The invitation should have been a giveaway in its familiar red tone, especially given the social-media frenzy following a certain leaked Instagram image. If it wasn’t, the reality became clear in the first exit today: Louis Vuitton had officially collaborated with Supreme New York.

No longer a hype beast’s wet dream, the familiar Vuitton monogram was realized in Supreme red and white. This was the ultimate sign of fashion acceptance, and an unspoken handshake, after a cease-and-desist letter in 2000 when Supreme produced their own version of the Vuitton monogram (notably in Vuitton’ brown and gold coloring).

It comes as no real surprise, if we consider Vuitton menswear creative director Kim Jones’ love of streetwear and the enviable position that Supreme has carved out for itself. The Supreme product may be more than affordable by Vuitton’s customer’s standards, but the resell value that is applied the day after they drop a limited collection is more than comparable, and more often than not the price that their fans are willing to pay.

But what does this mean for Vuitton? Jones himself said the collection was based on the New York Downtown 81 set, with Warhol, Basquiat, Keith Haring, et al in mind, but what he was inferring was the socio-pop power of the Supreme box logo, and its unique position in the contemporary marketplace. The status that the two brands together command was evident in the front row today, with David Beckham and Kate Moss rubbing shoulders with Usher and Travis Scott. 

The collection was impeccable, and one of our favorite pieces was the pure Vuitton record-player trunk in full monogram with Plexiglas monogrammed lid; a true retro-futuristic update of the iconic 80s New York boombox. And as Kim Jones himself stated in the line notes, “No New York City men’s conversation is complete without Supreme.”