First impressions happen in the blink of an eye. In fact, strangers may decide your trustworthiness in as little as one-tenth of a second.
First impressions and their importance can be applied to clothing too. If a certain style or brand catches a consumer’s eye, chances of them buying that clothing.
Every year, the average U.S. customer spends about $1,800 on e-commerce transactions and when it comes to shopping online, they’re heavily influenced by price, shipping cost and speed.
So when it comes to clothing, why is Supreme clothing so popular? What makes someone pay hundreds of dollars for a jacket and what is it about Supreme that connects with customers?
James Jebbia launched the brand in 1994 and since then the skateboarding shop and clothing brand has earned worldwide reknown. Vogue declared in 2017 that Supreme had reached ‘legendary global status.’
As of last year, Supreme was worth a billion dollars and everything from Supreme footwear to Supreme polo shirts to Supreme jeans are must-have items. Everyone from Lady Gaga to Diddy to David Blaine has been spotted wearing Supreme clothing and it’s become an important part of Los Angeles mens fashion.
According to Forbes, there are seven characteristics of successful brands and they include:
- Audience Knowledge
- Uniqueness
- Passion
- Consistency
- Competitiveness
- Exposure
- Leadership
When it comes to all those factors, Supreme has certainly spearheaded all of them head-on. According to Vogue, the typical Supreme customer is 18-25 years old and simply wants to buy cool stuff.
So what makes things like Supreme shirts and Supreme clothes so popular? Well, it could be for several reasons.
Obviously the brand is very popular and the fact that celebrities and artists are donning footwear and clothing with the red and white logo gives Supreme increased credibility. Supreme’s original goal was to connect with the skateboarding community, but the brand has resonated with other demographics (including in Los Angeles mens fashion) and has is recognized worldwide.
About 11 million people self-report that they enjoy skateboarding on a regular basis. But when it comes to skateboard sales, only 3.1 percent of them are done in sporting good stores. Generally speaking, Supreme gear has resonated with people because it’s unique, limited and is marketed toward skateboarders. In fact, 77 percent of skateboarders prefer shop with small specialty brands rather than the top brand names that are on the market.
Supreme has also proven popular by creating a limited supply of items. If you’re looking for the latest Supreme footwear or Supreme polo shirts, you’d better get a move on. These ‘drops’ suddenly introduce a new and limited item into the marketplace and since the item is a must-have, it increases interest. With a huge celebrity following, especially in Los Angeles mens fashion, this creates more interest in the products that Supreme has released.
Even Jebbia has spoken to the idea of Supreme’s limited supply by saying ”But if we can sell 600, I make 400”.
With a constant level of interest and collaborations with Louis Vuitton among its many moves, it’s safe to say that Supreme’s influence in Los Angeles mens fashion and around the world won’t be diminishing anytime soon.