Supreme is arguably the biggest and most sought-after skate label in the world. Since their establishment in 1994, they’ve grown from a small skate shop in New York, to a global phenomenon. Many superstars and puppets alike have been photographed wearing the now infamous box-logo, with Kermit the Frog and Lady Gaga to name but two. The last twelve months have been possibly the biggest for Supreme in terms of commercial growth and this was marked by the opening of their first ever European store, right here in the good old UK.

The doors of the London store were officially opened to customers on Thursday 22nd September, so my apologies to all you Ahooders that I could only make the trip on day two. Still, there was still plenty of buzz around the store which I’m sure was carried over from the grand opening. Instead of being greeted with open arms by the staff (which let’s be honest, Butchaz deserves that VIP shizz) I was instead presented with a queue. In all fairness, this was to be expected, but it did give me a chance to chat to other excited line makers. The guy stood next to me had driven down from Coventry (which is about a 2 hour trip) and informed me of a rumour that the first person to have entered the store on Thursday had camped outside for 28 hours! Fair play to the lad. After about 40 minutes I was let into the shop, which made me feel a lot like an animal being released back into the wild. Bright eyed with an eager optimism, sprinkled with a hint of caution. The caution being I could potentially spend my month’s wages very quickly.

The first floor is pretty small, with just a till, a big screen and a little wall covered in skate decks. Oh yeah, there was also this giant, smiley bird-looking thing hanging from the ceiling. I later discovered that this was created by artist Mark Gonzales, who has certainly left his mark in the store. A venture down the metal stairs led me to another bird-thingy (which obviously isn’t the official name, but I’m sure someone can correct me in the comments). The lower floor contains all the clothes, kicks and caps that I’d been fantasising about on the train journey to the capital. Stocking both Supreme and third-party labels, I thought there was a pretty decent selection to choose from. There was one item in particular that I couldn’t find however; a 5 panel cap. I asked one of the store’s employees about the absence, to which I was told that they were all snapped up on the first day. I blame you, Tyler the Creator. Stop wearing clothes that other people want, because then more people want them and there’s not enough for people like me! I refrained from having this rant in-store as the staff had been pretty helpful, except for the fact that I was told not to take any pictures and asked to delete the photos I had already taken. I don’t think so.

As I said, there was a good variety of products to be had, but there was one item that quite literally everyone was buying (including myself). A special “Union Jack” box-logo tee, exclusive to the London store, which has been released to commemorate the grand opening. No doubt this will be a real collectors piece. Each customer was limited to purchasing just one and sadly I don’t know exactly how many are being released in total, but I’d imagine there’s plenty of people on eBay ready to bite your hand off for one. As we’ve established, I purchased one of these tees, but I also treated myself to a navy “Club” jacket. The classic style of the jacket is bang up my alley (which is a old British phrase, not gay slang) and let’s be honest, I couldn’t walk away from Supreme with just a t-shirt.

The reason I say that is because those of you in North America live a charmed life as far as Supreme goes. In Europe, apart from a few select stores which stock very small amounts of the brand, there really is no outlet for Supreme. I’ve never been able to find an online seller other than on auction sites, and even then most of it is second hand. So for that reason alone, the London store is a real milestone for the label. Talking to people outside the store, the excitement this small shop had given was unbelievable. I heard stories of people travelling from France to pay a visit. I was told how hundreds of hard-earnt Pounds had been spent and how they couldn’t wait to come back after pay day. Whilst still very early days, if the buzz continues, this could be a very lucrative venture. Good work, Supreme.