What does the acquisition by VF Corp mean for Supreme? Supreme is dead, long live Supreme

There was once independent streetwear. Small cult brands with a large following that operated within a specific culture. An era when the aesthetics of skaters were not copied: you were either a skater or not; just as New York aesthetics were not copied: either you lived in the big city or you didn't. Supreme was at that moment a legend – a brand so embedded in that colorful multi-cultural milieu that Larry Clark had photographed in his film Kids, a brand so true, real, connected to his world. Then came the hype, the culture of the New York niche diluted in a torrent of releases, multiplied in the dividends of a multinational and of that original spirit remained very little except perhaps excellent commercial performance. To the nostalgic it is easy to answer that things change, Supreme could not remain a store for skaters and at the same time the best marketing model of the last twenty years: what was born as a counterculture today has become The Culture. Supreme enters the first day of its new life: VF Corp has bought 100% of the brand worth $2.1 billion. What will happen beyond this point remains an unknown.

There are three consequences that this acquisition could have in the long run. The first is to understand how Supreme's physical store policy will continue: many rumors claim that the brand had already for some time a strategy of openings in Europe (Milan in the first place) that today are obviously questioned by the pandemic. The second is a change in the release and commercial strategies not only of Supreme but of fashion more generally considered how many brands have followed in its footsteps so far. The third consequence could be the beginning of a new trend for the big conglomerates of the industry: acquiring more or less cult streetwear brands to diversify their portfolio and conquer new groups of young consumers, transforming collaborations from cultural events to commercial getaways to improve the sales of the other brands in their possession. Whatever happens, Supreme won't be the same from today. To know what comes next, you'll have to sit back and watch.