This document summarizes a video about the underground reselling economy for the streetwear brand Supreme. It discusses how Supreme creates demand by producing items in small quantities and random/limited products. This has led to a large reselling market where prices are often double the retail value. Resellers now outnumber actual customers 9 to 1. While reselling is accepted in Asia due to demand, there is a stigma around it in America. The founder of Supreme has expressed displeasure with reselling as it makes their clothing less affordable. The document also provides potential topics to explore in further detail such as interviewing resellers and customers.
3. SoldOut(Pt.1)
In the clip they introduce Supreme by stating it's
background
Naming the owner, how it started and where it started
Also in part 1 they speak on the rarity of the product
and how it is released in small amounts which
therefore gives it an exclusive edge
"When you make things in smaller quantities of course
it makes it more special" - Matthew Henson, Fashion
Editor at Complex Style
"A lot of people will try to use 'Limited Edition' as a
selling point and that’s how most things are at
Supreme. If you don’t get it on the day, you might not
ever get the chance to" - Jian Deleon, FMR Deputy
Editor at Complex Style
4. SoldOut(Pt.2)
When asked to participate, most resellers asked to stay
anonymous some for personal reasons and most for
their safety
The lining up system seems to corrupt as the security
guards take bribes and let people in and sometimes it
doesn’t matter how long you've been there because you
might not get anything
Resellers have begun to pay people to line up for them
to get items as there's a controlled amount of
purchases
Lining up is harder but more reliable in locations such
as New York because online sells out within seconds
due to programmed bots
5. SoldOut(Pt.3)
It's easy to get caught with Supreme items as they
release very random things such as crowbars which
sell due to the brand being popular
These 'random' are used to get attention in the market
so that more people get involved
The prices are determined by the hype before the
actual drop or who is the collaborator for that
particular drop
6. SoldOut(Pt.4)
Resellers outnumber actual customers by 9 to 1
Due to its demand going out the roof in Asia, the
reselling market is accepted whereas in
America there's a stigma towards reselling
Some say the reselling market
is teaching kids a lot about the economics of
trading and the fluctuation of price around goods
In 2002, James Jebbia, the founder of Supreme said, "I
don't like it very much simply because we try our best
to make our clothing affordable for young people, after
all Supreme is a skate brand and when I do see our
things on eBay the prices are normally at least double
what they should be. I much prefer if someone buys
something from us that they plan on wearing it and not
selling."
7. Ideaswe
couldpotentially
takeforward
Speaking to resellers
Speaking to customers who are lining up
Speaking to individuals in the media of pop culture
Speaking to influential figures in the industry
A look at what people wear at the drops
Speak on the background of Supreme and Palace and
what makes them so highly demanded (specifically in
the UK)
Speak on how the market functions
We may include a voice over for the introduction
of certain topics
View a regulars collection of these clothes