No, seriously, let’s be 100% real here: What exactly is the point of these Supreme chocolate bars? Apart from eating them, that is. If so, I could very well save my precious pennies for Hershey’s Cookies ’n’ Cream bar, which can be bought, very conveniently, from my nearest Fairprice.
In case you’re unsure about this strange trend, the ever popular skater streetwear brand now has their own sweet treats, courtesy of chocolatier CocoAndré in collaboration with retailer Black Market USA. And as usual, with the Supreme logo emblazoned across the entire bar. Needless to say, these bars sold out in a finger snap when they were released earlier this year, and you can probably guess who were the store’s biggest customers (my bets are on streetwear junkies).
Now, don’t get me wrong here. I do appreciate the artistry behind chocolate making; and I know how much technical knowledge and creativity is needed to perfect a single piece of chocolate artwork. And truth be told, for me, part of the regular folk, it’s not every day that I actually have the wallet capacity to shell out on artisanal chocolate. I’m not ashamed to admit that the Merci bars that can be bought from the grocers satisfy me just as much as the $1 ice cream cone from McDonald’s. And perhaps if I’m feeling slightly more luxurious, I might just treat myself to a prettily packaged box of Godiva or Royce. But even so, chocolate is chocolate — I mean I do marvel at the difference in packaging; the ones from specialist stores compared to the mass produced kinds; I do savour the disparity in taste and indulge in the supposed luxurious experience that comes with enjoying a bar from artisan chocolate brands. At the end of the day, I guess my biggest takeaway is perhaps a wider knowledge on the types of chocolate available, which do hold some bragging rights, but ultimately means little (to nothing) to me.
In their defence, I do see the effort in perfecting a chocolate heel. Screenshot taken from cocoandre.com
Here’s where I take offence with these Supreme chocolate bars. For one, they aren’t going to come cheap — that’s for sure — a Louboutin-inspired heel costs upwards of US$60, so that should already set the bar of how much Supreme-inspired chocolate would go for. And then comes the real talk: Do people who actually buy these chocolate, know about chocolate? Or are they just buying it “in the name of streetwear” — just like how Supreme has, for some reason, managed to charm its fans into buying bricks. Bricks that were sold at US$30 a piece. Bricks with a Supreme label stamped on. Bricks that actually sold out. BRICKS.
P.S. There were people who sold these bricks for US$1,000 on eBay. Just so you know.
A quick Google search and you’d be directed to a couple of articles that try to unravel the “deeper meaning” behind Supreme’s brick. Whatever reasoning it may be, even if the biggest streetwear brand at the moment was pulling a mockery at how people were willing to purchase anything that the brand pushes out, the fact that the consumers are the ones being played stays. A Supreme skateboard works, a Supreme hoodie works, a Supreme tee works — because their apparel embodies what the brand actually stands for. But a Supreme brick? Just… no.
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And now, back to the chocolate. Granted that these might rank higher on the level of practicality (do they really though…) than the awful bricks since you could… um, eat them, they are still incredibly unnecessary. If it gives you such great pleasure biting into a Supreme-labelled bar of chocolate that you totally forget to consult the price for before cashing your moolah right in, well, by all means, bon appétit. Supreme may not have anything to do with the making of these sweet treats — and honestly, they don’t have to. It doesn’t have to take a bespoke chocolatier to make a brand-inspired chocolate and up-sell it to ignorant consumers. Hershey’s could totally have a collaboration with the streetwear brand, and have a $1.50 bar sold at $150, and people will still buy it. I wouldn’t be a single bit surprised.
By Chelsea Tang
Header Image: @cocoandre_chocolatier IG
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