Apparel - January 28, 2019

Supreme x Nike Collaborations: 17 Years and Counting

Elhadji Mare

Elhadji is a Creative Content Strategist & Writer @ StockX

Supreme and Nike have been making timeless pieces that have flipped the fashion scene. Since 2002, they have helped push each other forward, becoming one of the strongest partnerships in history.

Supreme and Nike have been making timeless pieces that have flipped the fashion scene. Since 2002, they have helped push each other forward, becoming one of the strongest partnerships in history.

Sometimes, there are duos that just work: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Kobe and Shaq, mac and cheese. Supreme and Nike is a pair that you can add to that list. Since 2002, the two brands have fed off of each otherā€™s spotlights. Supreme scratched the back of Nike when the Swoosh wanted to get into the skateboard scene, and Nike returned the favor by pushing Supreme further in front of the faces of streetwear enthusiasts. With releases that span from star-studded Nike SB Dunk Low Supreme sneakers to varsity jackets to hats, Supreme and Nike continue to leave a permanent mark on the fashion world.

To celebrate Supremeā€™s 25th anniversary, we at StockX want to focus on some of the most hyped pieces from the decade long partnership that have catapulted the two companies into collaborative streetwear stardom.

Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low ā€œElephant Printā€ – 2002

Nike first tapped Supreme back in 2002. This was the year when Nike first introduced their now well-known skateboard extension, Nike SB. Getting into the skateboard scene after the already established skateboard juggernauts, Vans and DC, created a slow start for the brand. They needed to get in front of the faces of skateboarders to prove they are just as big of a contender as the other brands. Being able to ride on the back of Supreme was the perfect move for Nike, starting off with two of the Swooshā€™s SB dunk lows, which were new models at the time. This famous pair created the first level of buzz for Nike and let it be known that Nike and skateboarding can be mentioned together. Now, the two shoes have left their imprint on the sneaker community, being given the ā€œGrailā€ title for many collectors. On StockX, the shoes go for as much as $2,250.

Supreme x Nike SB Dunk High Pro – 2003

With the success of their first collaboration with Supreme, Nike wanted to keep up the momentum. In 2003, the two brands came together to tackle the high top version of the Nike SB Dunk. At the time, most skateboard shoes were constructed from your basic canvas, nubuck and various forms of suede, but Nike made a lot of their dunks with leather. This already luxury take on a skateboard shoe was one-upā€™d even further by Supreme, creating a very lavish shoe out of the already established anomaly. The three dunk highs came with alligator leather uppers, gold stars printed on each panel of the shoes, and gold Supreme lace locks. All three pairs retailed for $100 and sold out instantly, with their resale value reaching close to $2,000.

Supreme x Nike SB Blazer – 2006

At this point, Nike and Supreme had already established themselves as heavy hitters in the skateboarding community. It was time to really hone in on the streetwear enthusiasts. Enter the Nike SB Blazer. This shoe really put Supreme on the road to stardom, making even the most anti-Supreme heads flock towards the collaborative sneaker. And who could blame them? The Nike SB Blazer, at the time, was still trying to reach the same popularity as the dunks, with the brand collaborating with other well known skateboarding brands and artists like Stussy and Futura. When Nike passed the silhouette to Supreme, they were able to put the shoe on the map for streetwear fans. The shoes look like something out of the 80s, constructed by Dapper Dan himself, and begging to be paired with a huge gold rope chain. Made with supple quilted leather, thick laces, and gold accents on the aglets, tongue, and back tab, this version of the once forgotten SB brought the Blazer to new heights. Of course, the shoe sold out, without question. Resale value varies by color, with the red version of the Supreme Blazer going for $2,100 on StockX right now.

Supreme x Nike Baseball Jacket – 2007

People always focus on the sneakers when it comes to Supreme and Nike collaborations, but the two brands often deliver on the apparel as well, especially when they linked up in 2007. This time around, they resurfaced the Nike Trainer TW 2 SB, a shoe that has been buried deep in the SB archives. Though a great shoe, the accompanying baseball jacket was more sought after from the release. On most of the sneakers at the time, there was little to no visible Supreme branding on the outside of the shoes. This jacket was one of the few items that displayed both of the two powerhouse brands in bold fonts, making it a must cop for people wanting to stunt and show off their love for the two brands. Since the release of the shoes and jackets, both sets of items have been hard to find on the secondary market, but if one were to resurface, best believe they would go for serious coin.

Supreme x Nike SB Dunk Low ā€“ 2012

Donā€™t call it a comeback! For years, Nike and Supreme have been delivering innovative and captivating concepts, but as everyone knows, nothing beats the classics. 2012 marked 10 years of Nikeā€™s skateboarding division, and the brand saw it fit to bring back some of its most memorable collaborations. Supreme wanted to contribute to the celebration by bringing back the shoe that started off the brandsā€™ mutual partnership, the Nike SB Dunk Low from 2002. It wouldnā€™t be done in Supreme fashion without tweaking some details to the already classic collaborative sneaker. Instead of the black and white uppers that was on the first shoes, Supreme retro’d the low with a red upper, while keeping the trademarked elephant print. Sneakerheads and Supreme lovers went crazy (naturally) causing long lines in front of stores for days before the actual release. On the StockX, the shoe currently goes for about 407% above itā€™s $148 retail price.

Supreme x Nike Foamposite One – 2014

Nike realized that Supreme had more to offer than just adding their brand onto their skateboard products. Seeing the power of Supreme, Nike started transitioning the brand onto other sport and lifestyle shoes as well, helping the Swoosh brand introduce new models or help boost the sales of others. We see examples of this strategic method with the 2012 release of the Nike Air Force 1 and the Nike Flyknit Lunar in 2012. Nike decided to toss another shoe at Supreme, the Nike Foamposite. It was a shoe that, at the time, was started to lose itā€™s glam because of fashionā€™s transition to slimmer cut, running trainers. After Nikeā€™s crazy release of the Air Foamposite One ā€˜Galaxyā€™, a release so monumental that it had people trading their cars for the shoe, the releases after that became lackluster and forgettable. Nike needed another ā€˜Galaxyā€™ moment, and Supreme surely delivered with a shoe just as groundbreaking. Supremeā€™s take on the iconic Penny Hardaway basketball shoe introduced a baroque print upper in both red and black. The buzz for the shoe caused a total frenzy at the release, being reminiscent of the Nike SB ā€˜Pigeonā€™ dunks from 2005, but on a larger scale. Swarms of people crowded the NY store front and consumed all of Lafayette street, stopping traffic. Police force was necessary, causing Supreme to cancel the release of the shoe in stores, making it only available online. After retailing for $250, the current lowest amount for the shoe on StockX is $950, with the highest reaching over $4K.

Supreme x Air Jordan – 2016

The GOAT of basketball mashing with the GOAT of streetwear. A match made in heaven. Supreme came a long way prior to the release of this collection. The drop consisted of apparel that donned both the Jumpman and Supremeā€™s name. It ranged from coach and varsity jackets, hoodies, hats and t-shirts, which Michael Jordan was seen wearing himself, and of course, three Air Jordan 5ā€™s in various colorways. This was a major step for Supreme, showing the brandā€™s crossover ability and staying power. The Jordan 5ā€™s resale price varies between $400-$500, which is more than double its retail price of $200, but the real money grabber is the apparel, with prices ranging from $212 for the white t-shirt to $999 for the varsity jacket. This is one of the few times that Supremeā€™s apparel outsold the collaborative sneakers in the secondary market.

Supreme x Nike x NBA – 2018

Basketball players love Supreme and Supreme loves basketball. Current small forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers J.R. Smith is prime example of a devoted Supreme lover, having the famous brand tattooed in big, bold, black letters onto his calf muscle to show off during his game. We even saw shooting guard Nick Young play in the Supreme Foamposites during his time with the Lakers. Supreme showed the NBA love back with the release of Air Force 1s, basketball jerseys and shorts, and warm-up jackets, all of which were plastered with every NBA teamā€™s logo. The design of this drop was inspired by designer Jeff Hamilton, famously known for creating puffy jackets in a similar fashion for many NBA players since the late 90s.

Supreme x Nike – 2018

For their most recent collaboration, Nike and Supreme decided to make it all apparel and accessories. This time around for their Fall/Winter release, they went with a very minimalist design, which is a rare stance for the two based off of their past releases. Whenever the two brands would come together, they would always deliver large graphics and colorful patterns. The latest drop saw the opposite of that, releasing a set of crewneck sweatshirts, hooded flannels, overalls, vests, work jackets, sweatpants, beanies, polos, and 14K gold earrings. All were designed with Nikeā€™s swoosh and Supreme in small text. Despite the lack of Supreme text on the apparel, the collection was very successful and resale for the items vary between $75 to $250 on StockX.

Thanks for checking out this edition of our Supreme 25th Anniversary collaboration history. Stay tuned to the StockX blog throughout 2019 for more featured posts, and check out our entire catalog of Supreme 25th Anniversary contentĀ here.