2005 Supreme Raekwon Black Photo Tee

In 2005 Supreme initiated its world famous tradition of the iconic “Supreme Photo Tee” - what is now known as a coveted series of famous, influential and unique figures depicted on a t-shirt with the classic red on white box logo tee - all started with this first piece. The image was shot by Kenneth Capello - the same photographer behind the famous 2006 Dipset and 2007 Mike Tyson Campaigns. Seen on the image is Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon with a ‘tickle-me’ Elmo accompanied by his body guard who's holding an Uzi Gun in his right hand. Despite the tee being a huge success - the ‘Sesame Street’ legal team quickly took offence to the image of Elmo with an Uzi Gun and filed a lawsuit resulting in the instant removal of the merchandise. Supreme was still a relatively small company at the time. They did not have a website therefore the small quantity of pieces was only limited to their New York, Los Angeles and Japanese stores. 17 years later - its become extremely hard to come across one of the pieces released during their first photo tee campaign. The removal of a part of the merchandise, the small quantities and the age all make this piece more scarce. It is a true museum piece that encapsulates an important moment in streetwear history.