Samsung China has defended its collaboration with Supreme Italia following uproar online that the tech giant had partnered with a "knock-off" of the brand Supreme NYC.

Samsung China announces it partnership with Supreme at the launch of the Galaxy A8s in Beijing on Monday, December 10, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

The controversial collaboration was announced at the launch of the Samsung Galaxy A8s on Monday in Beijing. According to the announcement, the first product to come from the partnership is expected to be released in 2019. Supreme will also open a seven-story flagship store in Beijing, and will hold a runway show at Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center next year.

Following the announcements, the New York-based streetwear brand Supreme has issued a statement that said "Supreme is not working with Samsung, opening a flagship location in Beijing or participating in a Mercedes-Benz runway show. These claims are blatantly false and propagated by a counterfeit organization."

A screenshot showing Leo Lau, Samsung China's digital marketing manager, defending the company's collaboration with Supreme Italia. [Screenshot: weibo.com]

Leo Lau, Samsung China's manager of digital marketing, defended the company's decision. "We are cooperating with Supreme Italia, not Supreme NYC. Supreme NYC has no sales and marketing authorization in China but Supreme Italia has obtained product sales and market authorizations in the Asia Pacific region (except Japan)," he said in a Sina Weibo post that has since been deleted.

Based in the town of Barletta, Supreme Italia won a counterfeiting case against its New York-based rival in Italy this summer, in a decision that cemented the company's legal standing in Italy.