Supreme Logo PNG
The Supreme logo reflects contemporary street style and a youth sports-oriented fashion direction. Today, its emblem has become a symbol of high status for its product owners, thanks to its conceptual nature, which demonstrates a rebellious mood and a spirit of contradiction.
Supreme: Brand overview
The Supreme brand was founded in 1994. Initially, it was a small skateboard shop in downtown Manhattan. It then transformed into a chain of stores promoting street style and began collaborating with fashionable companies, designers, artists, fashion photographers, skateboarders, and celebrities. Thus, the manufacturer carved out its niche, focusing on youth culture.
Meaning and History
The famous red-and-white logo, the Supreme Box, has become a symbol of high status. The emblem appeared in 1994 when the first branded clothing store was opened. The store specialized in Spitfire, Shorty’s, and Zoo York products, but the entrepreneurs began to think about creating their brand.
One of the business owners, James Jebbia, wanted to celebrate the opening of the skate shop with a T-shirt featuring his print. That’s when the public first saw the Supreme logo. However, even James did not suspect the inscription would soon become popular.
What is Supreme?
Supreme is an American company founded in 1994 and operates in the clothing manufacturing sector. Its main product is sportswear, primarily for skateboarders. The company releases two limited-edition collections a year to avoid producing excess items. The Supreme brand is known for its collaborations with famous personalities and fashion houses.
The iconic logo owes its creation to James Jebbia’s friend, who loaned a graphic designer a book about Barbara Kruger. Barbara, a conceptual artist from the USA, was known for her unusual collages on sharp social issues. The white Futura text in a red frame inspired the Supreme brand name and was first presented at the Public Address exhibition in 1981.
But the idea’s author wasn’t upset that her style was stolen. In her opinion, intellectual property doesn’t exist; it’s merely a way of corporate control. For the same reason, the artist didn’t pursue legal action.
Supreme itself initiated a lawsuit with another company that chose a similar design. It demanded that the brand Married To The Mobor pay $10,000,000 for using the Supreme Bitch label on caps and T-shirts. Barbara Kruger, in turn, called the situation a stupid farce and stated that she was waiting to be accused of copyright infringement.
In 2017, the company immortalized the controversial logo in the short film Crop Fields. It asked the Circlemakers group to depict the Supreme brand name on a Californian field.
Supreme: Interesting Facts
Supreme started as a small skateboard shop in New York City in 1994 and has become a huge streetwear name.
- The Beginning: James Jebbia, from Britain, started Supreme in April 1994, right in the middle of New York City’s skate scene, with its first store on Lafayette Street in Manhattan.
- Skateboarding at Its Heart: It began as a place for skateboarders, supporting local skaters and becoming a big part of skate culture.
- That Famous Logo: Supreme’s logo, with white text on a red background, is known all over. It was inspired by the artist Barbara Kruger and is a big deal in streetwear.
- Limited Releases: Supreme is known for selling limited amounts of products that quickly sell out, often on Thursdays, making them very sought after.
- Cool Collaborations: Supreme has worked with many brands, from high-end ones like Louis Vuitton to Nike, and even with companies you wouldn’t expect, like Fender guitars and Hanes.
- Working with Artists: They’ve also teamed up with artists, photographers, and musicians to create special products that showcase their creative work.
- Reselling Supreme: Because Supreme is so popular, there’s a big market for reselling their items, often at much higher prices than originally sold.
- A Supreme Brick: They even sold a brick with their logo, quickly selling out and becoming a hit online.
- The Stores Themselves: Supreme stores are pretty simple in design, focusing on the products and culture. The first store was even set up to be skater-friendly.
- Going Global: Supreme has grown from its NYC roots to have stores in places like Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Japan, making it a worldwide name.
Supreme has come a long way from just being a skate shop. It’s a big part of streetwear culture because of its roots in skating, smart branding, and knack for staying trendy.
Font and Colors
At first glance, nothing seems special about the word “Supreme”: ordinary white letters without decorative elements inside a red rectangle. But that is precisely what is part of Kruger’s recognizable handwriting.
The logo retained the original collage style used on the poster to support abortions. Keeping with her creative traditions, the artist depicted the phrase “Your body is a battleground” over a black-and-white photograph. The clothing manufacturer noticed how unusually the white inscription looked on a red background and decided to borrow the conceptual design.
However, sometimes Supreme decides to experiment. This might involve changing the color palette within the black-and-white monochrome or bolder steps. For example, after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011, a series of T-shirts with the BOGO logo appeared. In 2017, the company briefly changed the trademark design in honor of the late street fashion expert Gary Warnett.
The famous red-and-white Supreme Box logo uses the Futura Heavy Oblique font. Paul Renner designed it for the Bauer Type Foundry in 1927. It is a sans-serif font inspired by simple geometric shapes, including circles and rectangles. The bold letters are italicized and slanted to the right. The smooth curves of the round elements compensate for the absence of serifs.
FAQ
What does the Supreme logo represent?
The Supreme logo embodies a rebellious mood, combining two contrasting colors: bright red and white. At the same time, the spirit of contradiction is emphasized by the difference in shapes: the slanted letters with round elements seem to oppose the rectangular base with flat, clear borders.
What is the basis for the Supreme logo?
The founder of Supreme admits that his company’s logo is based on Barbara Kruger’s pro-abortion poster. He borrowed the idea from a book that featured various collages by feminist artists. They all had a common design element: a white italic inscription in a red rectangle. And Barbara never objected to copying her style.
How much does the Supreme logo cost?
It could be said that the Supreme logo cost nothing because it was developed by analogy with the inscriptions on Barbara Kruger’s posters. Since the company owner already had a ready-made design, all he had to do was insert his text into the red rectangle, even without changing the font.