I SHALL start with a brief history of Supreme and The North Face working together. Back in 2007, the ‘Summit Series’ genesis jacket was the silhouette of choice to kick off what is now one of the most anticipated Supreme drops each season. On average, there are two collabs per annual year; one in spring, one in fall. In 2015 we saw a heavyweight Denim set drop, as well as a star-clad coach jacket concept; both of which came under fire for a number of reasons. The Denim set was in the limelight due to it’s price (the high side of £400), which leads me on to the remotely average prices given to the Malcolm X quote release.

The November 2015 drop carried on the Malcolm X influence, as seen last season in the form of repetitive print Hoodie and Shorts. This TNF release involved the quote ‘By Any Means Necesary’ printed over a set of products. This was pulled from a speech in 1964, during the Organisation of Afro-American Unity Rally on June 28. The products involved; a Nupste Down jacket (£329) and a pullover jacket (£269), a backpack (£138), a travel canister (£46) and lastly running gloves, priced at £48. Initially, there was a negative media reaction solely around the ‘in your face’ scripture covering every piece. In my personal opinion, and being a fan of the ‘Illegal Business’ lines from 2003/07, this was a fantastic concept that even used the same font as the above mentioned. A shunned idea to many, is bound to be a future classic just as the IB was/is.  Supreme Illegal Business Products.

Leading up to the release, hype started to build and official ‘fit pics’ were released by Supreme via their mailing list. These completely split opinions, with the black pullover becoming a clear favourite; following this they sold out within seconds. I believe this not only shows that bots are still active, but also the hype carried forward from Ian Connor wearing the Spring 2011 Chequered pullover. In a different light, the black Nupste was the last colour to sell out; this came as a surprise seeing as black is ALWAYS the most popular. Since Thursday, the backpack has been restocked on multiple occasions, with it being the last product to completely sell out due to pricing- allowing myself to purchase whilst at work without any hassle.

On release day, social media formats were inundated with endless outfits, showing off the jackets and bag combinations. In particular Paolo Cimarra’s Supreme London photos, capturing all three Nupste colourway together. These made their way to HighSnobiety by Friday after being posted on Instagram. The most popular image presented below.

Paolo Cimarra’s photo from London drop day. 

The piece that caught my eye the most, was the yellow Nupste. This combination of colours, with the larger silhouette worked perfectly together. Opposing this, the piece that I was the most underwhelmed by was the red Pullover; having never been a fan of bright red clothing (footwear I love, however), so this wasn’t even thought about twice. As I mentioned above, the black backpack was purchased by myself. In hand, the rubberised text is absolutely perfect, with contrasting colours allowing the quote to stand out. Dimensions of the bag are perfect for everyday use, with the laptop slot serving me perfectly. As with most TNF bags, these are heavily waterproofed and therefore perfect for Fenland winter conditions! My only regret is not picking up a Nupste.

To conclude, this is personally the cleanest Supreme x TNF collaboration since the 2012 ‘Venture’ map jacket. The prices were affordable, quality was concise, and availability in store of jackets (1pp) meant that almost everyone that wanted something, was able to purchase. As we now lead onto the Box Logo Crewneck drop, I hope that Supreme repeat the positives above- especially the high quailty control which makes a nice change from a Sneakerhead’s perspective.