Brendon Babenzian Talks Life After Supreme, Noah and High Expectations

VICE recently caught up with former Supreme creative director, Brendon Babenzian, to discuss his movements after parting ways with the iconic streetwear brand, his new imprint Noah, and how he is reluctant to “push tons of crap.” Enlightening and informative, the interview hints at Brabenzian’s frustrations with the high expectations placed upon him, and suggests that he is keen to be judged on his own output, rather than the legacy he has built with Supreme.

During Babenzian’s time as Supreme’s creative director, the highest creative position at a fashion house, the brand became the most intensely coveted men’s clothing label in the world. The notoriously secretive company is owned by its founder, James Jebbia, who appears more focused on management than day-to-day product design. Quietly, Babenzian helped turn a little shop into an empire. He also pulled off a strange feat: selling millions of dollars of clothing steeped in anti-consumerist, anti-capitalist messaging to hordes of frenzied consumers. (Supreme can no longer sell certain sneakers at its store due to threat of a literal riot, and there’s even a store that exclusively sells sold out items from the brand at an inflated rate.) In recent interviews, in preparation for the opening of his own clothing store, Babenzian has been fixed on one idea in particular: that the clothing you wear might not be crucial and, at worst, might distract from what really matters. “I’d like my customers to take away the idea that what they do is more important than what they wear,” he told the New York Observer. GQ categorized his ideal customer as “[someone] who has a fulfilling life outside of buying new clothes.” To Details, he said, “[Life is] really about going out and doing stuff. And being connected to the world around you, not just looking good.” Incidentally, the clothes do make you look good. They’re simple but tasteful, ideal for gracefully aging former skaters who can no longer wear clothes that say “fuck” on them. They’re for skaters or streetwear enthusiasts who’ve found more lucrative ways of living. Noah doesn’t make, according to Babenzian, “bugged-out designs,” i.e., the stuff Supreme puts out that gets its buyers called into the principal’s office and asked to turn their shirts inside out. I asked him if his store and philosophy was connected to the mindset that fuels the famous lines that form outside of Supreme each time new items are released. “Noah is a reaction to that—frenetic consumer behavior and the idea that you need to own so much stuff. But it’s not just Supreme—it’s society in general. It’s the lines outside the Apple Store, the lines outside of restaurants. It’s consumption being out of control.” He paused and thought for a second. “You know, there’s a fucking incredible conflict going on here. I’m personally conflicted. Because I make clothes. [And sell them.] But the thing is, clothes are just an extension of what matters.” He paused again and looked around the store. “We’re not trying to push tons of crap. If it appeals to you, buy it. But if you’re buying it because VICE says it’s cool, don’t.” (The clothing is cool.)

Read more from Babenzian over on VICE and head here for more information on Noah.