A Look Back at Past Supreme x VF Corp Colabs

We’re guessing that you know all about Supreme, right? The real question is, have you heard of VF Corp? They’re the parent company of The North Face, Timberland, Eastpak, Vans and Dickies, and they’ve been in the headlines recently because they have acquired Supreme for a reported $2.1 billion dollars.

Ever since news broke of that acquisition, sneakerheads and streetwear fanatics have been left speculating on whether or not this may impact future collaborations with other brands, including long-time Supreme buddies Nike. There’s also the question of whether there will be a noticeable uptick in link-ups between Supreme and their new stablemates under the VF Corp umbrella. The freshly-minted siblings actually have quite a rich history, with Supreme, The North Face, Timberland and Vans all joining forces in the past. So, let’s dive into that past to highlight some of the best Supreme x VF Corp colabs that have dropped so far.

The North Face

The partnership between The North Face and Supreme has spanned a long 13 years, and the pair have crafted some of the most sought-after jackets in streetwear history. TNF have always been a New York staple, namely the Nuptse puffer jacket and Mountain jacket, while Supreme’s roots are deeply entrenched within the NY culture, so it’s no surprise that the pair found each other and have enjoyed such a prosperous relationship.

The first collaboration landed for Fall/Winter 2007, and consisted of only the Summit jacket in two colourways, making it completely different to the TNF x Supreme capsules that we know and love today. Other highlights include Fall/Winter 2008’s Denali fleece jackets, Spring/Summer 2011’s Bogo sleeping bags, Spring/Summer 2014’s debut of the Expedition Coaches Jacket, Fall/Winter 2014’s paisley-adorned collection, and the revered ‘By Any Means Necessary’ capsule that released for Fall/Winter 2015.

Since 2016, the collaborative efforts have taken a slightly different path to include a wider variety of products – not just sticking to jackets – and sometimes hitting shelves in multiple parts. With the recent VF Corp acquisition, we’re excited to see what this pair have in store for us in the near future.

Vans

In 1996, just two years into their existence, Supreme first joined forces with Vans. Their collaborative legacy has since spanned almost 25 years, and the recent VF Corp takeover is expected to keep that relationship going for many more.

The Supreme x Vans debut featured a trio of Old Skools, and the then-design director Brendon Babenzien (who currently runs streetwear brand Noah) was enlisted to direct the collaboration. Extremely simple, it boasted the regular Old Skool look with a Supreme logo tag underneath the eyestays.

After that initial 1996 link-up, Supreme and Vans didn’t meet again until 2004, when they reworked four different silhouettes in 12 different colourways. Other highlights through the years included 2014’s three-way CDG link-up, 2012’s ultra-limited Caballero, 2014’s ‘Motion Logo’ Authentics and, of course, 2013’s joint effort collection with Peter Saville dubbed ‘Power, Corruption, Lies’.

Timberland

Timberland boots have been a New York staple for as long as we can recall, so it only seems right that Supreme and the outdoor company joined forces back in 2006 for the Field Boot. They turned the usually subtle boot on its head with leopard print and bold colours, setting the tone for the next few years.

A little more low-key in terms of hype compared to the many other Supreme colabs, the most notable would have to be 2013’s 6 Inch Boot, 2014’s Field Boots, 2015’s three-way CDG colab on the 6 Inch Boot, the 3-Eye Classic Lug Shoe, and the recent logo-adorned iteration.

Will VF Corp’s acquisition of Supreme impact future sneaker colabs? Here’s What We Know​.