Robert Longo for Supreme

Robert Longo is an American painter and sculptor born in Brooklyn, New York in 1953.

Longo developed an early fascination with all forms of mass media, especially movies, television, magazines, and comic books which continue to influence his art. Robert Longo's works are filled with deep emotions that are both primitive and at the same time self-conscious. Having studied sculpture, Longo uses graphite like clay, molding it to create images with layered, chiseled lines, that are at once photographic and sculpturesque.

One of the quintessential artists of the 1980s, Longo's "Men in the Cities" series portrays a group of sharply dressed businessmen writhing in contorted agony.

The artist has been the subject of major retrospectives and exhibitions all over the world, and is considered one of the most significant living artists of our time.

Supreme will release a series of three limited edition skateboard decks designed by Robert Longo.

Available in-store and online April 7th. Available in Japan on April 9th.

Interview with James Jebbia/Adam Kimmel

Following the recent announcement of Supreme’s collaboration with Adam Kimmel, honeyee interviewed the New York designer along with Supreme founder James Jebbia to discuss the project. What started as a mutual appreciation for each others work and contributions to the industry resulted in the two men coming together to design a suit especially for skateboarders. Reasoning that even skateboarders need to dress up from time to time, and remembering how difficult it was to find an affordable, well-fitting suit when he was younger, Jebbia thought it would be interesting for Supreme to offer one and immediately knew that Kimmel was the man for the job. You can read an excerpt from the interview below.

What prompted you to do the collaborative project between Supreme and Adam Kimmel? How did it happen?
James Jebbia: We wanted to do a casual & wearable suit, we like Adam’s aesthetics, he lives & works in downtown NY as I do & we share a lot of the same friends, Aaron from Supreme being one of them & he introduced us.

The skate style and the suit style, these two seem to be at the opposite of the spectrum, what made you to decide to make a suit?
Pretty much everyone at some point needs a suit & the younger guys who we work with all seemed to have a hard time finding one if an occasion arose when they needed one, where could they find one that was good quality, a great fit & an affordable price & very wearable both as a suit & worn separately? There are not a lot of choices in the U.S. so we thought it could be interesting for Supreme to offer one but as with everything we make we wanted it to be as good as possible so we thought its best to work with Adam Kimmel on it as he makes great suits.

What is your idea of the appeal of Adam Kimmel as a clothing brand?
I respect his designs & aesthetic, he’s presenting something exciting, masculine, wearable & always with an edge, if you view most of the fashion shows in NY, Paris & Italy you see a lot of designers referencing the same things, Adam always does his own thing completely different from everyone, he’s in his own lane. I couldn’t wear one myself but I like what he’s done with jumpsuits, its hard to make them cool but he has.

Lastly, what is your general impression you got from working with Adam Kimmel?
Very talented, creative & original New Yorker

What prompted you to do the collaborative project between Supreme and Adam Kimmel? How did it happen?
Adam Kimmel: James Jebbia is a friend, and I’ve always been a big fan of Supreme. He came up with the idea of making a casual suit for skaters, which he could hang in his shop.

Is there any particular occasion that you want people to wear this suit?
I had weddings in mind and other formal occasions, which skaters must deal with. Skaters at the very least need a suit for weddings, don’t they? The idea was to make a suit that would look beautiful but still feel right for the street. It’s not preppy and it’s not grunge.

While Adam Kimmel has the style that reminds us of the street, it also combines a distinctive feel of elegance represented by a beautiful pattern and silhouette. We think such aesthetic was fulfilled to the project with Supreme this time, too. Were you conscious of that part?
Thanks. I agree this was the idea here.

What is your idea of the appeal of Supreme?
Supreme has integrity. They put serious thought in everything that they do. Skateboarding has become integral to our culture in the last thirty years – particularly for my generation. Supreme was really the first company to fully channel a skateboard spirit that integrated the New York skate community. It was the first New York skate lifestyle brand.

Lastly, what is your general impression you got from working with Supreme?
I have more respect for what they do more than ever.

via honeyee.

Japan benefit tee

Supreme will be releasing this benefit t-shirt in an effort to support the earthquake and tsunami victims of Japan.

100% of all the proceeds from the sales of the t-shirt will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Available in-store and online on April 8th. Available in Japan on April 9th.

Supreme x Clarks

Supreme and Clarks collaborate for the first time this spring to bring us a this desert boot. The work with a signature British classic is not unlike Supreme’s previous undertakings ten years ago with Irish footwear brand Padmore & Barnes. Taking the hugely popular original model, Supreme have redesigned the ankle area slightly, sloping the back and adding an extra lace attachment in the form of a hook eye. They have also chosen to use nubuck for the upper. The boots will be available in the more traditional desert boot colors of black, gray and sand along side navy blue and the ever-present Supreme red. So far we only have a Japanese release date which is sometime in May but we expect them to be released in the US first. Japanese retail has been set at ¥22,050 JPY (approximately $266 USD).

voilà qui est mieux!

Brandon Babenzien from Supreme — Interview via freshngood

Brandon Babenzien from Supreme — Interview

Words: Gianluca Quagliano

You may know Supreme and you may be a fan of the brand, but still, you might have neverheard Brendon Babenzien’s name. Brendon is a gentleman and a perfectionist.

When you’re Supreme’s creative director you can’t fuck around though, that’s why it was hardhim to find time to answer to our questions and let us take a few pics of him, but hey…wefuck around either so, after 47 emails, here’s the interview to Brandon Babenzien, Supreme’s creative director. Enjoy! for don’t

1. What is your occupation and how long you’ve been doing it?

I guess you could say im the head designer at Supreme but there are a lot of people that are involved in the design process and who play important roles in all of the decisions we make, including James who owns the company. Its a serious group effort. I’ve been with Supreme on and off for a long time.

2. How did you get started? Which is your background?

I got started in retail when i was very young. I worked in a surf/skate shop at the age of 13 and worked there for 8 years. During that time, my friends and I got really into music and skating, surfing and snowboarding. This was kind of the intro to what later became a business of sorts. A friend of mine started a company when we were very young and made clothes that represented a life that we were living. It was called Pervert. It was one of the early kind of street brands I guess. I went to work with him and that was how i started really understanding the development ofclothing.

3. How does the creative process works? You wake up, go to the office and…

Actually, before i go to the office, i go for a 12 mile run. That gets my body and my brain going. Itup to be fresh and ready for the rest of the day. Once I am at the office, much of the timeis spent either planning the next collection or reviewing samples that have arrived. We have tomake sure the colors, fit, buttons, graphics, etc. are all correct.
This takes up most of the time.
sets me

The actual creative process is not a process at all. It occurs outside of the office during the rest ofmy life. You dont really think about anything. You just go about your business and then thethings around you have influenced you. Once you sit down to develop the next collection, youjust design the things you naturally want.

4. What does inspire you when you start working on a new collection?

Usually the inspiration is not so specific. We are generally inspired by NY and the history of NY, especially around music and the art world. This also brings in the history of skating, crime, politics, anything really that has had an impact on this town and feels like a cultural touchstone.

5. You’ve been working with different brands. From Supreme to Noah, Aprix and K-Swiss lately. Those are all quite different brands with their own approach to style. How do you handle it?

Everyone I have worked with, has been a natural fit for me. There is always something I connectwith naturally. I have been lucky to have grown up in NY and had a very diverse life so i canwork within a brand like supreme but also design things that are from a different area of my lifelike Noah, or even sports stuff for K Swiss. I dont believe anyones life is so one dimensional. If itis, they probably need to take a good look at themselves.

6. We’re italian based, what is your opinion on the high fashion industry and what is the most influential designer ever (italian or not) in your opinion?

I think the high fashion industry is great for some. I actually really appreciate it.
However, the gap between the designers ideas and the business that then tries to sell massive amounts of these things is where the problem lies.
Business kind of ruins everything. People or companies cant just stay small and focused so things are lost. It would be nice if designeres could survive well on just doing creative good work. But since fashion is such big business, it is hard for the smaller more creative people to find their way in it. As far as the most influential designer goes, for me personally, it has to be Ralph Lauren but I prefer brands that influence the big designers more. For example, brand like Barbour, or St James make what Ralph Lauren does possible. He takes a bit from all of these unique and focused companies and elaborates and shows it to us in the most glamorous way.

7. Those who were kids in the 90s (when the so called streetwear thing basically started) are now in their 30’s. I noticed a little twist even in some street-inspired brand like Supreme who seems to be offering a more adult/classic range of clothes with the lates collection, am i completely wrong?

No, but i think there is a bigger picture. It is not that the brands are making clothing for younger people, its just that everyone, young and old has gotten into slightly “nicer” clothing. This will change again.

The youth will change their minds and the young at heart will too. I have always walked the line between classic mens clothing and fucking things up a bit. That is whats important no matter how old you are. We need to all be aware of ourselves and do what is right for us. This will keep things interesting and not cause too much uniformity.

8. I know this questions might be silly but i know for instance that a lot of tv personalities never watch themselves on tv and a lot of musicians never listen to their records after they’re published.Do you wear the pieces that you design?

I do often wear the things i work on. Im pretty selfish in that regard. I make a lot of what i am looking for but cannot find.

9. I can tell you’re quite a big music fan…

I am definitely a music fan but often times people might be surprised when they hear what I am listening to. I wont even try to explain.

10. What are you working on right now? What’s next? Tease us…

There are a few things im working on that hopefully will shake people up again. Im a bit tired of all the people looking like they are from the turn of the century. We live in a modern world. I also think there is a lot being left undone in many areas of clothing so im hoping to fill in some gaps. I cant really say how im gong to do this but there will be some things coming.

11. Is there anything you wanted me to ask you that i actually didn’t ask? If not, just leave us with some words of wisdom :)

Actually, you asked great questions. Thanks. I’ll just say that people need to be themselves in all of this. Thats how it started. Kids, especially, need to turn shit upside down and not just follow what is being offered to them. They need to devour the ideas that came before and spit them back out in new ways. Oh yeah, and need to get to know Shane McGowan and The Pogues.

Supreme x Playboy

Playboy is an American men's magazine that was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates.
Over time the Playboy brand has come to symbolize the high life for men - both real and imagined.
One of the most iconic symbols of our time, the Playboy bunny, has been appropriated by pop and youth culture for decades,
most significantly during the early heydays of hip-hop culture in New York City in the late 1970's and early 80's.

This Spring, Supreme will release a capsule collection along with Playboy...