I made a list of my favorite Supreme box logo tees for Supreme’s 25th anniversary. There are box logo hoodies and crewnecks, but they usually release each year whereas the tees usually have a special story. The Supreme box logo is one of the most recognizable with its plain white Futura Oblique font on a red background. Notorious for its rebellious anti-establishment attitude, Supreme has a long history of collaborating with artists and brands who represent just that. Supreme’s high-quality product and limited distribution have transformed it into the most sought after brand that continuously raises hype every season. While most brick-and-mortar stores and shopping malls are going out of business, Supreme is doing the exact opposite: expanding. Supreme also differs from other brands by closing down after the end of each season to prepare for the next season. No wonder Supreme is the pinnacle of cool streetwear and induces hysteria in kids around the globe.
Founded in 1994 by James Jebbia, Supreme has gone on to become the premier streetwear brand in the world. More than 20 years later, Supreme’s legacy overarches its initial start as a skatewear brand. It is amazing how such a simple logo can yet be so powerful and captivate the imagination and pockets of passionate kids.
- Supreme Jackson Pollock Box Logo (1999)
Supreme’s affection for the art world was nothing new even back then. Supreme has liberally sprinkled the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Roy Liechtenstein, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and even Leonardo da Vinci into its releases. Jackson Pollock’s famous abstract paintings have already sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Although the release was relatively low-key, Pollock’s drip paint style and the classic box logo made for an extremely desirable variation and is almost impossible to find anywhere.
2. Supreme Sopranos Box Logo (1999)
Taking inspiration from the TV show of the same name, this box logo tee replaces the letter ‘r’ in Supreme with a gun. The HBO drama series ran from 1999-2007 and has frequently been called the greatest show of all time for its realistic portrayal of flawed characters and the Mob. The New York influence shows on this rarity.
3. Supreme Grid Box Logo (Tokyo Daikanyama Store Opening) (1998)
The first ever Supreme store to open in the Land of the Rising Sun was in Daikanyama in 1997. The first foreign box logo tee came with a cursor and minimal blue dots on the corners making it look like it was in the middle of being cropped and edited on Microsoft Word. For the store opening, friends and family received a box logo tee without Supreme branding featuring a woman with mouth agape and horizontal lines running across the box logo. Another notable Daikanyama exclusive was Supreme’s bootleg Patagonia fleece jacket.
4. Supreme Tokion Box Logo (2001)
Supreme’s collaboration with now-defunct Japanese magazine company Tokion has since been continued with American publishing house and bookstore Rizzoli. The box logo features a skyscraper, possibly a reference to Tokion’s NY office, and got rid of the Futura Oblique font in favor of the simple phrase, Supreme vs Tokion. The sleeves also feature the logos of both brands. This tee is virtually impossible to find and remains a grail among collectors.
5. Supreme Pink Snakeskin Box Logo (Tokyo Harajuku Store Opening) (2006)
Supreme continued to play with their infamous box logo tees, this time using an embossed, glossy snakeskin pattern as the background for the box: fitting for a store located in the heart of Tokyo’s fashion district. Three colors (red, grey, and yellow) were available for the box logo tee at all locations while the pink box tee logo was exclusive for the opening party at Harajuku. The “160906” on the back indicates the date of the opening (16 September 2006).
6. Supreme Molodkin Box Logo (Donald Trump) (2004)
This unreleased sample would have been great to wear during this presidency. Russian conceptual artist Andrei Molodkin teamed up with Supreme for his signature pen-style to illustrate the blue box logo and a negatively exposed image of Donald Trump on the back of the red tee. Considering Supreme’s long rebellious history, they probably did not produce this to put Trump in a positive light. Molodkin also made a sample featuring Meg Ryan and another one featuring three ink box logos on the front of a tee. All of these tees are only known to have existed as one-offs.
7. Supreme A Bathing Ape Box Logo (1999)
East meets West on these box logo tees. The best streetwear collaboration of its time, maybe even to this day. A Bathing Ape was just starting to gain traction outside of Japan and Supreme had already opened three stores in Japan. Perfect timing for fifteen of these tees to release with stitched Ape Head sleeve tags, the standard for Bape tees. My favorite is definitely the OG Camo print. Some are easy to find and some are not so easy — you will definitely need a good eye and a deep pocket to collect the entire set.
8. Supreme Coca-Cola Box Logo (1997)
In terms of brand recognition and popularity, Coca-Cola is no doubt up at the top of the food chain. But when Supreme blatantly ripped off their logo and catchphrase, “Enjoy Supreme,” for a box logo tee, Supreme managed to get away with it presumably because it was too small to get noticed. There is no doubt that such a thing could not possibly happen now without copyright infringement.
9. Supreme Hebrew Box Logo (LA Store Opening) (2004)
You don’t have to be Jewish to recognize the value of these tees. Fairfax Avenue was originally a Jewish cultural hub before being taken over by streetwear brands and becoming a popular shopping destination. The Hebrew lettering in white font is a clear homage to Judaism. The tee also has Supreme’s address (439 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036) printed on the back. It was a cool way for Supreme to recognize the history of its new neighborhood. Also, the store itself is home to a full, double-circle skate bowl where friends and family can be found riding.
10. Supreme Damien Hirst Box Logo (2009)
Coming out of world-famous artist Damien Hirst’s second project with Supreme was a white box logo T-shirt (originally sampled in red), with his signature spot painting filling the box and rendering the Supreme lettering almost invisible. “Life’s a Bitch then You DIE!,” a lyric from the Nas song “Life’s a Bitch” written in Hirst’s handwriting, was printed on the back. The tee was accompanied by a set of skateboard decks also printed with spot paintings that had different sized spots.
Honorable Mentions: Supreme Bootleg Burberry Box Logo (1997), Supreme Bootleg Louis Vuitton Box Logo (2000), Supreme Bootleg Gucci Box Logo (2000), Supreme 9/11 Box Logo (2001), Supreme Gold Holographic Box Logo (Japan Nagoya Store Opening) (2008), Supreme Rizzoli Box Logo (2010), Supreme Union Jack Box Logo (2011), Supreme Japan Relief Box Logo (2011), Supreme Nate Lowman Box Logo (Shibuya Store Opening) (2012), Supreme Mo Wax Box Logo (2014).
Be First to Comment