The Rumors Were True: Louis Vuitton x Supreme Is Happening

When pictures surfaced on social media suggesting a collaboration between luxury French fashion house Louis Vuitton and cult skate brand Supreme, the internet went into overdrive. The holidays may be over, but fashion is not done giving: Today, hypebeasts around the world will wake up to the satisfying revelation that this pair-up is, indeed, happening — and it debuted on the Louis Vuitton menswear runway.

The news was confirmed by Kim Jones, menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton, in an interview with WWD before the brand's fall '17 mens show in Paris. "You can’t have the conversation of New York menswear without Supreme right now, because it’s such a massive global phenomenon," he explained.

The collection, stamped with both brands' instantly-recognizable logos, includes denim, scarves, camo jackets, and bags. These pieces are already flooding Instagram post-show — and will likely resurface once again when it drops in Louis Vuitton stores (and maybe, possibly, a few pop-ups) on July 17.

Jones' relationship with Supreme goes way back. "I used to work when I was at college unpacking boxes of Supreme at a company in London that distributed it when it was just starting out," he told WWD. "It’s something I’ve known all along in my life. I just feel that the strength of their graphic versus the strength of the Louis Vuitton graphic, and that kind of Pop Art feeling — it works together perfectly." How Louis Vuitton has related to the streetwear label, however, has been a little more fraught over the years: Let's not forget how, in 2000, the French fashion house sent Supreme a cease-and-desist letter for selling skateboards with a pattern very similar to its iconic monogram.

Seventeen years later, both influential houses appear to have made amends. (There's even a monogram skateboard, complete with a bespoke trunk and tool kit, as part of this collection.) What's more, the idea didn't came from the artistic director — rather, it was suggested by Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton's chairman and chief executive officer, according to WWD. "It’s just forward-thinking," noted Jones. "People don’t really expect those sorts of things and I think that’s what’s nice. Actually, I think it’s the modern thing to do. Everyone’s talking about it and no one’s doing it, and we’re doing it."

If you've ever spotted the seemingly-endless queue outside of Supreme's SoHo store nearly every day of the week, just try to imagine the fashion flock assembling in the summer heat to try to get their hands on some streetwear-approved monograms. For those in the city, you'll want to either camp out or maybe find an alternate route through downtown Manhattan.