In August 2011, Tyler, the Creator hit the stage of the MTV Video Music Awards to accept the award for Best New Artist. At that point, Tyler had already garnered support from rap nerds on blogs and rebellious teens on Tumblr for his shocking lyrics and unorthodox visuals. But Tyler winning MTV’s fan-voted award that night proved just how much impact he already had on his younger fans.
Jeffrey Malbanan, co-owner of popular Los Angeles consignment shop RIF LA, remembers that particular moment fondly. The hat that Tyler wore that night—an olive green Supreme cap with a leopard brim from the brand’s Fall/Winter 2011 collection—instantly became a hot commodity on the aftermarket. Tyler’s fans weren’t just into his music. They wanted to dress like him. And Supreme was the main beneficiary.
"That was the moment where people really found out what Supreme was, at least on a mainstream level,” says Malbanan. “We'd been selling Supreme since 2007 in the shop. Prices on so many things didn't shoot up until that moment.”
Tyler, the Creator wearing a Supreme camp cap on stage at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Via Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Although Tyler, the Creator was synonymous with Supreme in the early stage of his career, the two never officially came together to release product until this year. The 33-year-old rapper is the latest subject of Supreme’s iconic photo T-shirt series. The design will be released in various colors on Aug. 22 as part of the brand’s Fall/Winter 2024 range. Needless to say, the news got fans excited. The original Tyler, the Creator for Supreme post garnered over 419,000 likes and 4,300 comments, almost three times as many as the brand’s previous three posts combined. It’s a full circle moment for Tyler, who has introduced so many kids to Supreme for the first time over a decade ago.
“It really seeded roots within a lot of the younger culture, when they're most moldable and looking for influence,” says Wesley Siemon, operator of Supreme news page DropsByJay. “I have a little cousin who is seven years younger than me [Siemon is 35 years old]. He's a super big Tyler, the Creator fan. It was only natural for him to love Supreme in the beginning because of Tyler. That's how strong his impact was.”
If you followed Tyler and Odd Future during their comeup in the 2010s, it was hard not to get bitten by the Supreme bug. In any photo or video clip of the collective, chances are Tyler was wearing at least one item from the brand. There were his signature green hats like the Posse snapback from Fall/Winter 2008. He rocked Box Logo hoodies and camp caps in every flavor. Some of the most notable were the Fall/Winter 2010 Feathers camp cap he wore in the “Yonkers” video or the teal Box Logo hoodie (now affectionately known as the ‘Tyler hoodie’ by many fans) that he wore in the video for Goblin standout “She.” Malbanan remembers the value of the hoodie, which released in 2009, jumping from around $300 to $2,000 after “She” came out. Combing through Reddit will even reveal posts about Tyler, the Creator starter packs based on the caps he wore frequently.
“Those hats got classified as ‘the Tyler hats.’ You would go on eBay and it would be like, ‘Tyler Supreme hat,’” says Corey Populus, a longtime member of Los Angeles’ streetwear community who now operates his own brand, Circulate Worldwide. “I think that's when you're like, ‘Damn, they're really putting on for this.’”
Tyler, the Creator wearing a Comme des Garçons x Supreme T-shirt and Supreme snapback. Via Sagan Lockhart
Populus witnessed Tyler and Odd Future’s influence take shape on Fairfax in real time while working at Diamond Supply Co. He remembers seeing the block become a tourist destination of sorts for anyone trying to catch a glimpse at the newly-established stars.
"They might've been blowing up on the internet, but they were still somewhat accessible and just normal," says Populus. "These kids were going there to hopefully have some sort of interaction with them, they’re also discovering where Supreme is. Supreme was a thing, but Tyler came along and helped make it mainstream. It became huge.”
Tyler’s lyrics have also always been sprinkled with mentions of “Preme.” On 2011’s “Orange Juice” he rapped, “Box Logo hoodies and goodies from buddies that understand/That Bastard was buzzin' like Woody so we get it for free.” On the 2016 cut, “What The f*ck Right Now,” he even acknowledged his years of influence rapping, “Oh, you wearin' Vans and Supreme this season?/Stop lyin' to yourself, n****, me the reason.” His infatuation with the brand was no secret. And his fans followed his lead.
Sagan Lockhart, who worked at Diamond Supply Co. on Fairfax at the time, became Odd Future’s unofficial photographer. He documented a lot of the group’s early days on the block. His recently published book, I Don’t Play, is full of imagery from 2010 to 2013. He saw firsthand the influence that the youthful rap collective had on the block, especially with Supreme.
“There were never any lines when I worked on Fairfax. It was kind of dead. Obviously, [Supreme] still had a good business and people were coming in there and buying sh*t, but it was very evident that once Goblin came out [in May 2011] that there were just lines wrapped around the store and it was him doing that sh*t” says Lockhart. “A bunch of people in line had on a crazy button-up, Vans, and a five-panel hat like Tyler. Tyler wearing [Supreme] started a trickle-down effect.”
Charlotte native and longtime fan Calvin Curlee never made it to Fairfax, but he did get put on to Supreme through Tyler and Odd Future. Now 28 years old, Curlee recalls being intrigued by Tyler’s early music as a freshman in high school back in 2011 when he discovered “Yonkers” on Tumblr. At the time, he didn’t care much about fashion, sticking to a basic T-shirt and jeans with a pair of Vans. Tyler’s wardrobe piqued his interest.
“I had no idea what Supreme was. I just thought the word ‘supreme’ looked cool on clothing,” says Curlee. “The first time I ever saw it was definitely on Tyler. I just thought he saw himself as a supreme being or something like that. I wanted the same sweatshirt that he was wearing in the ‘She’ video.”
Curlee couldn’t get his hands on that famed teal Box Logo hoodie with his limited high school funds, so he settled for knockoff pieces instead. Eventually, he started to collect authentic Supreme items in 2016. Tyler was the catalyst for all of it.
“I can honestly say if Tyler and Odd Future weren't big on Supreme, then I probably never would've gotten into it myself,” says Curlee. “He was the face of Supreme back in those days. I feel like he's responsible for a large part of its popularity.”
Curlee wasn't the only fan trying to get the pieces he saw Tyler wearing. The rapper's wardobre became a uniform for his supporters.
"If you look at the first couple Camp Flog Gnaw festivals, everybody there was dressed like him," says Populus. "He had a super specific look and way that he wore things. You could just tell that the influence was real."
Tyler’s influence extended beyond his fan base. “I never cared about Supreme until Tyler," Jaden Smith told GQ in 2018. Malbanan believes that Tyler and Odd Future influenced plenty of other artists at the time as well.
“Travis Scott never used to come into RIF looking for Supreme. He'd only come in for shoes. ASAP Rocky and his crew would come in looking for strictly Supreme. Schoolboy Q would come in looking for Supreme,” says Malbanan. “I feel like [Tyler] was a big reason why rappers started getting into the brand.”
Tyler, the Creator for Supreme Fall/Winter 2024 Via Supreme
As far as this year’s linkup between Tyler and Supreme, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The brand’s reputation has sputtered a bit due to its turbulent split with Tremaine Emory in 2023, followed by a sale to EssilorLuxottica last July. As overblown as the “Supreme is dead” commentary has become, the brand certainly isn’t as hyped-up as it once was. Meanwhile, Tyler is arguably in the best era of his career. We all know about the musical accolades. He’s also coming off the heels of a monumental Louis Vuitton collaboration earlier this year that has further cemented his place as a modern style icon.
“It was the best photo tee selection possible, regardless if you're a fan or not, just due to what it exemplifies,” says Siemon of DrosByJay. “ I saw people saying that this photo tee is breathing life back into the community. It's a breath of fresh air to longtime supporters, people that got in during that generation, everyone.”
While the response to the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive, it will be interesting to see if Tyler could be the spark that Supreme needs to get customers excited again, the same way he did back in 2011.
“Tyler literally saved Supreme [back then]. It was hot, but it was kind of getting boring. Once he rocked it, it surged,” says Malbanan.
It’s too early to tell what lasting impact this could have on the streetwear label, but it has some people paying attention again, at least for now.
“I was good on Supreme. I don't chase after things that hard anymore,” says Curlee. “But I will definitely be grabbing [the Tyler photo tee.]”
That’s a start.
