New York’s CFDA award event took place last night in Brooklyn, where Supreme took home the 2018 menswear of the year award. The brand’s founder and CEO James Jebbia accepted the award and stated his appreciation for his team. He went on to described the brand as always more about design than fashion. “I’ve never considered Supreme to be a fashion company or myself a designer, but I appreciate the recognition for what we do. I want to thank my incredible team who work really hard, my wife, the kids and everyone who is supportive for so long,” said Jebbia.
The award reflect both Supreme’s success as a menswear label and also a changing of the guard mindset at CFDA, an organization that’s been criticized for nominating and awarding the same designers year after year.
Supreme was founded in 1994 by Jebbia with a single store it still occupies on Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan. Currently it operates 11 stores globally and there are rumors it’s opening a 12th in San Francisco.
The brand made big news when it was reported in October 2017 that The Carlisle Group had invested $150 million dollars in the brand.
Often an advocate of Supreme’s importance to the current generation, Off-White designer Virgil Abloh reacted with delight to the news on Instagram stories. In a NY Times article profiling the brand, Abloh said, “Supreme is the pinnacle of my generation in terms of a brand. James [Jebbia] is a master visionary.”
Check out Abloh’s reaction below.
