Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Supreme: The Stolen Hype

On any social media site, you are bound to see the influence and impact of the streetwear company, "Supreme," being worn by internet influences, so-called hypebeasts, and countless teenagers.

Outside of social media, Supreme's impact is exemplified as well. Individuals are willing to stand in line for hours and pay hundreds of dollars to get exclusive, limited edition clothing and sometimes even items such as bricks, crowbars, and other strange items.

However, when looking into the many controversies that this company is involved in–even regarding its iconic logo–Supreme's image shifts to one of its stolen hype.

In fact, its very logo–now almost immediately recognizable–was a rip-off from artist Barbara Kruger's designs. The company never gave her any credit, but they did admit that her work "influenced" the Supreme logo. If you look at her work in comparison with the Supreme Logo, there is almost no difference. Therefore, the logo–one of the biggest reasons for its growing influence–could be argued to have been "stolen."

But the controversy doesn't stop there. The Carlyle Group purchased a 50% share in Supreme back in 2017, a group that also has shares in other big companies such as McDonald's, AMC, and various oil companies. The group, now one of the biggest investors in the company, also has a 23% stake in the US-based electronics firm Wesco, which has a contract with the British defense company BAE Systems. Wesco and BAE work together to support jet, the Typhoon, which is used by the Saudis to bomb Yemen. While it may be argued that Supreme had no idea about this when they sold their shares, it is still important to note that a clothing brand as big as Supreme and its purchases indirectly contribute to the crisis in Yemen.

While Supreme's growth doesn't seem to be slowing down, it is important to note the problematic aspects that this company–as well as other big companies–are involved in. Additionally, it is interesting to see how much people are willing to ignore for the sake of cool clothing and so-called "hype."

Sources:
https://www.1843magazine.com/style/the-hype-economy
https://qz.com/quartzy/1468481/hasan-minhaj-buying-supreme-is-immoral-and-lame/

8 comments:

  1. A very interesting article. I'm curious, however, as to how these clothing purchases affect the crisis in Yemen. I think it would be an interesting aspect of economics to delve into.

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  2. It's easy to only look at the "hype" of bigger brands like Supreme and look past their negative externalities. Companies like Supreme should make themselves more aware of where their stocks are going and the other companies invested in the brand. Consumers should also educate themselves more about the background of brands so they can make smarter choices when buying clothing and other products.

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  3. This was very interesting. I never really understood what the hype was all about, but saw many people wait for hours just to get it. Learning about the background is interesting too because it is often something that could lead to protests and boycotting. However, I don't know if really understanding the background of brands will make people have smarter choices since many other brands who use unethical methods (e.g. child labor) still maintain their popularity despite its known background.

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  4. This article was really interesting! It's fascinating to see how such popular brands in modern times get their popularity and integration into things like hip-hop.

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  5. This article brings up a very interesting topic. Many consumers are not aware of the producer's affiliations and how they may indirectly contribute to important issues, whether the producers are aware of it or not. I actually know some people who boycott certain brands or companies (e.g. fast fashion brands that employ people under poor working conditions and contribute increasing carbon emissions).

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  6. This is an article I think we have all seen materialized. I find it interesting all the madness behind the hype. I wonder what this says about people, that they overlook these controversies, and what the true reason is.

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  7. This article touches upon a very crucial ethical argument about corporations and whether the negative externalities should affect their sales. Similarly to Supreme, there are many fast fashion companies that employ child laborers under extremely poor conditions in order to save money on labor costs and increase profit. And no matter how many people acknowledge this, these clothing brands who are making unethical decisions are still getting away with it. I wonder if fast fashion will continue or whether people will become more environmentally friendly.

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  8. I'm happy to see acknowledgement of women's efforts constantly, over the course of history, being cheaply stolen to benefit men and other capitalist institutions. Supreme's entire success has been based off of brand name recognition, and while credit must be given to its sales and marketing team, Barbara Kruger played an important role in it. Great article.

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