1. What is hype?

On November 18, 2017, it took less than a minute for the Semi Frozen Yellow” Yeezy Boost 350 V2 to be completely sold out online.

Before the “drop,” hype neared its maximum capacity. Social media exploded after the news of the limited release: celebrities on Instagram, such as Kanye West—the brainchild of the Yeezy brand—inspired sneaker-enthusiasts to line up outside stores hours and spend inordinate amounts of money.  

The “drop” strategy of hype brands is a precise art. The first time hype products appear online, you buy a computer “bot” that chooses the desired product to purchase—but there is only a limited time until the stock sells out. That is, until online resale websites, such as Grailed, show up with the same products, which can have a price inflation upwards of 1000 percent.

Of all the hype brands, the most familiar is the red and white rectangle emblazoned on clothing: Supreme. The logo represents more than an ordinary insignia on a t-shirt—it can produce reverence, disdain, or indifference based on any given person. In other words, it is a subculture gaining a mass cult appeal. According to the Wall Street Journal, Supreme sold half of its stake to a private-equity firm Carlyle Group for $500 million, surpassing the worth of teen retailers such as Abercrombie.

Supreme grew up from humble roots, however. The brand, taking its name from John Coltrane’s tune “A Love Supreme,” originally was founded as a small, inconspicuous skate shop in New York City. The brand first appealed to a close-knit group of skateboarders, and originally had low, appealing prices. But as the hip-hop community grew and attained popular appeal, the hypebeast trend grew: If your favorite rapper A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, or Kanye West donned the red and white logo, wouldn’t you want to as well?

The hype-tactics may appear crazy and deceitful to those unfamiliar—the design seems so simple that anyone could produce it. However, the strategy of Supreme and other hype-brands seems to work all too well. Adam Alter, a marketing professor at NYU Stern School of Business backs this economic model. “If you want to create a scarcity frenzy, and your brand has a strong following, all you need to do is release a large number of different products, but very few of each one,” he says. The limited supply, it seems, combined with high demand, is the perfect cocktail of “hype.” The underlying philosophy of Supreme’s leader, James Jebbia (possibly also the Supreme Leader) is “But if we can sell 600, I make 400.” This idea of limited stock conjures images of a hypebeast competing with others as if in a Hunger Games-like dash to the cornucopia—indeed, attaining hyped products sometimes seems like a matter of life or death.

What appeal does hype have for “Generation Z”?

The idea of “conspicuous consumption” plays into the growing subculture of hype. In a school setting, everyone knows what everyone is wearing, so there is a social benefit in wearing something known to be “scarce” or “limited edition.” The culture of “hypebeasts” on Instagram also promotes a desire for one to own products featured by celebrities or friends. But, while wearing hype may seem to obviously increase one’s social image, there are blurred lines in where hype becomes “stylish” or “gross.”

Junior Alessandra Costalonga uses exactly such word when the word Supreme first enters the conversation. “Supreme is kinda gross unless you have good style…” Costalonga said, trailing off. She has problems with the aesthetic of Supreme, but admits to buying products because of their “hype.” “I think I’m high fashion, but I also like thrift stores and stuff like that. Vintage, sometimes, but I don’t want to look like I just walked out of a movie” Costalonga said.

Junior Yona Ketema also has mixed feelings about Supreme, but embraces the idea of hype. “I am kind of a hypebeast, but I wouldn’t get anything unless I liked it, you know. People buy stuff just because its hype and not even wear it—they just have it,” Ketema said.

Costalonga takes on a more reverent tone for fashion hype brands. “Christian Dior,” Costalonga said, after a hushed ‘oh my god,’ “is so classy.” Christian Dior is one of the growing luxury brands—among Fendi, Gucci and Louis Vuitton—and is a counterpoint to the so-called “streetwear” style of Supreme-like brands.   

Ketema’s eyes light up upon hearing Christian Dior. “Dude, if you get the Dior Plush toy…” Ketema begins. “Lemme see… Wait, is that like the moschino toy?” Costalonga interjects. “There’s this artist named Kaws that sells these animals this X’s on their eyes, and they’re worth so much money. But the shoes are cool, that’s what I want to get” Ketema responds.

The aforementioned toy is currently listed in StockX, a re-selling website, with an asking price of $12,769. Even to the self-declared hypebeast, this kind of hype has gone too far.

“That’s really hypebeast, if you buy that bear with X’s on its eyes just because its Christian Dior,” Costalonga said. Ketema agrees. “If you get this stuffed animal… you’re insane,” he concludes.

But sometimes, the allure of hype is too much to overcome. “Ok… you know who this is? Takashi Murakami,” Ketema said, pulling up a picture on his phone. “He’s actually my favorite. Look at this poster: It’s sick, right?”

III.