When Supreme opened its doors in April of 1994 on 274 Lafayette Street, no one could have possibly predicted that 25 years later the skate shop would transform into a billion dollar global phenomenon. Yet, there were signs. Through selective partnerships, a tight distribution network and purposefully constricting growth, Supreme developed a massive following that ensured demand would always exceed supply—setting the footprint for hype via artificial scarcity along the way. While the launch of the Supreme web store in 2008 created the perception of international accessibility, in actuality there are only a handful of Supreme stores around the world—shocking considering its massive sales figures. With only 12 retail locations—currently only 11 are open—and just one stockist, Supreme’s physical footprint is still incredibly small. This is by and large on purpose, with founder James Jebbia admitting he only feels comfortable expanding when the opportunity is “perfect.” Considering the $500 million investment from the Carlyle group, and a San Francisco outpost all but confirmed, after more than two decades this slow expansion will no doubt change. Before it does, we explore every Supreme retail store in the world.

Tags: neighborhood, harajuku, wtaps, bape, ari-marcopoulos, mark-gonzales, futura, london, paris, new-york-city, japan, james-jebbia, streetwear, shopping, supreme