Who Owns Supreme Now? Ownership History and Timeline

Posted October 12, 2024

Quick answer: EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear company behind Ray-Ban, owns Supreme. It closed the $1.5 billion cash purchase from VF Corporation on October 2, 2024. Before that, VF owned the brand from 2020, and the Carlyle Group held a reported stake from 2017. However, founder James Jebbia, who opened the first store in 1994, is reported to still manage the business.

Originally published October 12, 2024. We rewrote and fact-checked this guide on October 26, 2026. Reading time: about 7 minutes.

Supreme has had four owners or backers since 1994.

Key Takeaways

Short answer: EssilorLuxottica owns Supreme, after buying it from VF for $1.5 billion in 2024.

Owner: EssilorLuxottica, since October 2, 2024
Previous owners: VF Corporation (2020 to 2024), with Carlyle reportedly a part owner from 2017
Valuation: $2.1 billion in 2020, then $1.5 billion in 2024
Founder: James Jebbia, who is reported to still manage the brand

Who Owns Supreme Today?

Short answer: EssilorLuxottica owns Supreme, having closed the $1.5 billion purchase from VF Corporation on October 2, 2024.

Owner: EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear group that also owns Ray-Ban
Previous owner: VF Corporation, from 2020 to 2024
Founder: James Jebbia, who opened the first store in 1994.
Valuation: $1.5 billion in cash, subject to customary adjustments

First, the closing release says the deal cleared all relevant competition authorities. Next, see why VF sold Supreme for the background.

Who Owned Supreme Before? A Timeline

Short answer: Jebbia founded Supreme in 1994, Carlyle bought in during 2017, VF bought it in 2020, and EssilorLuxottica followed in 2024.

Supreme ownership timeline, with prices as reported by the sources linked below
Year	Event	Reported price
1994	James Jebbia founds Supreme in New York	Not applicable
2017	The Carlyle Group takes a stake	About $500 million for 50%, per WWD
2020	VF Corporation announces its purchase	$2.1 billion
2024	EssilorLuxottica buys Supreme from VF	$1.5 billion cash base price

However, sources differ on small details. For example, FashionUnited says the size of Carlyle’s stake was never officially confirmed.

How Did Supreme Start, and What Did Carlyle Buy?

Short answer: Jebbia opened a Lafayette Street store in April 1994, and Carlyle reportedly bought a stake in 2017 at about a $1.1 billion valuation.

1994: According to Wikipedia, the first store opened in a former office space in Lower Manhattan.
2017: FashionUnited, citing WWD, reported a valuation of about $1.1 billion, made up of $1 billion in equity and $100 million in debt.
Caution: Neither figure was officially confirmed, so treat both as reported.

Why Did VF Buy Supreme, and Why Did It Sell?

Short answer: VF paid $2.1 billion in 2020 and sold for $1.5 billion in 2024, which is about $600 million less.

First, CNN reported the $2.1 billion deal in November 2020. Then, in July 2024, FashionUnited reported the $1.5 billion sale. In addition, Highsnobiety quoted a Bernstein analyst who said streetwear brands were seeing lower consumer engagement. However, none of these sources gives VF’s own reason, so we do not state one.

What Has Changed Under EssilorLuxottica?

Short answer: Its leaders pledged to preserve Supreme’s identity and direct sales model, and we found no announced change since.

The pledge: According to Highsnobiety, the CEO and deputy CEO said they would work to preserve the brand’s identity, fully direct commercial approach, and customer experience.
Positioning: FashionUnited reports that Supreme will have its own place within the company’s private label portfolio.
Speculation: Highsnobiety’s author suggested possible changes, such as slower expansion, but none was announced.
Reporting: The company’s Q3 2026 revenue release does not mention Supreme.

For the brand’s current direction, see is Supreme dead and Supreme FW24.

Who Runs Supreme Day to Day?

Short answer: James Jebbia is reported to still manage Supreme, though VF bought out his stake in 2020.

According to Wikipedia, Jebbia continues to manage the business and is listed as founder and CEO. It also says the brand had 17 stores as of July 2024. However, we could not confirm any leadership changes after that, so check Supreme’s official channels for the current team.

Does Ownership Change How You Buy Supreme?

Short answer: Not so far, because Supreme still sells directly through its own stores and website, plus resale.

Retail: Buy from Supreme’s own channels. See where to buy Supreme.
Resale: Prices vary by item and demand. See reselling Supreme.
Automation: Some buyers use tools on competitive drops. See Supreme bots and Supreme proxies, and check the store’s terms first.
Brand context: See streetwear brands and where Supreme is made.

Bottom Line: Who Owns Supreme?

Short answer: EssilorLuxottica owns Supreme, and Jebbia is reported to still run it.

In short, ownership has changed three times since 1994, but the direct sales model has stayed. As a result, recheck the official sources for any news after October 2026.

Who Owns Supreme FAQ

Who owns Supreme?

EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear company behind Ray-Ban, owns Supreme. According to its <a href=”https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/02/2956685/0/en/EssilorLuxottica-Completes-Acquisition-of-Supreme-from-VF-Corporation.html” rel=”noopener”>October 2, 2024 press release</a>, it closed the purchase from VF Corporation for a $1.5 billion cash base price, subject to customary adjustments. However, the brand still runs its own stores and website.

Does VF Corporation still own Supreme?

No. VF Corporation owned Supreme from 2020 until it sold the brand to EssilorLuxottica. CNN reported VF’s $2.1 billion purchase in November 2020, and the sale to EssilorLuxottica closed on October 2, 2024. As a result, VF no longer has any ownership stake in the brand.

Does the Carlyle Group still own part of Supreme?

No. Carlyle’s stake dates to 2017, and VF bought Supreme in 2020, so Carlyle is no longer listed as an owner. FashionUnited, citing WWD, reported that the stake was 50% for about $500 million. However, no official figure was published, so treat the size as reported.

How much did EssilorLuxottica pay for Supreme?

It paid a $1.5 billion cash base price, subject to customary adjustments. That is about $600 million less than the $2.1 billion VF agreed to pay in 2020. In addition, the final amount may differ because of those adjustments, which the release does not detail.

Is James Jebbia still involved with Supreme?

Yes, according to Wikipedia, which says Jebbia continues to manage the business and lists him as founder and CEO. However, it also says VF bought out Jebbia and the outside investors in 2020. Therefore, he leads the brand but is not listed as an owner.

Is Supreme owned by Ray-Ban?

Not exactly, but they share a parent company. EssilorLuxottica owns Ray-Ban and, since October 2024, Supreme. Highsnobiety described the purchase as the company’s first apparel brand. Therefore, Supreme sits beside the eyewear brands rather than under any one of them.

Why did VF sell Supreme?

The sources we checked do not state VF’s reasons. They do show the sale price fell about $600 million from VF’s 2020 purchase price. In addition, a Bernstein analyst quoted by Highsnobiety said streetwear brands were seeing lower consumer engagement. As a result, any single reason is speculation.

Does EssilorLuxottica report Supreme’s sales?

Not in the release we checked. EssilorLuxottica’s Q3 2026 revenue release, dated October 20, 2026, does not mention Supreme. Therefore, public brand-level sales figures are not available there. Check the company’s annual report for any later disclosure.

Does the owner change how you buy Supreme?

Not so far, because EssilorLuxottica pledged to preserve Supreme’s fully direct commercial approach. That means you still buy from Supreme’s own stores and website, or on resale. However, check the official site for current drop details before you plan a purchase.

How Was This Guide Verified?

Short answer: We checked the ownership timeline against dated sources on October 26, 2026, and we label what could not be confirmed.

Method: We took the 2024 closing from the EssilorLuxottica release, the 2024 and 2017 deals from FashionUnited, the 2020 deal from CNN, and management details from Wikipedia and Highsnobiety.
Could not be verified: Carlyle’s stake size and the 2017 valuation were reported by WWD but never officially confirmed. CNN’s article misdates the Carlyle purchase as 2007, so we used FashionUnited’s 2017 report. In addition, Jebbia’s current role comes from Wikipedia, and the Business of Fashion and WWD pages did not load.
Update log, October 26, 2026: We rewrote the guide around a sourced timeline. In addition, we removed the product promotion, the unsourced market-cap claim, and the growth predictions.

Sources