Colorado college student to bring Supreme resale marketplace to L.A.

Never underestimate the business savvy and passion of a Supreme fan. Take 20-year-old Zachary Dorf, who used to consistently camp outside Supreme’s New York store, while still in high school, just so he could get his hands on the latest drops.

That devotion grew a social media fan base that later evolved into a business bringing together vendors and consumers of Supreme and other coveted streetwear brands to buy and trade, called Solepreme Con.

Saturday, Dorf brings Solepreme to Los Angeles for the first time, on Cahuenga Boulevard, for five hours of buying, selling and trading of brands such as Supreme, Off-White, Gucci and Raf Simons.

Dorf, whose father owns the winery and music venue City Winery, estimates the West Coast show, totaling some 40 vendors, will draw attendees about on par with New York, which has been about 1,000 people. He’s charging $25 for general admission in addition to $119 for a single vendor table.

Back in his teens, the University of Colorado Boulder student, who is studying entrepreneurship, would typically be one of the first 10 customers inside the Supreme store on drop days. Aside from garnering Instagram followers through his dedication, Dorf would sometimes gain insider information on drops.

When he and five others decided to sell items from their Supreme collections, their Lower East Side pop-up drew a line starting at 6 a.m. Dorf alone generated some $33,000 in sales in about four hours. That was the start of Solepreme. Dorf has since held a total of four events in New York along with one in London. He said the next show is likely to be held in the winter.

“I do my shows in the same cities where Supreme has stores,” Dorf said of his strategy. “Supreme really picks where they open carefully so I follow their lead because wherever they open a store, that’s where they’re going to have 1,000 people camping out.”

The Los Angeles event, for the first time, will integrate cannabis-related brands and includes a performance from New York rapper Don Q.