Interviews

“A Badge of Honor”: Julius Babao Discusses the Supreme Prestige

By Sotheby's
Award-winning Filipino broadcaster and art collector Julius Babao shares his passion about the premium streetwear brand and lifestyle.

What got you into collecting Supreme?
I blame it all on my friend DJ Bigboy Cheng. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest Supreme collector. Name any Supreme grail stuff and I guarantee he has it. He was my influencer.

What was your first major Supreme memory?
When Bigboy gifted me with my first cap. That immediately sparked my love for the brand. My entry into this crazy world of street fashion.

What are your all-time 5 to 10 favorite Supreme accessories?
1. Supreme boxed logo hoodies
2. Coleman x Supreme motorcycle
3. New era caps
4. Boxed logo crew neck sweaters
5. The rare tees

What is your all-time favorite Supreme piece?
The LV Supreme body bag

Favorite Supreme collection of all time?
My BOGO hoodies

Why do you think Supreme has such high resale value?
It is amazing how Supreme was able to infuse art, music, sports, pop culture and fashion into the brand. Most of all it’s that 'I don’t give a crap' attitude that makes Supreme awesome. The hype helps a lot because of it’s rarity. Since the items are so limited people would line up hours or sometimes days outside stores just to cop items. And because it’s almost impossible to purchase these items during the launch, people are willing to pay extra bucks to get them. The guys in Supreme are marketing geniuses.

From your perspective, what makes Supreme so collectible?
Some of the items have been elevated to art and like art they have become good investment.

People go crazy for Supreme accessories - what makes them so appealing?
The logo is simple but there’s something about it that draws you to it. It’s like a badge of honor. Even A-list celebrities wear Supreme in public for free. Plus the image that’s associated with it: the street and pop culture. It’s the trend nowadays when the world of music, fashion and art have focused it’s attention on the street to make it more hip and alive.

What does the brand Supreme mean to you?
It’s a lifestyle and an attitude. It’s definitely not for everyone.

If you could only have one Supreme accessory, which would it be?
A boxed logo hoodie.

YouTube: Julius Babao Unplugged | Instragram: @juliusbabao | Facebook: Julius C. Babao | Twitter: @juliusbabao

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