“So what’s your story? What are you into?” These aren’t questions you expect the former creative director of Supreme to ask during an interview that’s supposed to focus on his latest venture, but Brendon Babenzien’s all-consuming curiosity has always informed his entire trajectory. It’s how he found early success working in a surf shop, which served as a hub for a community’s constant exchange and development of ideas. It’s what drove him to move to Miami and work on the highly-influential brand Pervert. His endless questioning is what he brought to Supreme in the mid-’90s, and what was behind the first iteration of Noah, which launched in 2002. After shuttering around 2007, the last eight years of Supreme gear have acted as a canvas for the new interests and things Babenzien’s learned because of ever-expanding interests and the desire to always dive deeper.
For one and a half decades, the Long Island native stood at the creative helm of Supreme, a position of unprecedented influence over the streetwear world and the subcultures tangential to the revered label. His designs have consistently created online and IRL frenzy, turning countless men and women into unabashed fanatics and re-defining the notion of hype, all while simultaneously progressing what streetwear could even mean. And then, earlier this year, it was announced that Babenzien would be leaving Supreme to re-launch Noah.
With the resurrection of his brand Noah, Babenzien is hoping to create a space and time in which people make the effort to explore the types of questions he’s been asking since his surf shop days, and to seek out a deeper understanding of their own and others’ pursuits. It’s a gigantic challenge, but after spending a short amount of time with Babenzien, his genuine passion for this goal is nothing short of infectious. Besides, can you really doubt the mind behind 15 years of Supreme product?
Noah is a return to the designer's personal roots, serving up an aesthetic that’s directly inspired by the guys who did it all back in East Islip: surfers, fisherman, skaters, sailors, clammers, etc. But here’s the thing: Babenzien’s goal with Noah is to encourage, cajole, and support people going well beyond the aesthete.
Again, it’s definitely a challenge, but from May 21 to May 28, Babenzien is taking a first step by hosting a pop-up shop in tandem with Union Los Angeles at The Supermarket, located at 393 Broadway in Manhattan. For that week and leading into the fall, Babenzien’s central aim with Noah is to help foster a community of active participants who will enable one another to progress collectively and individually. So how can you join in? You could start off by sharing your story with him. Here’s his.
