Supreme's New Sunglasses Will Turn You Into a Walking Meme
For as much as old-school street cred as Supreme has, the skate brand never seems too hung up on their own storied history. The New York label has always managed to produce stuff that feels designed with intention, rather than by rote filling-the-blanks. (OK, an endless procession of box-logo tees and hoodies might count as rote. But they sell like hotcakes!) Where other companies become stagnant or get lost chasing trends, Supreme has always managed to break new ground while staying true to their own sensibility—which always includes the right amount of ridiculous. The brand’s spring eyewear collection is the latest example: it's obviously Supreme, and it's also breathtakingly over the top.
If 2017 was the year of Clout Goggles and 2018 is shaping up to be the year of tiny sunglasses. The new Supreme collection features five styles, each one more of-the-moment—and more preposterous—than the last. There’s the Royal, which features an oversized frame bejeweled with gold stars and a gold Supreme logo; the tiny-framed Astro, taping into the mini sunglasses trend beloved by Jenners and Hadids; the grandiose Plaza, which features shiny gold Supreme branding at the template; and two more traditional styles, the Booker and the Exit. As unconventional as some of the frames may be, all of the frames are handmade in Italy and feature lenses with anti-reflective coating. Some of the sunglasses veer into “for real?” territory, but that's how fashion works in 2018: the more something looks like an inside joke about itself, the more people driving the conversation—cool teens and stylish rappers, namely—want to wear them.
And before you get up in arms about a pair of translucent orange shades, remember this: if you're buying Supreme, it's probably because don’t want to be a wallflower. If you’re looking for sunglasses that are understated and timeless, the kind you can wear without drawing a second glance, turn to brands like Ray Ban and Oliver Peoples. But if you want a pair that walks the line between meme and fashion, Supreme sunglasses will do just the trick.
Available in-store and online May 17 via Supreme.
