
Phaidon
Supreme Book
The Supreme Book is a 352-page English-language hardcover published by Phaidon Press in January 2020, measuring 9 by 11.25 inches (22 by 29 cm) and featuring a removable dust jacket (ISBN-13: 978-1838660314). It serves as a visual and historical reference on the Supreme brand, containing more than 800 images, behind-the-scenes content, product and collaboration features, lookbooks, and an index of T-shirts released since Spring/Summer 2010.
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
Specifications
A hardcover retrospective celebrating 25 years of Supreme, featuring over 800 images, behind-the-scenes content, limited products, collaborations, lookbooks, and a T-shirt index.
More than 800 images; behind-the-scenes content; limited products and collaborations; curated lookbooks; index of T-shirts since Spring/Summer 2010; removable dust jacket; 352 pages.
- Material
- Sheets: Paper; Binding: Cardboard paper
- Gender
- male
- Age Group
- adult
- Condition
- new
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
Additional Attributes
- 25-year retrospective
- Published by Phaidon Press
- Publication date: January 2020
- Hardcover with removable dust jacket
- 352 pages
- ISBN-13: 978-1838660314
- Dimensions: 9 in x 11.25 in (22 cm x 29 cm)
- More than 800 stunning images
- Photographers include Larry Clark, Ari Marcopoulos, and David Sims
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Highly limited products from t-shirts to bicycles
- Collaborations include Nan Goldin, Comme des Garçons, and Nike
- Curated section of lookbooks
- Index of T-shirts released since Spring/Summer 2010 collections
- Authors: collective
- English language
Product Insights
Supreme Book Phaidon 69.95 CAD Volume 2 covers roughly 2010–2018 Glossy coated art paper, gallery-style white-background presentation Prose is sparse: Carlo McCormick introduction and Harmony Korine poem
Verified claims
- format
- Hardcover with removable dust jacket, 352 pages
- dimensions
- 9 x 11.25 in (22 x 29 cm)
- imagery
- More than 800 images by Larry Clark, Ari Marcopoulos, David Sims, and others
- coverage
- Traces Supreme from downtown New York skate shop to global brand
- content coverage
- Volume 2 covers roughly 2010–2018
- T-shirt index
- Indexes T-shirts released since Spring/Summer 2010
- lookbooks
- Includes a curated lookbook section
- collaborations
- Documents Nan Goldin, Comme des Garçons, Nike, and other collaborations
- text content
- Prose is sparse: Carlo McCormick introduction and Harmony Korine poem
- print quality
- Glossy coated art paper, gallery-style white-background presentation
- binding
- Paper sheets with cardboard-paper binding
- reversible jacket
- Reversible jacket: red Supreme logo side and plain art-book side
- care
- Dust jacket is detachable and protective but relatively fragile
- use
- Rewards reading as well as display
- audience
- Aimed at Supreme fans, streetwear and design-history readers, and photography followers
- value
- Premium price for a 352-page, 800+ image large-format hardcover
- comparison
- Sequel to the earlier 2010 monograph, not a complete 1994–present retrospective
- comparison
- Less complete than the 2024 three-volume T-shirt archive
- styling
- White hardcover with red box logo; jacket image is high-contrast black-and-white
- interior
- Interior spread shows outdoor court mural with skaters and Supreme signage
- edition
- English-language Phaidon Press hardcover, January 2020, ISBN 978-1838660314
Product record
- Title
- Supreme Book
- Brand
- Phaidon
- Price
- 69.95 CAD
- Availability
- In stock
Buying Guide
0 comparisons · 2 sourcesUses
Reading up on Supreme's history
This Phaidon book traces Supreme's more than two decades from downtown New York skate shop to global brand, with over 800 photos by photographers like Larry Clark, Ari Marcopoulos, and David Sims. Readers get behind-the-scenes looks at limited products and collaborations, plus a curated lookbook section and an index of T-shirts since Spring/Summer 2010. It's an art book made for actually reading through, not just leaving on display.[1,2]
Design Archive of Supreme T-shirts
This book features a complete index of T-shirts released since Supreme's Spring/Summer 2010 collections. The comprehensive index functions as an archive and serves as an argument for why the brand's graphic work holds up as design history.[1,2]
A coffee-table book that rewards reading as well as display
Displaying the Phaidon Supreme monograph on a coffee table or studio shelf, with photography documenting twenty-five years of the downtown New York skate shop. With over 800 photographs from Larry Clark, Ari Marcopoulos, and David Sims, it earns its place rather than becoming decoration, and rewards actual reading.[2]
Image Analysis
3 images- 01

Product
Front cover of a book showing a high-contrast black-and-white photographic portrait of two young men; visible printed text includes a centered box-logo on a white T-shirt and a publisher wordmark at the bottom-left.
- Cover photographHigh-contrast, grainy black-and-white photograph of two young men occupying most of the vertical cover; one figure is closer to camera at left with an outstretched fist, the other is slightly behind and to the right wearing a bucket hat and a white T-shirt.
- Outstretched fistLeft-side subject extends a clenched fist toward the camera; a round ring or medallion is visible on the fist near the knuckles.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.28 · w 0.34 · h 0.26 (high) - Foreground face and hatRight-side subject's head and face are visible with a rounded bucket hat; facial features are visible in the high-contrast image.
1 region
x 0.60 · y 0.06 · w 0.38 · h 0.32 (high) - T-shirt with box logoWhite T-shirt worn by the right-side subject has a rectangular dark box-logo printed on the chest with high-contrast white text inside the box.
1 region
x 0.50 · y 0.46 · w 0.36 · h 0.18 (high) - Printed box-logo text“Supreme”
1 region
x 0.58 · y 0.50 · w 0.20 · h 0.10 (high) - Publisher wordmark“PHAIDON”
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.92 · w 0.20 · h 0.06 (high)
Other
Vertical, close-cropped lifestyle-style cover photo presented in black-and-white grainy film style with urban background elements visible but out of focus.
- Shot compositionVertical crop framing that fills the frame with the two subjects; the image is closely cropped at top and bottom.
- BackgroundOut-of-focus urban elements such as buildings and foliage are visible behind the subjects but are secondary to the foreground figures.
1 region
x 0.08 · y 0.08 · w 0.84 · h 0.48 (medium) - Image styleHigh-grain, high-contrast black-and-white processing resembling film or photocopy texture; visible tonal noise across the image.
- Left subject torso and shirt textA second smaller area of printed text appears on the left subject's dark shirt but the characters are partly obscured and not fully legible.Partial
1 region
x 0.16 · y 0.46 · w 0.23 · h 0.15 (medium) - Image quality limitationNoticeable film grain and high contrast reduce legibility of fine details in distant background and small text outside the main logo.
Colors
white· white T-shirtblack· box-logo backgroundwhite· box-logo textlight gray· photograph midtones and highlightsvery dark gray· photograph shadows and dark areas- 02

Product
A white hardcover book shown flat with a centered red rectangular wordmark reading 'Supreme' and a debossed publisher name 'PHAIDON' near the lower-left corner of the front cover.
- Overall shapeRectangular hardcover book with visible spine on the left and squared corners; front cover faces upward.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.04 · w 0.88 · h 0.92 (high) - Cover finishSmooth matte or satin white cover surface with subtle tonal variation from lighting; appears uniform with no printed pattern except logo and embossing.
1 region
x 0.08 · y 0.06 · w 0.84 · h 0.86 (medium) - Primary logoRed rectangular box printed near the upper-center of the front cover containing the white italicized word 'Supreme'.
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.30 · w 0.44 · h 0.12 (high) - Debossed publisher nameEmbossed or debossed text 'PHAIDON' near the lower-left edge of the front cover, matching the cover color and visible through shadow and relief.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.82 · w 0.28 · h 0.08 (medium) - Book spine detailNarrow visible spine on the left edge with the same white cover finish and a faint vertical seam where cover meets spine.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.06 · w 0.04 · h 0.88 (high) - Shadow and edge highlightsSoft shadowing along the book's right and bottom edges producing slight separation from the white background; subtle highlight along top-left edge.
- Printed text on cover“Supreme”
1 region
x 0.28 · y 0.30 · w 0.44 · h 0.12 (high) - Embossed text on cover“PHAIDON”
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.82 · w 0.28 · h 0.08 (medium)
Other
Studio-style flat lay on a white background with even lighting and soft directional shadow to the right and bottom; image is cropped to include the whole book with slight margin.
- BackgroundPlain white background matching the ambient light; background is continuous and uncluttered.
- Lighting and shadowSoft even lighting from upper-left producing a gentle shadow along the book's right and bottom edges and subtle top-left highlights.
- Shot compositionTop-down product shot centered in frame with a small left offset so the spine is visible; minimal crop with small margins.
Colors
off-white· coverbright red· logo boxwhite· logo text and embossed text- Overall shapeRectangular hardcover book with visible spine on the left and squared corners; front cover faces upward.
- 03

Product
An open book shown flat with a two-page photographic spread. The visible spread depicts an outdoor basketball/skate court mural scene with a red rectangular 'Supreme' sign on the left page.
- Open book geometryBook is opened flat to a double-page spread; visible gutter at the center with pages lying nearly horizontal and slight curvature along the inner margins.
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.14 · w 0.90 · h 0.72 (high) - Gutter and center seamNarrow vertical gutter seam runs down image center dividing left and right pages; slight shadowing at the seam.
1 region
x 0.48 · y 0.18 · w 0.03 · h 0.64 (high) - Supreme logo on wall“Red rectangular panel with the word 'Supreme' in white text printed on the left-page photograph against a light wall background.”
1 region
x 0.20 · y 0.22 · w 0.28 · h 0.14 (high) - Skate and picnic bench activityA red picnic bench and multiple skaters are visible on the left page photograph near the court area; one skater is airborne over the bench.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.46 · w 0.22 · h 0.22 (high) - Large graffiti muralColorful graffiti artwork covers the wall across both pages, with ornate curving shapes and star motifs most prominent on the right-page photograph.
1 region
x 0.40 · y 0.24 · w 0.50 · h 0.44 (high) - Court playing surfacePainted court surface visible across the lower portion of the spread with circular markings and a bluish-gray surface.
1 region
x 0.12 · y 0.62 · w 0.76 · h 0.20 (high)
Other
Studio-style product photograph on a white background showing soft shadow beneath the book; even overhead lighting with minimal specular highlights.
- Studio backgroundPlain white background with no props other than the book; subtle drop shadow visible below the book.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (high) - Shadow under bookSoft diffused shadow directly beneath the open book, darker near the spine and fading outward.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.78 · w 0.64 · h 0.12 (high) - Shot compositionCentered top-down view slightly angled toward the viewer so both pages and outer book edges are visible; even framing with margins of white space around the book.
Colors
matte white· page backgroundvivid red· Supreme logo panelteal aqua· graffiti teal areasmuted blue-gray· court surface- Open book geometryBook is opened flat to a double-page spread; visible gutter at the center with pages lying nearly horizontal and slight curvature along the inner margins.