We’ve never understood the East Coast streetwear fashion thing. Growing up in the infinite expanse of the West, we never felt the crush of tight urban spaces or came face to face with the idea that anything was in scarce supply. East Coast kids don’t have that luxury. Many things are scarce in New York City and that may be why brands like Supreme are able to monopolize style and make kids believe that a product is worth hundreds of dollars more than another simply because it is difficult to get.
As Supreme met the Internet it became more important for them to make their highly coveted, limited supply fashion items available online when their product drops. Which is nice because not everyone can camp out on Lafayette St. each week to grab the latest before it’s gone. Problem is, it’s just as tough to get an order in as it is to get in line. Two Florida computer kids noticed how hard this was and they created a bot (The Supreme Saint) that (for a price) will dive in on the Supreme website and buy up product for customers in a matter of seconds, according to a story in Wired Magazine.
The breakthrough came within a couple of months, when Supreme released a version of Nike’s Air Jordan 5 sneakers. The shoes were offered in three color options, what sneaker fans call colorways: white, black, and desert camo. That day Matt and Chris charged $100 for each pair a customer wanted to buy. One of the colors received around 200 orders, making the duo roughly $20,000 in five seconds. Chris and Matt won’t say how much they make from their bot, the Supreme Saint, but they’ve formed an LLC.
Nice to know it’s still possible to jump in on street fashion and siphon off a little cash on the side. Then again, how exclusive is this stuff if anyone willing to spend a little extra can get it whenever they want? And what will the future hold now that Supreme is clamping down on bots in general? Click the link for the rest of the story.
[Link: Wired Magazine]
