Since its inception in 1994, Supreme has become synonymous with skateboard culture. Housed in New York City, the company set out to offer limited-edition, hard-to-get skatewear and good-looking boards. In 1998, it started making its own decks, using its warehouse-style shop (an innovation in itself) to show off the graphics of each design.
Supreme has produced almost 250 designs to date, each with short runs and in very limited number. One dedicated collector, named Ryan Fuller, diligently bought every single one, and is now selling them at auction.
The 248 boards, which will be sold as one lot through Sotheby’s, offer a unique archive of Supreme’s work and present a rare opportunity to see all of the designs together. Not surprisingly, this adds to the value and, with no buyer's premium, the collection is expected to sell on January 25 for between US$800,000 and $1.2million (up to Dh4.4m).
Star collaborations
Over the years, Supreme has collaborated with many brands to create its skateboards, including tie-ups with artists such as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Richard Price and Takashi Murakami.
In January 2017, it famously joined forces with Louis Vuitton for the latter's menswear collection, which was so hotly anticipated that, when it finally went on sale that summer, the entire collection sold out in minutes. A Supreme/Vuitton skateboard is included in the sale, too.
As well as these legitimate Vuitton pieces (includes deck, chucks, wheels and shoulder strap), there is a bootleg design from 2000, which was hastily pulled from sale after a threat of legal action by LVMH. Another board is from the extremely rare FBI series of 2004, while artists KAWS and Ryan McGinness have both signed their respective designs.
The full collection can be viewed online at Sotheby's ahead of the sale, bidding for which is now open.
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