have a bit of a headache. Thus, the reason we decided to hold off on commentary of any sort until the hype quelled to a schmedium buzz.
For all purposes (you know, supply and demand) the partnership makes sense for both parties. Louis Vuitton gets to tap into a certain portion of this generation who see a bright red Supreme box logo as just as iconic as my mother's generation sees the French design house's signature 'LV' monogram. These are the individuals that line up outside of the brand’s New York stores or stalk its website once a week to cop the new new. They are also the ones who are not interested in - let alone swayed by - critical reception of the collection. They are a cult audience and a heafty part of the niche Supreme has carved out over the year. Supreme, on the other hand, gets to dabble in high-end fashion while receiving a hefty paycheck from LV in exchange for trademark use. The collab almost guarantees that Vuitton x Supreme will have a potential gold mine, but is it worth it?
While most of the pieces are eye-catchingly beautiful (read: that luxe travel tote above) our overwhelming response to the collection was equal parts "Who in TF is traveling with that huge trunk and not getting it stolen?" and:
That said (and GIF'd) here are three reasons why we're good on the Supreme x Louis Vuitton Collab collection.
1. I'm sorry, it costs how much?
Images: Highsnobiety
Have you ever heard the saying 'if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it'? Well, that applies here. It applies A LOT. Vuitton has become one of the world's most recognizable high-end design houses because it caters to a specific type of consumer. While Supreme gear isn't necessarily being sold for chump change, Vuitton's price point is a far cry from the generally accessible clothing, accessories and shoes Supreme has produced in previous collections.
According to Luke Leitch of Vogue.com, small leather goods will retail for between $200 and $400, while bags and backpacks will run between $1,500 and $4,000. That trunk will cost you roughly $7K and, if you're eyeing the skate deck with wheels and matching case, you're looking at $50,000 before tax.
Basically, I have a feeling more than a few people will go into some sort of debt and/or miss a rent payment thanks to this purchase.
[insert obligatory tea sip]
2. The Hype Is a Bit Too Real...And Ridiculous
Resell is a way of the world. Those of us who love sneakers have been dealing with resell/bot disappointment since smart kids with computers created those pesky algorithums ages ago. Needless to say, this collection will probably be a resellers dream. You even have people selling 'air' from the runway show for goodness sake. REALLY!?!
With a wide variety that includes several styles of bags — including those bespoke trunks I mentioned earlier — as well as a co-branded version of the much-hyped, trunk-style iPhone cases that Nicolas Ghesquière debuted at the spring 2017 womenswear show in October, this collection also comes with a lot of STUFF. Baseball hats, keychains, scarves, blankets, sunglasses and skateboard decks, for example. And chances are, in typical Supreme flourish, inventory will be scarce, leaving us to wonder: How many lives (and edges) will be lost in the pursuit of a trinket or a box logo T-shirt? As someone on Instagram so eloquently put it, "let's pour one out for the hypebeasts."
3. WTF ARE THOSE!?!
No, really. What's this?
As the first teaser shots rolled out showcasing a leather shoe in a premium white leather with the signature Louis Vuitton monogram contrasting in Supreme’s signature red shade, I found myself with an instant realization: I could bowl in these. I also saw someone say this was from the 'Assisted Living 2017 Collection' and I HOWLED.
While the remaining sneakers aren't too shabby to look at, they'll be LV exclusive releases and will likely reflect that price point we talked about earlier. Is it just me or do these look like these Reebok Classics with the leather? Get you some classics and call it a day.
Needless to say, we're good here. However, if you're a huge Supreme fan and you're down to spend the skrilla, you'll need to be ready to do battle this summer. The limited, one-off collab will be sold exclusively through Louis Vuitton stores later this year. According to LV designer Kim Jones, the line designed with Supreme will go on sale at select Vuitton stores on July 17, and will probably also be available in temporary locations. “We’ll probably make separate stores in areas where both of them are popular,” he said.
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