You know what you clicked on — we’re here to talk about Supreme. A label with such a massive pop-culture footprint that it’s created scores of people who construct their entire identities out of either loving the brand or hating it with a passion. Stunts like branded bricks and Oreos plus hundreds of high-priced name brand collaborations have turned what was once a fairly accessible skatewear-company-gone-mainstream into a source of endless hype, speculation, and controversy.
When a Supreme drop hits, it’s not just another streetwear brand unloading new products. It’s an event presaged by trending hashtags and leaving an aftermarket economy in its wake. People line up around stores (or used to, pre-COVID, now they queue up in digital lines) eager to get their hands on a coveted Supreme shirt or hat or hoodie the moment it hits the shelves. Their fervor is admirable… though it’s all in the service of a multinational corporation mostly-owned by an even bigger conglomerate.
Like the modern wristwatch for business types, Supreme shirts have become a sort of statement piece amongst the streetwear obsessed. The “box tee” is particularly iconic and has seen thousands of iterations over the decades. By looking back at these designs — from 1994 all the way to 2020 — you can get a sense of why the brand blew up in the first place. It’s a bit of history and a whole lot of freshness.
Here are the absolute best t-shirts, shirts, and long sleeves that Supreme has ever released.
Supreme Box Logo Tee, 1994
What better place to start than the original? The Supreme Box Logo has become synonymous with the brand and reflects the minimalist aesthetic favored by Supreme. But Supreme’s logo, which consists of an iconic rectangular square with “Supreme” written in a Futura font owes everything to the artist they lifted the design from, Barbara Kruger, who used the format to explore anti-capitalist pro-feminist messaging in her art.
Supreme Arabic Longsleeve, 1999
The only design to rival Supreme’s original Box Logo, the Supreme Arabic Longsleeve is a hypebeast collector’s item, often selling for up to five times its original price. Why are they so popular? We have no idea. The design is both dope and simple and has somehow become so recognizable that people in the know can tell that it’s Supreme, even if they can’t read what it says.
Supreme “Ali vs Superman” Tee, 2000
We’re not sure what’s cooler, this t-shirt showing Muhammad Ali squaring off with Superman or the fact that this was an actual DC comic storyline? Either way, we still dig it twenty years later, and in this current comic book obsessed society, we’re surprised the brand hasn’t put out more shirts celebrating the source material of every movie on the planet — comics.
Which reminds us, we need that Superman VS Ali movie immediately. It couldn’t be worse than Superman VS. Batman
Supreme “Happy Holidays” Tee, 2001
As you’ll find out from this list, Supreme has a weird obsession with making Christmas sexy. So when the brand teamed up with New York artist Olivia De Berardinis, who made a whole art series of erotic Christmas cards, it probably surprised no one. Still made for some dope NSFW shirts though.
Supreme “F*** Nike” Tee, 2001
This one is a little funny considering how many times the brand has since collaborated with Nike — the very brand they’re throwing shade to on this shirt — since 2001. It’s hard to think of a world where Supreme wasn’t the brand that single-handedly defined streetwear, but 2001 was that time. Was this a case of anti-establishment posturing or just a kill your idols moment for the brand?
Given the recent team-ups, we’re going to say it was the latter.
Supreme Ewing Tee, 2002
This piece, commemorating the Knick’s scoring Patrick Ewing as a draft pick, is a bit out of left-field for the brand. Without seeing the tag, no one would blame you for assuming the brand would ever go for something so graphic-heavy and stylized. Assumptions aside, the shirt looks dope and that’s really all that matters.
Supreme/Bill Thomas Tee, 2003
Supreme’s roots are steeped in skate culture, so a lot of the brand’s early work outside of the realm of the box logo featured t-shirt-sized prints of photos like this t-shirt featuring the work of legendary street photographer Bill Thomas.
Supreme x Martha Cooper, 2004
In 2004, Supreme linked up with photojournalist Martha Cooper for a collection of long sleeves that showcased the artist’s most well-known photographs, which mostly consist of portraits of New York City life. Cooper made a name for herself by documenting the graffiti and street art scene of the 70’s and 80’s, and the vivid realism of her work recalls New York in a grittier era.
Supreme “Hebrew” Box Logo Tee, 2004
Supreme dropped this special box logo t-shirt in celebration of a new Los Angeles store that opened in 2004. The brick and mortar spot opened up in a Jewish neighborhood and to signify that the brand was there to be a part of the community, not to gentrify, they dropped these Hebrew sporting box-logos.
If nothing else, the t-shirts prove that the brand’s logo is so iconic that it looks cool in any language.
Supreme Shawn Mortensen Longsleeve, 2005
Made in collaboration with photographer Shawn Mortensen, this longsleeve from 2005 celebrated Mexico’s Zapatistas — the members/supporters of a Mexican revolutionary force striking for agrarian and social reforms — and dropped in three different iterations that visually explored the importance of the uprising. While Supreme normally just slaps a photo on a shirt and calls it a day, this collaboration was unique in it’s all-over printed execution.
Supreme “Raekwon” Tee, 2005
Is this the best Supreme t-shirt ever made? You could certainly argue that, but all we’ll say is that it’s a Supreme t-shirt that features Raekwon and his gun-touting bodyguard wearing Supreme box logo t-shirts while holding a tickle-me-Elmo.
Who are we kidding? Of course, it’s the best Supreme t-shirt ever made.
Supreme x New York Yankees, 2006
A must-own for both Supreme and Yankee fans, the Supreme New York Yankees jersey features Supreme branding in the style of the New York baseball team and stays repping the NYC hard.
Supreme/PHASE 2 All Over Print Tee, 2007
The world of graffiti has PHASE 2 (Lonny Wood) to thank for popularizing the “bubble letter’ style of graffiti and Supreme paid tribute to the street artist in 2007 with a collection of all-over-print tees featuring Wood’s art.
Supreme “Joe Cool/Doggystyle” Tee, 2007
Before Joe Cool become a household name amongst OG hip-hop heads for his artwork on Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle album, he was just a dude who made art featuring dogs. Supreme celebrated the work of the artist in 2007 with this t-shirt that looks like it should be the cover of a Doggystyle B-Sides collection called In The Dogg Den.
Supreme Kermit Tee, 2008
A lot of the success enjoyed by the brand stems from Supreme’s obsession with artists and counterculture figures. Their portrait t-shirts, like this dope Kermit the Frog iteration, recall famous photo series by photographers like Andy Warhol and Terry Richardson.
Supreme x Ralph Bakshi Longsleeve, 2008
Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin is still a work of media that people don’t quite know how to feel about. The 1975 live-action/animated crime film — which acted as a rebuke of Disney’s racist past (particularly the often forgotten Song of the South) and offered a satirical take on live-action Blaxploitation films — garnered divisive reactions in 1975 when it was released, provoking conversations about offensive depictions of race through animation’s history.
Brushes with controversy are like cat-nip to Supreme, which is exactly why they dropped a collection of longsleeves featuring stills straight from the movie. To this day they remain popular pieces of Supreme history on the aftermarket.
Supreme “Miles Davis” Tees, 2008
Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue is an absolute classic and in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, Supreme dropped a collection of t-shirts featuring a portrait of the jazz trumpeter as well as details about the album’s three distinct releases in 1959, 1968, and 1972.
Supreme x Malcolm McLaren “Duck Rock” Tee, 2009
In 1983, visual artist, designer, and promoter of the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols Malcolm McLaren dropped a solo album called Duck Rock that featured the art of Keith Haring. In 2009, Supreme paid tribute to the art and album by printing it on this t-shirt, forever immortalizing this obscure 80s gem.
Supreme “Morton’s Salt” Tee, 2010
Supreme has continually captured the counter-culture spirit of skateboarding. They’re also an “ask for forgiveness rather than permission” brand, which has given us gems like this Morton Salt logo sporting graphic t-shirt. Supreme swapped out “Morton’s” for their own name and added the words “Born Alone Die Alone” in small text in place of Morton’s catchphrase, “When it rains it pours.”
They were, not surprisingly, hit with a cease and desist letter.
Supreme x Clash Tees, 2010
While this definitely wouldn’t have gone down if Joe Strummer was still alive, Supreme’s collection of t-shirts celebrating the punk band The Clash are pretty damn dope. Printed on black or white tees, The Clash collection mostly played with imagery and the lyrical content found throughout the band’s discography.
Supreme “Red Cross Society” Tee, 2011
A simple t-shirt made to benefit the Japanese Red Cross Society after devastating tsunamis hit the country in 2011, the Supreme Red Cross Society t-shirt from 2011 remains one of Supreme’s most covered box logo crossovers.
Supreme “Hennessey” Jersey, 2011
Popularized in the video for Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Pt. II” after being worn in a blue and red iteration by rappers Havoc and Prodigy, Supreme’s Hennessey Jersey became an instant classic and a must-have amongst streetwear enthusiasts of the early 2010s.
Supreme “Little Red Riding Hood” Tee, 2012
In 2012, Supreme borrowed the art of American illustrator Jessie Wilcox Smith for a creepy graphic t-shirt highlighting the children’s story Little Red Riding Hood.
Supreme x Stax Records Tee, 2012
When it comes to classic soul music, the first record label that comes to a lot of people’s minds is Motown. Supreme attempted to correct that trend in 2012 with the release of their Stax t-shirt. Stax has a roster of soul legends, from Otis Redding and Issac Hayes, to the Staple Singers and Aretha Franklin and has established itself as a pioneer of the sound of Memphis soul as a whole. The label’s iconic logo looks great printed across a Supreme black t-shirt.
Supreme “Campbell’s Soup” Tee, 2012
Where would Supreme be without the “contemporary modern art” section of your local museum? Ironically enough, while this seems like a collaboration between Supreme and the estate of Andy Warhol, it’s actually a collaboration between Supreme and Campbell’s Soup. Though it’s clear where they got the idea from.
Supreme “Black Moses” Tee, 2012
Another piece from Supreme’s Stax Records collaboration, this t-shirt borrows the full image from Isaac Hayes’ Black Moses LP for the coolest t-shirt featuring Issac Hayes ever. We’re just glad they didn’t go with the covered to Hot Buttered Soul on this one.
Supreme “Jean-Michel Basquiat” Shirt, 2013
Perhaps Supreme’s best art-inspired piece, 2013’s Jean-Michel Basquiat shirt took work straight from the artist’s canvas and slapped it on a button-down long sleeve shirt. But what is simple in concept, is beautiful in execution. To this day — seven years later — it still looks fresh as all hell, which has us all itching for a brand new Basquiat collection out of Supreme.
Supreme “Boris Vallejo” Raglan, 2014
The source of a fair bit of online controversy upon its release, this Supreme long sleeve captures the brand at its most shocking. Teaming up with Peruvian painter Boris Vallejo, Supreme highlighted Vallejo’s particular blend of hyper-realism and old-world fantasy by slapping one of his canvases on the front of a long sleeve shirt.
This is undeniably the type of shirt that only Supreme can pull off.
Supreme x Nike Basketball Jerseys, 2014
Not everyone can rock these Supreme basketball jerseys made in collaboration with Nike, but that didn’t stop people from showing up to the launch. So many people turned up to the NYC drop, which also featured a fresh pair of Nike Foamposites to match, that the event had to be shut down by the police.
Supreme UNDERCOVER Witch Tee, 2018
Supreme and Japanese streetwear brand UNDERCOVER dropped a collection in 2018, the highlight being this green box logo featuring the wicked witch of the west. It may be the only time the box logo has ever dropped in green.
Supreme x Louis Vuitton Denim Baseball Jersey, 2017
If you want to look like you’re walking off the set of a Migo’s music video, grab the Supreme Louis Vuitton denim baseball jersey and call it a day.
Supreme x Louis Vuitton Silk Pajama Shirt, 2017
When Supreme teamed up with Louis V in 2017 and delivered the denim baseball jersey, they also unloaded some nightwear on us by way of their swanky silk pajama shirts. In both navy blue and white, Supreme managed to make the only pajama shirts to ever look good enough to wear outside of the bedroom.
Supreme “Scarface” Sweater, 2017
It’s hard to imagine if there will ever be a generation that doesn’t think Scarface is just inherently cool. Is it overrated? Definitely, but that works because so is Supreme. None of that means these things aren’t also pretty cool!
Supreme’s Scarface sweater may not have made you as fashionable as Tony Montana himself, but its a dope piece out of the brand’s archives.
Supreme “Sade” Tee, 2017
Supreme has a knack for highlighting artists and cultural figures who never seem to go out of style. Which is a great strategy when you’re a clothing company. Case and point, Sade. Does it get any better than a graphic tee with Sade on it?
It doesn’t, and yet Supreme has yet to drop a line that celebrates each of her records. Get on that Supreme.
Supreme x Rap-A-Lot Records Tee, 2017
Supreme stayed highlighting dope musical artists and records in 2017, like this collaboration with Rap-A-Lot Records that pays homage to an iconic Geto Boys album.
Supreme Xmas Tee, 2017
Supreme’s Xmas t-shirt is supremely weird. From far away, it looks like a harmless design, but once you get close enough you’ll realize that the shirt’s pattern is a series of red and green skeletons in Santa hats striking NSFW poses, which is just so Supreme.
It’s tongue in cheek, slightly shocking, but mostly funny, which might as well be the brand’s ethos.
Supreme Nas Photo Tee, 2017
Like sexy Christmas t-shirts, Supreme has an obsession with dropping shirts that feature portraits of famous artists wearing the brand. The concept hardly ever gets better than this iteration featuring hip-hop legend Nas.
Supreme x HYSTERIC GLAMOUR Tee, 2017
Like the Morton’s Salt t-shirt, Supreme took an iconic design — in this case, a plastic bag from a bodega — and swapped some words around for this collaboration with Hysteric Glamour. It’s mean-spirited, capturing the brand at their most bratty and anti-establishment, and slightly ironic given how the brand has become a household name.
In 2020, you could argue that in the world of streetwear, Supreme IS the establishment. Clearly, they’ve managed that by pretending not to be.
Supreme Mike Hill Tees, 2017
Thanks to high profile collaborations with the likes of luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, it’s easy to forget that Supreme got its start in the world of skateboarding. Which is exactly why they should do more collaborative drops like this t-shirt collection with Alien Workshop art director Mike Hill — featuring Hill’s trademark paper-máchê dioramas in four different variations.
Supreme x Thrasher Boyfriend Shirt, 2017
In tribute to its skater roots, the brand teamed up with Thrasher Magazine for a collection of comic-sporting button-ups that became instant classics amongst streetwear collectors everywhere.
Supreme x Public Enemy Rayon Shirt, 2018
All right, so this isn’t exactly a t-shirt, but how could we not highlight this collection of rayon shirts celebrating Public Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet” album? The shirts dropped in 2018 in red, green, and reverse black and white colorways that feature the group’s classic crosshairs logo.
Fighting the power never looked this fashionable.
Supreme Hellraiser BDU Shirts, 2018
We’ve always been a little torn on this release. Hellraiser is straight up a bad film. Classic, sure, but bad. We wouldn’t want a jacket with Pinhead on the back and yet, how could anyone pass up the army green or maroon/grey camo colorway from this collection? It toes the wack-fly line perfectly.
Supreme Jacquard Tartan Plaid Tee, 2018
You could’ve laughed at Supreme in 2018 for dropping a line of colorful Jacquard Tartan Plaid t-shirts because they were delivering something that looked straight out of a child’s closet. But that was before we were all quarantined in our homes playing a video game in which our primary concerns were buying new threads (that look like these very shirts) from two hedgehogs, or trying to rake in massive dough on the turnip market.
2018 was a way less weird time. These shirts have aged well as the world has spiraled.
Supreme Necklace Tee, 2018
Supreme and the rock band Saliva teamed up in 2018 for a t-shirt that repurposes the cover of Saliva’s Every Six Seconds and swaps out the “Saliva” chain for one that reads “Supreme.” I think the shirt is more popular than the album.
Supreme Dead Prez Collection, 2019
Made in collaboration with Dead Prez, Supreme paid tribute to the group’s debut album Let’s Get Free with a collection of hoodies, t-shirts, jackets, and snapback caps that feature dual Dead Prez and Supreme branding.
Supreme Pillows T-shirt, 2019
Supreme dropped a collection of simple-branded graphic t-shirts in 2019 that strayed from their usual box-logo minimalism and one of the best was this Supreme Pillows t-shirt. It looks like something straight out of a 90s stop-motion animation, so we don’t blame you if you’re having a hard time realizing that those are pillows spelling out “supreme” and not just some weird type of sea urchin.
Supreme American Cheese, 2019
A pack of American cheese over a camo shirt — how is it that Supreme is able to make that simple and random idea look so cool?
Supreme My Bloody Valentine Collection, 2020
Grabbing imagery from the albums and eps of legendary shoegaze band, My Bloody Valentine, Supreme dropped a full collection of t-shirts, hoodies, and Rayon shirts that celebrated the 90s band and offered one of the brand’s best cross-over collaborations of the year.
Supreme Waves Longsleeve, 2020
In 2020 as part of their 14th Spring/Summer 2020 drop, Supreme blessed us with a collection of work jackets, t-shirts, ceramic bowls, and jeans made in collaboration with Waves that feature a menacing koi fish pattern. We dig this design but in truth have no knowledge of how popular it actually is on the streets, as this collection dropped in the early days of national lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Supreme Takashi Murakami Box Logo, 2020
What better way to bookend this list than with the Supreme Box Logo? Released in 2020 in an effort to raise money for HELP USA, a charity organization in Brooklyn that provided aid for people facing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Takashi Murakami Box Logo updates the classic design with the inclusion of Murakami’s trademark flower motif.
A dope design for a good cause — what’s better than that.