Exploring the Concept of Contemporary and Its Challenges

Brendon Babenzien offers a look into his trajectory from a skateboarder immersed in the alternative music scene between Long Island and New York City to the forefront of fashion. His journey is a testament to his unique cultural access and entrepreneurial spirit. Inspired by the convergence of hip-hop, punk, new wave, and rave cultures during his teenage years, Babenzien recognized early on that the future lay outside mainstream culture. His skateboarding roots instilled a sense of belonging in the cultural periphery, a theme he later translated into the foundational ethos of his brand Noah, a staple in the New York menswear luxury realm.

Babenzien discusses his evolution, from his early days at Supreme in 1996 to the launch of Noah in 2002 to the present moment, which is, for him, marked by a commitment to ethics over aesthetics, emphasizing sustainable business practices. He views creative direction as not merely about premium clothing design but the creativity involved in building a well-intentioned business.

Babenzien encapsulates his philosophy—fusing style with substance, challenging mainstream culture, and championing a future where conscious choices redefine contemporary values.

Episode Highlights:

• Upbringing: Growing up skating and in the alternative music scene between Long Island and New York City, a serendipitous meeting in Babenzien’s teenage years with Don Busweiler ultimately led to his interest in fashion. 
• Cultural access: Babenzien’s proximity to surf and skate cultures coincided with a “unique window of time where there was a lot of firsts.” Hip-hop, punk, new wave, and rave culture made an impression on him as a teenager. 
• “This stuff we’re into is the future”: he recognized from an early age that scenes outside the mainstream culture were the future and capitalized on that reality. 
• Skateboarding culture and being a “freak”: Babenzien locates the importance of making meaningful friendships that cultivate a sense of belonging, even on the cultural periphery. 
• Building a brand: He doesn’t consider creative direction to be “terribly creative,” arguing that the business infrastructure and upkeep takes a more creative toll than clothing design. 
• An organic process: living in and near New York City culture in a combination of subcultural worlds naturally lent itself to fashion design and product marketing, especially when he felt represented by certain brands, like Stussy.
• Joining Supreme in 1996, Babenzein had the cultural references to create a certain style but had to learn the business management and operation as he went along
• From underground to mainstream: speaking on how street style has infiltrated the luxury sector and mainstream fashion, Babenzein says that while he himself is always looking for growth and the next thing, his ethos of earning access comes from his skate roots.
• Ethics over aesthetics: Babenzein’s idea of what’s punk has evolved over the years, moving from rebelliousness to real action, which informed his establishment of Noah, a brand existing “intersection of lifestyle and fashion.”
• “A long arc”: Babenzein spent two decades learning about the intersection of environment and fashion business in the process of launching Noah. “There wasn't so much an aha moment, as it was this slow build to get there.”
• Future-forward: Babenzein cites getting married and having a child as moments when he knew the importance of sustainability.
• Luxury and sustainability: Noah garments comes at high price point to reflect the premium quality and ethical standards set in place for factory workers.
• “I'm not Yohji”: As a creative director of a brand with simple collections Babenzein sees Noah’s value in the idea behind the label rather than in the clothing itself.
• On J.Crew: Babenzein likes that the scale of the brand and its resources enable him to produce clothing at an accessible price point and that he brings to the company a transformed idea of internal culture.

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