// Supra Man; Abra-Cadaba

20th Jun 2011 14:36:04

Right, so, cards on the table. As you can guess we’re usually pretty positive in the articles, well it makes sense really we buy it because we like it and hope you do, so we sell it? But all said, Supra is the height of just too much! The rapid rise of the label which has only repped sneakers for three short years is a mark of owner and creator Angel Cadaba’s enthusiasm. The way I see it some people like certain things and then they like the idea of making the clothes that go with those things, but even with success it still isn’t that dro. I mean even the partially sighted have money to spend right? And that’s kinda’ my point, Cadaba just has that eye for it, a self-confessed shopaholic, swallowing up anything creative and influential; clothing, art, shoes, watches, books. You see he lives and breathes style and culture so having previously being responsible for KR3W (crew) and the defunct TSA clothing it was time to pick a name and make some shoes.

Supra came in 2005, I should probably reword that… but I won’t. Cadaba describes Supra as his ‘baby with big balls’ such is the early success. It was however with some confidence that success would come having invested $100k on sampling, naturally people thought he was mad at this point. It wasn’t strictly overnight though, it was pitched through his love of skating and things falling on to his laptop as he pushed through the dirge of minimum wage jobs. My personal favourite being at McDonalds where Cadaba took his first break 2 hrs in to the first day and thought, nopes, and never walked or looked back.

The name comes from the Latin for ‘above and beyond’, a name that was carefully thought out and given quite a lot of importance when they were starting out. If there were to be any expectations then they would have been exceeded but it still took Cadaba back when hip hop big dogs Jay-Z and Lil Wayne rocked the sneakers at the BET awards. There hasn’t been any impetus on gathering limelight with Supra growing organically, just happening on its own. As with their own associations proper, Samantha Ronson, Chad Muska and Steve Aoki, all are considered friends within the exponential exposure. But Cadaba has been quick to point out there was no $20k sent to an agency to gather faces on point., they’re simply friends who they ship a few frees to and the rest is down to them.

Recently Supra somewhat nervously issued metallic Skytops, but they were huge and the silver 'tops sold out within 30 crazy minutes, making the nerves somewhat redundant. There is the balance to consider thereafter, deciding between keeping the label new but selling out that quick, or over stocking and just selling out, I’m sure the problem is a welcome one and however.

Naturally as we think quite so highly of the sneaker pimps we have a graphic range for you to get excited about. Wouldn’t take too much to guess we have the Skytops, but let’s not stop there the Cuttlers are bloomin' gorgeous and the Green Vaders are another pair to be envied an entertained. Enjoy.