SUPREME SHARES THROWBACK PHOTOS FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAFAYETTE STORE
April 1994 was the first month Supreme founder James Jebbia rented out a small storefront on Lafayette Street in New York City.
2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of that location. Jebbia told Interview Magazine in 2009, “It cost me, like, $12,000 to open the store. Rent was two grand. It was like, “Hey, if we do five grand a week, then great!” We didn’t really do any business at first, but we did okay.”
The downtown location was where Supreme sold its first T-shirt designs in 1994, the now-iconic Afro skater, Taxi Driver, and box logo tees, and over 25 years, the brand has since become an integral part of the city, collaborating with institutions like the New York Post, the New York Yankees, and the MTA transportation company, and issuing a limited box logo T-shirt following the September 11, 2001 attacks with proceeds going to charity.
Supreme has opened additional stores in Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Brooklyn, plus a chain of doors in Japan, (rumors consistently swirl that San Francisco or European cities like Berlin and Milan are next on the list for Supreme flagship locations) but regardless of how Supreme grows its retail presence around the world, the Lafayette location represents the very nucleus of the brand. The OG location is currently undergoing its first major renovations, but there is no word on when the new space will open.
For the 25th anniversary of the brand, friends, family and affiliates have been posting in support, including OG Stüssy affiliate Paul Mittleman and photographer Atiba Jefferson.
