Brents Sportswear Drops 30 Year Old Deadstock Supreme Sweatshirts

Once reserved purely for athletic pursuits, the humble sweatshirt has become a wardrobe staple and one of the most iconic items of clothing to ever come out of America.

The sheer versatility of base-coloured, cotton mid-layers is what makes them so great and in the early 90’s - when Supreme was closer to collaborating with its local pizza shop than high end brands like Louis Vuitton - it decided that sweatshirts and adjacent variants would become a core component of their catalogue.

When Supreme founder James Jebbia sought a supplier to undertake his vision of creating the “perfect sweatshirts”, Stephen Brents’ namesake manufacturing company was the only choice.

After meeting at Stüssy‘s NYC outpost back in ‘92, Stephen and James collaborated on what Brents claims are some of “the most iconic sweatshirts in streetwear history”.

Production of some of the earliest Supreme sweatshirts in 1993 - 1994 generated a surplus of original, unused deadstock pieces.

Much to the delight of Supreme collectors & archivists, these original sweats and hoodies are being released by Brents as a highly limited capsule collection, offering a chance to pick up a piece of streetwear history.

In light of this special release, we picked the brain of Stephen Brents on his history with Supreme, his thoughts on fast fashion and why modern clothing is incomparable to vintage.

Please could you give us a short intro into yourself and why this collection of sweatshirts is so important?

“Wow. I started working in a garment factory in 1973 and have been in the business ever since. So many ups & downs along the way I’d need to write a book to cover it all. It has been amazing, though. I met James in 1992 at the Stüssy shop in NYC and we discussed the Supreme concept and Brents doing private label production for Supreme. The designs for the sweats were reproductions of original vintage 40’s and 50’s sweatshirts.”

”These sweatshirts define a special era in time for Brents.“

Did you know back then what Supreme would become today? What was it like to be around the brand at its genesis?

“Gosh no! I had no clue that Supreme would be the brand that it is today. It is amazing and fortunate that Brents is part of the Supreme success story. James and I spoke almost daily about anything and everything that had to do with the product we were making for Supreme. James was demanding in quality, fit, label placement and packaging. Whenever we would make a mistake or something fell through the cracks, James would explicitly say “this is not rocket science, Stephen!”

“Those were very good times.”

Untouched for 30 years, Brents’ high profile “re-release” is an opportunity for streetwear enjoyers to obtain a genuine piece of the culture’s history, described as “a testament to craftsmanship and a reflection of two brands that shaped the streetwear movement.”

Why did it take so long to get your hands on the stock?

“The goods were part of a larger inventory of various Brents items we had in Crocket Texas at Earl’s Apparel. Earl Beard, the owner, and I had a disagreement, and I walked away from the goods 30+ years ago. Earl has since passed away and we recently came to terms with the Beard family and took possession of the goods a few months ago.“

Available in light grey, dark grey or navy, Brents has four style of sweatshirt on offer - the , , and .

Do you agree that the general quality in clothes has declined over the years? If so, why do you think this is the case?

“Yes, there is fast fashion today, wear it one or two times and discard. Factories in the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s had what is defined as the ’puritan work ethic’ - a concept that emphasises hard work, diligence and frugality.“

“I am happy to report that a few of those factories are still running that same beautiful production.”

A far cry from today’s route of outsourcing production followed by most major brands, Brents’ lineup of sweats and hoodies is made entirely in the U.S.A, constructed from a 95/5 cotton / polyester blend chosen by Stephen and James for its anti-shrinking, long-lasting properties when compared to 100% cotton examples. The 12oz fleece material takes inspiration from hard-wearing vintage examples, bolstered by reinforced seams, longer cuffs, pit gussets and v-stitching at the neck.

The 535 zip hoodie (Stephen’s favourite) also features era-appropriate, exposed pocket stitching and aluminium zippers.

Why do you think vintage items such as these are so sought after?

“Probably the sewing construction, by which I mean the craftsmanship that went into the garments. There was no automatic pocket setters or welt machines, and every garment was a signature piece.“

What is your favourite era for vintage clothing and how does it make you feel seeing Japan carry the torch for Americana?

“Being a child of the 50’s and 60’s, my favourite era for vintage is 40’ and 50’s. Brents has been doing business with the Japanese since 1983 and the Brents brand is licensed in Japan on a nonexclusive basis. I have the ultimate respect for the passion the Japanese have for Americana.“

With limited sizes remaining, Brents’ deadstock sweatshirt collection is available to shop now via .

Keep an eye on as they look to restart production on sweatshirts and vintage-style tubular tees that are expected to go live early next year.