SUPRA is pleased to announce the release of a limited edition Society designed by acclaimed Los Angelesgraffiti writer, Retna. Retna is a long time friend of SUPRA founder, Angel Cabada, and the pair’s long time creative relationship resulted in this collaboration.
Supra High Tops Blue Green Shoes
Supra Skytop shoes, Retna’s work can be seen on the streets of Los Angeles where he grew up, but he emerged from the LA MOCA “Art In The Streets” show with “real” art world recognition. MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch said in Juxtapose, “All the best art is past, present, and future combined, and this is what Retna is doing.” The Michael Kohn Gallery, where Retna’s work was recently shown, described him as, “Simultaneously conceptual, literal, and abstract … Retna’s work contains imagery and histories that are vast and diverse. The symbols and pictographs of his signature script are inlaid with his multicultural background of El Salvadorian, Cherokee, Spaniard, Pipil, and African-American lineage.”
The extra tall Society, with its renowned Velcro straps, is cloaked in black painter’s suede with “SUPRA,” written in Retna’s complex hieroglyphic style, screened across the entire shoes in white, The high top has red and blue jersey mesh accents, padded red and blue jersey mesh lining, and it’s constructed on a red vulcanized sole with smooth white, single wrap foxing. The shoe comes with a Retna signature sock liner and hang tag.
Because of Retna’s history of working with charitable causes, a portion of the shoe’s proceeds will be donated to Plaza de la Raza, a community arts center inLos Angeles’s Linco ln Height sneigh borhood devoted to art education (plazadelaraza.org). Only 413 pairs of the Retna Society were created, sequentially numbered, and they will go on sale Saturday, February 9, 2013, at Factory 413, SUPRA Paris, SUPRA NYC, There will be an in store event at Factory 413 in Los Angeleson 2/9 with Retna in attendance.
Supra High Tops Shoes, SUPRA is a 260-page, full-color book that is an immense catalog of many of the best sneakers SUPRA has ever created, from the early days to the present, from the skate shoes to the limited edition collaborations SUPRA has done with friends and celebrities. The book features photos, stories, and quotes from Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Slash, Steve Aoki, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Just Blaze, Deion Sanders, Samantha Ronson, and many more. Also included are rare sneakers that were produced in conjunction with an array of eclectic sources such as the television show Lost, Stubb’s Bar-B-Q,Corona beer, Dodge Charger, The Palms Hotel Las Vegas, Mountain Dew, and even Dirty Harry. Also are collabs and quotes from sneaker industry authorities such as SNS, BKRW, All Gone, and Sneaker Freaker.
SUPRA was, and still is, a skateboard footwear company, thus the book includes pictures and insightful interviews with Erik Ellington, Jim Greco, Terry Kennedy, Lizard King, Tom Penny, and an extended story with Chad Muska, and designer Josh Brubaker, about the origins of the iconic Skytop—the shoes that started it all.“Things were starting to change,” Chadsaid about the time. “We were getting away from the traditional, stubby-toed, goofy Supra skate shoes. I just saw that the end of an era was happening.”
