Why Supreme Fall/Winter 2023 Is Its Best Season in Years

Supreme worked with emerging New York City artists on some of their best graphics this season, such as this T-shirt by Andre Thompson. But one of the biggest surprise appearances from Supreme Fall/Winter 2023 is the denim tops and bottoms designed by Matthew Valdez, the New York City designer behind the underground cut and sew label YaTuSabe. Valdez’s label has previously crafted custom pieces for the likes of Pink Siifu, Aya Brown, and ASAP Twelvyy—who recently wore a piece designed by Valdez for the cover of his latest album, Kid$ Gotta Eat. In an interview with Secret Magazine, Valdez revealed that he’s a self-taught designer who learned how to create garments from his aunt, a pattern maker from the Dominican Republic. Valdez has developed a reputation for crafting some of the best bespoke denim pieces in New York today. So his latest for Supreme makes sense, as it was a 13-ounce denim jacket with a pair of loose-fit jeans to match. While Supreme is traditionally known for collaborating with young New York City artists, it’s cool to see the brand collaborate with a young Dominican-Puerto Rican designer who is proudly from the Empire State instead of just riffing off his popular designs. –Lei Takanashi

When you’re a brand as celebrated as Supreme with an archive that spans close to 30 years, there’s going to be plenty of sought-after pieces to look back on. In most cases, in order to acquire them nowadays you need to hit up Grailed or eBay and try to snipe the items on your wish list in wearable condition for a steal. Supreme has done a good job of bringing back popular graphics from past years (even this season we see the return of the Hebrew and Everlast logos), but doesn’t typically re-release its grail-level pieces. Fall/Winter 2023 features two of them. Fans will get a chance to score a camo box logo hoodie in the coming weeks. This design was originally released in 1995 to celebrate the brand’s one-year anniversary and has been in the vault ever since. But the one we are most excited about is the return of the tiger varsity jacket from Fall/Winter 2009. The original has been worn by everyone from Playboi Carti to Travis Scott over the years and still fetches over $2,000 on the secondhand market. For Fall/Winter 2023, the jacket will be offered in three new colorways with subtle tweaks like the numbers on the right chest being changed from “94” to “23” and the left chest embroidery being changed from one “S” to two. The brown colorway worn by Tyshawn Jones in the lookbook is undoubtedly one of the best pieces of the season. Expect it to fly off the web store within minutes on the Thursday it drops. –Mike DeStefano

Let’s get this out of the way first. No, Supreme is not dead. But that doesn’t mean that maintaining the interest of the new generation isn’t important and the brand hasn’t lost a few cool points in recent years. What better way to get the kids talking than with arguably their favorite rapper, NBA YoungBoy. The New Orleans rapper will be the latest individual to grace Supreme’s iconic series of photo T-shirts. Choosing one of today’s biggest stars differs from the approach that Supreme has usually taken with its ongoing series of photo T-shirts over the years. With the exception of the Dipset T-shirt featuring Jim Jones and Juelz Santana in 2006, the subject is typically an iconic figure from years past. Think Morrissey in the 2010s or Raekwon in the 2000s. YoungBoy is also an apt pick for Supreme because he’s a mainstream rap star who’s developed a cult following without conforming to music industry standards. You’ve surely seen the jokes online about how kids are paying to wear a photo of Neil Young on their chest and have no idea who he is. By featuring somebody like NBA Youngboy, kids won’t just be buying the T-shirt because they know it’s one of the most anticipated products of every Supreme season. They will be excited to buy it and wear it because of their attachment to the artist. While we still wish that Chief Keef photo tee had released a few years ago, it’s nice to see Supreme shed light on some of this generation’s heroes. –Mike DeStefano

One of the most fun parts of Supreme unveiling its latest season is getting to skim through all of the wacky accessories that it has stamped its red box logo on this time around. Fall/Winter 2023 delivers. No, there isn’t some obnoxious item like a speed boat or food collab with a big brand like Kraft Mac and Cheese or Oreos this time, but there is still fun to be had. Getting nostalgic? Grab a mini basketball hoop to hang from your bedroom door. Need the proper storage for your leftovers? How about a three-pack of Supreme Pyrex? There are even packs of cassette tapes that will be up for grabs (hopefully, you have all heard of those things). For the sports fans, there’s an awesome Rawlings baseball glove and baseball featuring gold-foil logos and a sublimated image of a Supreme airplane flying above New York City. If you need to add a streetwear touch to your man cave, there’s a dartboard. The craziest item would have to be a 4D-printed human skull wearing Supreme gold fronts. We don’t really know why you’d want to display this, but it’s here for you if you do. Any longtime Supreme buyer will also get a laugh out of the stool made in collaboration with Japan’s Rotary Hero that looks like multiple stacks of box logo stickers. If you’ve bought enough Supreme in your lifetime, you might already have a corner of your living space that looks like this. –Mike DeStefano

Supreme has always paid keen attention to high-fashion trends. And that audience isn’t solely addressed through collaborations with labels like Comme des Garçons or Burberry. It could come in the form of an accessory like a Supreme seat belt bag that looks eerily similar to Bottega Veneta’s popular leather cassette bag. Other times, the brand has referenced vintage Chanel or Versace pieces. Aside from a high-end leather motorcycle jacket collaboration with the Japanese label Blackmeans, there’s a number of great Supreme pieces that feel complementary to popular high-fashion labels today. A leather jacket with crackled paint would go along perfectly with many Maison Margiela garments that feature a similar motif. And while Bode pieces decorated with pins or charms cost a month’s worth of rent, Supreme’s releasing a great insulated vest and bucket hat with a similar aesthetic that features the brand’s most iconic logos as pins. Plus, if you were eyeing that Bode shirt inspired by an old New York City map, Supreme has stepped it up by releasing a cardigan pulled from similar source material. There’s also a tough leather jacket that looks similar to Bottega Veneta’s “Intrecciato Weave.” Hell, even old-school New York high-fashion classics—word to the shearlings sold on Delancey—are making a return this season as a collaboration between Supreme and Schott. How can anyone say Supreme is dead? –Lei Takanashi

Yes, Emory is the brand’s creative director, so it may seem a bit obvious to call this out. But there are a handful of pieces that feel particularly aligned with his taste. One of them is this hand-tied beanie that can’t help but remind you of the hand-tied flannels offered by Denim Tears. A less obvious piece of headwear that feels particularly Emory-esque is this six-panel hat. To be honest, this might be a stretch, but this just reminds me of one of the beat-up dad caps you’d see Emory wearing on any given day for some reason. Emory’s personal style can also be seen in other pieces. There are colorful rugby shirts, a staple in his own wardrobe and also a typical offering from Denim Tears. There’s also a puffer with leather stars running down the sleeves, colored up to look like the Pan-African flag, something Emory has referenced multiple times in his designs. There’s even a New Era fitted with an image of a Jesus piece on the side of it, which is also seen across Denim Tears’ own commentary on the public's interpretation of Christian figures. There’s no telling how long Emory’s time as creative director of Supreme will last. He’s the first one to have that title. But while he has it, it’s nice to see him continue to put his own stamp on Supreme, which we will be able to look back at years from now and recognize as his. –Mike DeStefano