What does Supreme X Tiffany Co. mean?

The rumors of the Supreme collaboration with Tiffany & CO are realized and on the Instagram profiles of the two brands appears the first teaser video of the collection. In the images, we can see the skater Sean Pablo wearing a white T-shirt and a pearl necklace. The choice seems to reaffirm the classic gemstones, often sported by taste-makers like A$AP Rocky or Harry Styles, as one of the basic accessories for men's looks. The camera focuses on the model's spider tattoo on his arm before showing the jewel he wears around his neck and revealing the details of the silver pendant on which reads "Please return to", followed by the Supreme logo box. 

The Instagram profile @dropsbyjay, known for being always up to date had predicted that the collaboration coming to Supreme stores next November 11 includes: necklaces with and without pearls, a heart-shaped pocket knife with studs and a bracelet with star detail in the jewelry range, accompanied by a logo box with the background of the classic Tiffany color.

The feeling of enthusiasm for leaked products, however, is followed by doubts about the union between two brands so different. Tiffany aims to be desirable even for new generations and enter a more modern imaginary, Supreme is faced with a new opportunity to include the female universe in the world of hype, More and more a boys club not open to gender contamination, even if things are changing and women in sneaker culture are making their voice heard more and more. Having already seen from runways 2021 that fashion has learned nothing from the good inclusive intentions of the last period, it is legitimate to ask what impact this collaboration can have on the historical consumers of Tiffany and those of Supreme, whether the project can actually be a sincere step towards the inclusion of the female world in the world of hype or whether it is the umpteenth tokenistic operation of the parent company of Tiffany & Co., LVMH, to relaunch the fate of a brand that no longer has much live silver.

Homogeneous objectives

The two brands involved in the collaboration have behind two different stories. On the one hand, Supreme, pioneer of a business model based on collaboration and exclusivity of the drop able to come out winner from every choice taken. The brand has today revolutionized the concept of luxury by elevating streetwear in the Olympus of ready-to-wear, but has as its only flaw the lack of inclusiveness towards the female world. The latest collaboration with Path Mcgrath Labs X Supreme, had tried to overcome this lack by wearing the classic design box logo the pack of a red lipstick produced by the laboratories of the celebrity make-up artist. The lipstick sold out at launch in 8.2 seconds, making the fans of the "mother" enthusiastic - so Pat Mcgrath is called by his community - and all the girls passionate about streetwear, becoming a cult object.

With a first step in the world of beauty Supreme winked at his followers, overcoming hands down the challenge with the limits of the world of hype. Tiffany & Co. has recently operated a rebranding campaign to brighten up and attract Gen-Z. Following in the footsteps of Victoria’s Secret, the New York jewelry giant focuses on female empowerment and inclusiveness, with more punk and younger male and female collections, revolutionizing the brand’s classic aesthetic. The launch involved the city of New York, dressed in billboards with new and different faces, in addition to the controversial text: "Not your mother’s Tiffany" on a white background, creating a controversy between new and old consumers. The collaboration between these two realities seems to be able to bring together values and marketing goals of both realities, creating the perfect objects for the hype enthusiasts of the new millennium, continuing to speak the language of luxury in a strongly fashion key.

Something doesn’t add up

All smooth on the front of the objectives, but something sounds unnatural in the combination of the two entities. Tiffany & Co’s parent company, which also includes Christian Dior, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Stella Mccartney among others, has recently taken a stand in favour of social issues such as gender issues and LGBTQIA, with institutional initiatives such as the Inclusion Index (2020) and the seven Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP), signed by LVMH in 2013. But with such commercial power, pink-washing charges are always around the corner. Having already seen from catwalks 2021 that fashion has not learned anything from the good intentions inclusive of the last period, we remain with doubt about the real interest of the corporate management of the parent group also of Celine, Fenty, and Bulgari to include consumers in speeches that can also enrich their identity and cultural background, or if the interest is purely commercial. Even the freshness of Supreme has been transformed into a well-proven model, which continues to evolve with purposes now more and more linked to profit than to the original passion of the founder.

The arduous judgment remain open, and has to be issued taking into account that the cultural changes in 2021 also come from the right advertising launches and their social echo.