Introduction

Streetwear has become very popular in recent years, and it is not limited to skaters or people that live in a city. It is becoming much more mainstream. Two of the biggest names in streetwear are Supreme and Off-White and there are a lot of similarities between these companies that lead to them being each other’s competitors. Both brands are extremely successful and people often wear both brands equally with slightly different styles. 

Supreme was founded in 1994 in New York’s Soho neighborhood and they are very well-known for their box logo that says their name. Off-White was founded in 2012 by a member of Kanye West’s team and is known for their crossed arrow logo combine with their industrial style. Supreme was once considered the king of street-style, but now there are more brands popping up that are giving them a run for their money. The most notable is Off-White.

Here is a look at what we will be talking about in this article:

1. Celebrity endorsements
2. Exclusivity 
3. Louis Vuitton
4. Streetwear takeover
5. Reselling

1. Celebrity endorsements

Both brands are very well-known in the fashion industry and have gained the attention of many celebrities. When these brands first came out, especially Supreme, they were seen as exclusively for skaters or for streetwear experts. Now, they are more open to everyone, which includes different celebrities. 

Supreme has been worn by celebrities like Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Drake, and Victoria Beckham. The classic logo is famous, and everyone knows the item is Supreme. When the celebrity wears their clothing everyone knows it is Supreme, so it is free advertising for them.

Off-White has been seen on celebrities like Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid, Khloe Kardashian, and Travis Scott. Their styles tend to be slightly more elevated, incorporating streetwear with high-end fashion.

 2. Exclusivity

Supreme and Off-White are both known for their exclusivity and only having limited quantities available, however, Supreme is the winner for exclusivity. There are some items on Off-White’s website that can be bought right now, but Supreme only does certain releases every week with very limited quantities. Supreme is infamous for their weekly releases where they only have a very small amount of product available and they sell out extremely fast.

Supreme’s actual store locations get lines down the street just to get in to get the product, and the items sell out in seconds on the website. This creates a lot of hype around the product and leads to a lot more people wanting the product. People like to feel special, and having rare Supreme items is the best way to accomplish that.

 3. Louis Vuitton

Both of these brands also have connections with Louis Vuitton, one of the largest luxury brands in the world. Supreme had a popular collaboration with Louis Vuitton where they came out with clothing, luggage, bags, and even a skateboard for a limited release. This collaboration gained the attention of a lot of influencers and celebrities. This was also a big surprise for Louis Vuitton since they are not known for altering their logo and collaborating with other big brands. 

For Off-White, the founder, Virgil Abloh, was announced as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear in 2018. This means that he has a direct link to Louis Vuitton, who collaborated with one of Off-White’s biggest competitors. It is very interesting to see how both Supreme and Off-White have seen success being connected to Louis Vuitton.

 4. Streetwear Takeover

Streetwear has been a big part of the fashion industry for many years, especially in major cities. However, it is now becoming more and more popular among teenagers and younger people all around the world. Streetwear or street style is seen as being cool and edgy, combining casual fashion with cool vibes.

It is a lot more common to see people walking around college campuses wearing a Supreme shirt, or an Off-White bright yellow belt. At my school, there was a streetwear fashion club that was created this past year, which has gained a lot of popularity among the students. This is a new wave of fashion that is going to be around for a while, which Supreme and Off-White are taking advantage of.

 5. Reselling 

Another important aspect of streetwear is the reselling process. A lot of the time, there will be limited releases of certain shoes or clothes, so “hype beasts”, as they’re called, will quickly buy a certain number of the new release as quickly as they can before it sells out, and they will then sell those items for a lot of money. This is very common for different Nike shoes or Yeezy’s and they make a lot of profit from doing it.

Reselling is also very common for Supreme and Off-White. There are always special, unique items that are sold out quickly and sell for thousands of dollars. These hype beasts track the releases and pay attention to what they think will be the most successful, and buy that stuff. This also ties into exclusivity because some of these products are so exclusive and unique that people are willing to pay five or ten times more than the original price.

Conclusion

Streetwear is a very common style now, and a lot of brands are gaining more popularity, like BAPE, Yeezy, Anti Social Social Club, and of course Supreme and Off-White. A lot of these brands have similar styles and iconic specialties, but they still remain an affluent part of fashion culture around the world.

Both Supreme and Off-White have successfully set themselves apart from other competitors to be well-known household names. All of their products are famous and showcase each of their logos. The exclusivity of their products makes them even more desirable, and people always seemed to be “cooler” when they wear Supreme or Off-White. The hype beasts are definitely taking over the streetwear industry, and it will be interesting to see how Supreme and Off-White continue to grow in the future.