Damien Hirst and Supreme Reunite
Image © Supreme / Damien Hirst 2025
Damien Hirst
657 works
If ever there were an artist who could testify to the proverb “any press is good press,” it would be Damien Hirst. From his often grotesque and cerebral early works which catapulted him to fame, to his self-indulgent works like For The Love Of God, Hirst's works have always toed the line between conceptual genius and commercial success. Now, the British artist has returned for another collaboration with American streetwear giant Supreme. While the drop sees Hirst's iconic animal works emblazoned across mock football shirts, puffer coats, caps, and skateboards, it raises an important question: is this an innovative recontextualisation of his art, or just another example of an artist relentlessly capitalising on past success?
Image © Supreme / Damien Hirst Jumper 2025The entire Spring 2025 collaboration hinges on two of Hirst's most famous sculptures: The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (1991) and Black Sheep with Golden Horns (2009). These works, critically lauded then and now as symbols of existentialism and the fragility of life, are now being printed and mass-manufactured for Supreme's dedicated entourage of “hype beasts”. Hirst has always played with the fickle idea of value in the art world - what makes an object ‘art’ and who or what determines its worth? - but when his most conceptually boundary-pushing pieces become wearable commodities, does this elevate the accessibility of his art, or diminish its significance?
There's no denying that Hirst has, in many ways, oversaturated his own market. His prolific production, from countless Spot paintings churned out by his assistants to limited edition NFTs, has left some collectors questioning whether his brand has become more important than his art.
Image © Supreme / Damien Hirst Shirts 2025The new collaboration includes puffer jackets, wool sweaters, tops, and painter jeans, all featuring all-over prints of Hist's shark and sheep. Skate decks, bearing the artworks on the bottom and printed with the artist's signature and box logo on top, have already sold out. The entire collection will undoubtedly be a success, reflecting the power of Hirst's brand coupled with the influence of Supreme's carefully engineered scarcity model.
It's worth noting that Supreme has a long history of co-opting the work of major artists - from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Takashi Murakami. But Hirst's drop feels different. Unlike Basquiat, whose legacy was posthumously commercialised, or Murakami, who deliberately operates at the intersection of art and consumer culture, Hirst was once enfant terrible of the art world; a Turner Prize-winning provocateur. Seeing his most famous motifs repurposed for skateboards and hoodies raises the uncomfortable question of whether he's selling out, or simply evolving with the times.
Image © Supreme / Damien Hirst Skate Deck 2025A Warholian Approach?
This isn't the first time Hirst has collaborated with Supreme. The artist has released numerous skate deck drops, featuring line-drawn sharks and his iconic Spot Paintings. The last time the pair collaborated was back in 2011, before digital platforms, resale markets, and limited-edition ‘drops’ began to truly dominate the world of high-end and luxury collectibles. Today, an artist's ability to generate hype has become just as crucial as their ability to create.
Hirst understands this better than most. His ongoing partnership with HENI mimics the same model Supreme has perfected. In many ways, he has become the modern-day Warhol - breaking down the barrier between ‘high art’ and mass culture, embracing commercialism, and challenging the traditional boundaries of artistic value.
Supreme's ability to turn limited-edition releases into cultural moments is undeniable. But as Hirst continues to blur the lines between art and consumer product, one has to wonder: where does he draw the line? Or, perhaps more crucially, does he even care? In an era where hype often dictates value, Hirst may simply be playing the game better than anyone else.
