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Last week I was invited to London for the launch party of the fist ever European store from, my old friends in NYC, Supreme.
One of the most anticipated and hyped events of the streetwear/skate calendar this year, this event saw many of Supreme's friends travel from all over the world to celebrate their new chapter.
The evening kicked off with a preview of the new store on Peter Street. The split level space is just what you expect from Supreme - a collage of classic Ari Marcopoulos images adorn the back wall (like in the Harajuku store) and stunning original artwork by The Gonz himself. After the store gathering it was all round the neon strip-club corner to Madam JoJos for the main event. With around 700 people stuck outside and the tiny 200 capacity venue bursting at the seams this definitely felt like the hottest ticket in town.
The open bar was in full effect as Will Bankhead warmed up the hyped crowd then GHOSTFACE KILLAH took the stage for a rowdy set of crowd-pleasers from his seminal album "Supreme Clientele" and some old Wu-Tang classics.
Our hosts included many O.G Supreme NY crew including Gio Estevez, James Jebbia, Angelo Baque, Miles Marquez, Ricky Saiz, Brendon Babenzien, Luke Meier, Aaron Bondaroff, Kyle Demers, Mark Gonzalez & Jason Dill.
Other noted guests in attendence were Jeff Cutter (Supreme LA), Michael Kopleman (Gimme 5), Eddie Cruz (Undefeated LA), Edison Chen (Clot), Busy P (Ed Banger), Fraser Cooke (Nike Japan), James Lavelle, Kish Kash the Supra/Kr3w boys, the Patta dudes, the Parisian crew and just about every London-based pro skater.
Check out my video, below, of Ghostface's performance at the party. (Warning: Strong Language - you know what these potty-mouth rappers are like!)
The following day saw the official public opening of the store. With lines running about 500 deep round the block, mounted police and paparazzi level amount of photographers this felt more than just a skate store launch!
I had a quick chat to an investment banker named Dan who was first in the queue. He told me he'd been camping outside since 7am the previous day - that's a whole 28 hours before the store opened - dedication or madness!?!
All in all it was a great boozy night with old friends and a great way to welcome Supreme to the UK.
Special thanks to Gio, Angelo & Miles from Supreme NYC and Jagger & Seth from Supreme London.
Words & Video: Ross Wilson Photos: Ross Wilson & Karl Hab
