Written by Sloan Varunok in partnership with Kulture Hub

You mad, Supreme?

Amidst the chaos of riots across the city, NYPD had their hands a bit too full to tend to looting. Looters are opportunists at their finest, and there was no finer a time than a week ago in SoHo. At around 1 a.m., looters took to the Supreme store, boarded up as it was, and raided the merchandise.

Dozens of looters caught ransacking Soho Supreme store in wild video. Via New York Post.

Many a hype beast tear were shed that day. The raiders appeared to be friendly with each other, tossing shirts into the crowd for their friends. With customers often citing disrespect from staff and high prices, it makes you wonder... did Supreme have it coming?

Since their rise to popularity in street fashion in the 2010s, Supreme has cultivated many fans and detractors alike. Common criticisms of the brand include rude staff, over pricing t-shirts, and stealing designs, including the logo itself. Those who like Supreme tend not to mind, though outsiders tend to notice certain culture around it.

When treating your customers with contempt while carrying high-price items, it is expected to an extent. A riot pops off, opportunists want to make money selling stolen goods, or using them themselves. Combine that with Supreme's reputation for poor service and detractor base, and you have a looting waiting to happen.

Of course, this isn't to say looting is the right thing to do. It's not. I may not be a fan of Supreme as a brand, but no store should be looted at all. Historically, when riots start, so does looting.

This is nothing new. At Woodstock '99, riots broke out and merch tents were raided as well, looking similar to the SoHo Supreme. When the attention is off the big-ticket items, that's when looting happens. This will always be, so long as riots happen. So what can they do?

1:18 for the looting.

Well, it's simple: don't treat your customers like trash. They may resent you for that. If you have a job involving customer service, it's best to be helpful with those who come in. Whether that would make people think twice about looting your store is up for debate, but should be done regardless. Looting shouldn't happen, but it may.

How do you feel about Supreme? No matter your feelings, stay safe out there, friends.

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