5 things you need to know about Supreme's debut in Paris

As you may know, Supreme's founder James Jebbia has always been reluctant to release interviews. However, on the occasion of the opening of the brand's new store in Paris - that will open its doors on March 10 in Rue Barbette, in the Marais district - Jebbia broke the silence and had a chat with The Business of Fashion.

Sitting at his desk inside Supreme's New York headquarter, and surrounded by his children's doodles and some framed graffitis, James Jebbia tries to explain what it means for one of the most popular skateboarding brand to debut into the French market nowadays. Not only that, in the interview Jebbia also talks about fashion runways and Supreme, from its first store in LaFayette Street in New York until today.

We have summarised the interview in five key points, namely everything you need to know before Supreme's debut in Paris. Take note, when will you have again the opportunity to read another interview with James Jebbia? 

#1 “It’s funny, we get a lot of people bent out of shape who say, ‘Oh, these guys are going to fall off now that they’re opening in Paris.’ I’m not really concerned if people have this purist view of the New York Supreme thing, [...] If they think opening our shop in Paris is going to harm our brand, then we can’t really be that strong of a brand”. That's how James Jebbia replies, with his English accent (he was born and raised in Sussex, England), to the people who accuse him to ruin the strong integrity of Supreme by opening a store in Paris.

#2 “The plan was never to open six shops in New York” explains Jebbia, examining his will to expand Supreme beyond the borders of New York since the beginning (for example the collaboration with Japanese Ken Omura, launching the brand on the Eastern market). What Jebbia has attempted to build with Supreme is a “mindset” who works everywhere, independently from geographic boundaries. 

#3 “The Web is big for us. Wherever we have shops, we do well on the web. […] After seeing what we do online and everything, we’ve done pretty well in France. I look at opening a shop in Paris as a ballsy move because we really believe we have an audience there”. That is why Jebbia has decided to launch Supreme also on the Parisian streets.

#4 “The people I work with is what gives the store its personality. They treat it like it’s their own”. It's not new that friends, family and also customers have been hired into Supreme to collaborate. This approach has been carried out also for the Parisian store: in fact, the new store manager will be Samir Krim, founder of French skateboarding brand Minutia.

#5 After an overview of Supreme's success, from skateboarding brand closely linked to the New York scene to the international market along with luxury names, the interview moves on the current status of Fashion, more and more close to skate culture and sportwear. So, Jebbia ends with: “It’s a good thing, because before we were one of the only brands doing that kind of thing. Now it’s just more open and that’s great. I think it’s cool because they’re making things people really want to wear. And that’s what we do: we make things people want to wear — not in fantasy land. Oftentimes you’ll see pictures from fashion shows and all the models outside the show in their real clothes are wearing brands like Supreme.”