Samsung responds to the collaboration with Supreme Italia

Update 12.12.18: After the recent confirmation earlier this week that technology giant Samsung will be collaborating and backing the sales of the legally fake Supreme Italia brand in China with both parties authenticating the joint venture:

The news was met with widespread critique and wonder across the internet as to why and how this has happened. Samsung today issued an official statement via the Chinese social media platform Weibo addressing the matter:

“Recently, Samsung Electronics announced we will collaborate with Supreme Italia in China at the launch event of Galaxy A8s. We are currently re-evaluating this cooperation, and we deeply regret the inconvenience caused.”

Samsung

The exact repercussions of this and if the deal will, in fact, be off is still to be known, but stay locked to nss to get the updates on the story as it unfolds.

Update 10.12.18: During a Samsung conference for the launch of the new Galaxy A8 phone, the company's marketing manager announced that soon the South Korean multinational company will collaborate with an important streetwear giant, Supreme no less and that they were to soon open a new multi-floor Supreme flagship store. To those familiar with the original Supreme brand founded in New York by James Jebbia, the news caused a great deal of doubt and it has now been proven to be the Supreme Italia brand that the deal has been made with. The brand, the story of which nss magazine have been closely following since its inception, was born years ago in Barletta and has managed to surf on the wave of the Supreme hype while finding legal loopholes and now owns a chain of stores in Spain and has registered its logo trademark in many markets including China (unlike the original Supreme NYC). nss has spoken directly to our source at Supreme Italia and we can exclusively reveal that the brand confirmed that the deal is, in fact, real and is going forward. The implications of IBF - the firm that owns Supreme Italia and other brands - opening a huge store in the worlds quickest growing economy and streetwear culture with the backing of such a mammoth multinational as Samsung could have very wide-reaching repercussions, so stay closely locked to nss to be on the front lines as this story unfolds. 

 

The news from the team has traveled around the web, and many people this morning had speculated that it was a hoax or in any case not the New York Supreme brand. In fact, during the conference, two men were invited on stage as CEOs of the brand (here is the full video starting at 18:18). The enthusiastic couple begins to talk about the imminent opening of a seven-story flagship store in Sanlitun, Beijing and even a fashion show during the upcoming Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center in Shanghai. Clearly, this could not be the New York brand founded by James Jebbia, which has never been publicly exposed in terms of communication. The confirmation came this afternoon when Leo Lau - digital marketing manager from Samsung China - announced through his Weibo (now deleted) account that it is not Supreme NYC but Supreme Italia.

“We are collaborating with Supreme Italia, not with Supreme NYC. Supreme NYC has no sales authorization in China, but Supreme Italy has obtained sales of products and market licenses in the Asia-Pacific region (with the exception of Japan)”

Leo Lau, Samsung China

While on a random stroll through Shanghai during Innersect this weekend, nss came across this under construction storefront.

 

nss magazine has contacted directly IBF and the firm ha confirmed the collaboration.
Supreme New York has just communicated via an IG story: it is the first time that the brand of James Jebbia officially comments the whole Supreme Italia Story.