Rammellzee and Supreme Partner for Spring/Summer 2020 Drop
- Words Anteneh Gebre
- Date March 17, 2020
For this season's first collaboration with an artist, Supreme has chosen to highlight the work of the late New York graffiti legend Rammellzee with items that feature the artist’s different styles over three decades.
Originally from Far Rockaway, Queens, Rammellzee started out in the ’70s the way many graffiti artists in his generation did: tagging the A Train. His lettering style in the beginning was sharp— similar to his contemporaries—and it’s featured on one of the tees in the collection.
In the ’80s, his style shifted toward the abstract, using bright colors and splotches to create futuristic scenes. This style is featured on what may be the most sought after pieces in the collection: the Gore-Tex anoraks, pants and hats, as well as De Martini messenger bags.
In the ’90s, Rammellzee took to his studio in Tribeca, known as the “Battle Station”, to create large sculptures called the “Garbage Gods”. These enormous figures with names like “Chaser The Eraser” or “Vain The Insane” are acknowledged on a second graphic tee featuring one of the Garbage Gods wearing a Supreme box logo tee.
Ardent Supreme fans will know that this is not the first time that Supreme has collaborated with Rammellzee. Back in 2004—shortly before the artist’s death in 2010—Supreme teamed up with Rammellzee on a series of backpacks. These have tremendous value on the aftermarket due to their artist connection and sheer rarity; reportedly, only 20 backpacks were released worldwide.
Even earlier than that, Rammellzee was a longtime fan and supporter of Supreme, using Supreme-branded trucker hats as a canvas and collaborating with the brand as early as 1994. According to The New Yorker, he was the first artist to ever collaborate with Supreme.
Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Supreme has closed its retail locations, making this an online only drop. The Supreme x Rammellzee hoodies and tees will release exclusively on Supreme’s webstore on March 19 in the US and Europe, while Japan will see a March 21 release. Select styles from the collection are available now. Be sure to check Grailed’s Hype marketplace for your chance to cop.
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