Trendy streetwear label Supreme has cut a deal with New York City to sell shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with city-owned trademarks.
The agreement allows the clothing brand — loved by Justin Bieber, Madonna and other top celebs — to use trademarks such as “Made in NY” and “NYPD” on items they sell through 2028, according to a legal ad posted online.
Under the “non-exclusive” contract with NYC Tourism + Conventions, Supreme agreed to pay the city 6% of its net profits from items sold using city logos and a lump sum of $22,000. The city’s nonprofit marketing and tourism arm also has the option to extend the pact through 2030.
Supreme has already begun hawking items like zip-up DSNY hoodies promoting city sanitation workers and baseball caps emblazoned with the FDNY logo. The DSNY hoodies fetch $188 a pop while the FNDY caps run $58 each.
Customers at the label’s flagship store on the Bowery in Manhattan hailed the partnership last Wednesday.
“People want to represent New York,” said Katherine Donnelly, a first-time Supreme shopper who works for the city’s Department of Design and Construction.
“With designs like these logos, what would make it cool would be the specificness of New York. Like if you go somewhere else repping it, people know you’re buying from this store.”
Will Guartan, a frequent Supreme shopper, said the Fire Department hats and DSNY “collab” were so hot they quickly sold out.
“One hundred percent! People are drawn to New York City merch,” he said.
Julian Eversley, a retail worker at Supreme, said the company is betting the Big Apple brand will be lucrative – and lead to great products for customers.
“I think it would be sick if they go about it in the right way,” Eversley said.
“Supreme is like a New York brand, and they kind of trailed away from that a little bit. It’d be cool to see something that’s like very New York-based.”
Alyssa Schmid, a NYC Tourism + Conventions spokesperson, said it “welcome[s] partnerships with brands who want to support New York City trademarks,” which also includes Nike and J. Crew.
The New York Post has also partnered with Supreme — both in 2018 and again in August — by twice running limited-edition wraparound cover advertisements promoting the streetwear brand. Both editions quickly became sought-after collectibles.
