HyperFruit

There are 2 things to discuss here:

1.  Lines

2. Hypefruit

Lines – Lining up for anything sucks.  I think there is an unspoken understanding that waiting in line is a sure sign of uncool.  That has changed with the number of “exclusive” release of shoes, t-shirt collaborations, or limited vinyl toys.  Although you obtain a rare collectible item, it does little to disuade the fact that while you were waiting for that ultra limited fitted, there were dudes on the prowl for the p.

Personally, prowling for the p and getting shot down by the dirtiest chola gets more props then any Supreme x Nike release.  This just makes me second think a dude rocking some exclusive fitted.  The dude is obviously not a pro-skater and/or snowboarder to get flo like that, so he either waited in line, or had to throw mad cake down on eBay (equally lame).  This leads me to Hyperfruit.

Hyperfruit – Is that dude who looks for the rarest of kicks, to match with the most limited of New Era fitteds to line up for more “limited” offerings.  They break out this gear every so often to impress the dudes who wait in line with them; in a seeminly desperate attempt to prove how down they are with the scene. That Supreme New Era fitted and the Tiffany dunks proves nothing.  All it tells me is that you either enjoy waiting in lines, or paying for marked up goods.

The dude with the strip polo from Footlocker and embrodiery jeans in the picture did the line up right (as if there is a way to line up).  He said fuck what you’ll think, I think this limited New Era is fire and I am going to get me mine, irregardless of what I look like.

Another Gem from Magic

Upper Playground has a rich tradition.  Unfortunately, the tradition is retarded New Eras.  When New Era fitteds came on the scene there were only a handful of brands that were awarded a license.  And because of the exclusivity of getting a New Era with the markings of your favorite brand the fitteds flew off the shelves.  The sheer idea that Stussy or DC was on a 59/50 kept the kids salivating for more.  There was only one streetwear related company that did not see similar results.  You guessed it;  Upper Playground.

Even at a time when kids were clamoring for these seemingly rare collaborations Upper Playground managed to keep their fitteds on the shelves with their shit designs.  I love a city drawn on a Mexican dude’s head as much as the next guy, but Sam Flores will not help you sell fitteds.

Upper Playground has done it again.  This time it’s at the Magic Tradeshow in Las Vegas.  Here is a sneak peak at what guarantees a schooyard beatdown.  What will get you ostracized faster then a Southpole hoodie with FUBU Platinum denim?

A rabbit face on your dome!!!!  Novel?  Maybe.  Ugly?  Most definitely.  Get ready to be clowned on.

Someone from New Era needs to revoke Upper Playground’s account.  Y’all Bay heads let Upper Playground rep you like this?  No, wonder you got Supreme and The Hundreds coming in and squashing the competition.

Cake 101: Limited

One of the most profound marketing tools to be employed in the world of streetwear is the “limited” runs. The mystique behind limited runs is that you have to be “in the know” to get the product. The product is also limited, obviously. And there was a sense that you were getting something really special, almost to the point that the intrinsic value of the product is more then the retail price.

I remember when I was collecting Jordans. The limited Retro IIIs in 1993 were indeed limited. In fact, there were no advertisements. You either cared about Jordans, or you didn’t. Let’s jump to the retro IVs of 1998-1999, same sort of deal. Let’s take a look at the limited Jordan releases now. Very limited marketing, however there is a lot of hoopla for every release. Why?

The answer is the internet. The internet has allowed Nike to find that niche (shoe collecting subculture), and market to them directly. By guising the limited information as leaked pictures, and trickling the information through “prominant” community figures, the marketing to this very desirable segment becomes more effective, as well as profitable. Long gone are the million dollar commercials, instead you leak the pictures on to Niketalk, eventually the right blogs will steal the pictures and offer their own twist on the information.

That’s a quick look into the effective use of “limiting” a release.

Let’s examine how much money is made. Let’s skip shoes, and work on…..New Era fitteds.

The Hundreds are wizs when it comes to “limited” New Eras. They release tons of choices each season, yet they manage to throw out a few “limited” colors as well.

I am not going to knock their hustle, after all I went to school with dude, but there is nothing wrong with a quick breakdown.

Fitted Retail: $50

Number of Designs: 5

Limited Number of Each Design: 100 (x5 = 500)

Total Gross = 25k

Let see if we can find the net by figuring out the cogs (Cost of Goods sold):

Design: ….$50 (they are using the same design they’ve used in the past 4 years, picking the colors shouldn’t be more then an hour)

New Era Wholesale: I am guessing they are $25 because New Era is a reputable and high desired brand, but in many cases the wholesale is 1/3 of the retail.

Store Operation: Let’s say $500 for paying 2 employees to take money, the electricity, storefront rent, and whatever else. This is a fair assessment in my opinion, and rather high considering they only have 2 retail store fronts, one website, a temporary art space, and European Distributors). Total $2500 (again there are 5 hats x $500)

Their cogs are roughly = $15,500

The Hundreds is walking away with 10k for the month from these hats alone. And do you think only 500 were produced????? Of course this is a super rough estimation, and one would neglect the amount of blood, sweat, and tears to make that Adam Bomb an icon (you can’t put a price on that).

No hate, just a quick assessment of the nature of “limited”.