Watch This Documentary That Breaks Down Supreme's Influence on British Style

i-D discusses today's internet-fueled, Supreme-styled cool teens™

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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British style magazine i-D has been churning out a series of mini documentaries on youth style in Great Britain. The "History of British Style Tribes," has been released in eight partial segments, which dissect the youth movements from decades past, hearing from the kids (now adults) that were a genuine part of the scenes and "style tribes." The series culminates with final episode about today's youth, which focuses on internet style, resellers, and (of course) Supreme.

"The most desirable thing right now is...," mumbles Louis Maraviglia, whose title is simply "teenager." While he grasps for an answer to question, we're immediately hit with a barrage of box logos, early A$AP Rocky footage, and Supreme merchandise. Maraviglia goes on to explain that kids in his generation—the kids of today—all "want to wear the same thing" as he flips through Rizzoli's Bible-like book on Supreme.

As he goes on, he brings up the concept of resellers; namely, the desire to score the most coveted gear, and (perhaps more importantly) make the most money. As Maraviglia remarks with disappointment over a montage of Supreme merchandise: "It's all about money I guess, isn't it? Like, if you have the money then you can get it."

But Supreme's influence is one that an internet-era teen can understand. Considering that the brand was linking up with old school rockers like Lou Reed, while also feature hip-hop names like Dipset and Raekwon, it gave teens from all spectrums and introduction to a variety of different subcultures. While Maraviglia notes that the artists he found through Supreme he would eventually look up on the internet, it's likely that the brand was introducing kids to new artists and musicians even back in the '90s—they just didn't have the help of the world wide web.

Speaking on the influence of the internet, aside from addressing the Nintendo 64-era aesthetic of Yung Lean and the Sad Boys, the video speaks to two young fashion collectors. For them, it's more about finding vintage fashions with ostentatious branding—notably Burberry and Moschino—and flipping their finds on user-driven reselling websites like depop.

The video is really more of an honest look at how today's kids, like those in Larry Clark's seminal film, are a combination of influences. The music you listen to, the stores you shop at, the items you collect—all these things make up the modern cool teen™. The only difference between kids of yesterday, and the kids of today, is the power of the internet.

Check out the video above, and scope the other episodes in i-D's series, "A History of British Style Tribes."

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