A great deal of streetwear brands require very little thought to make sense of what they’re about. Whether it be loud graphics, baggy cuts or an over-reliance on obscure patterns, usually it only takes one look at a brand’s current collection to tell you exactly how they want to be perceived. Grunge, skate, vintage-inspired, whatever.
Some streetwear brands, though, require a little more observation – a bit of a closer look. And with NOAH, this is undoubtedly the case.
Originally founded in 2002 and revived in 2015 after a thirteen-year hiatus, NOAH is rarely discussed in isolation…
It’s almost impossible to talk about NOAH without mentioning another NYC heavyweight: Supreme.
The tether between both brands is NOAH’s founder, Brendon Babenzien, who served as Supreme’s creative and design director from 1996 to 2004, took a short break, and then returned from 2006 to 2014. Babenzien’s career has always had a rhythm of comings and goings — but thankfully, his second chapter with NOAH is still very much in motion.
To understand NOAH, you’ve first got to understand how Babenzien was shaped by his time at Supreme.
When he originally joined in 1996, Supreme was still in its infancy, having only opened its Lafayette store two years prior. The brand was a creative melting pot of skateboarding, music and an infatuation with conceptual art – all passions Babenzien shared. It was here, immersed in Supreme’s early culture, that he honed his design skills and was given free rein to experiment, building on ideas first sparked as a teenager working in a Long Island surf-skate shop.
After seven years working closely with James Jebbia to push Supreme deeper into the streetwear conversation, Babenzien stepped away. But not for long. And it was in this initial break from Supreme that he began laying the groundwork for NOAH.
After a year or so producing NOAH’s first collection, a culmination of nautical, workwear & prep influences, Babenzien debuted his label at New York Fashion Week. In an article with Esquire, he described that time with NOAH as: ‘I had no money, and it was a mess, but it was interesting and cool, and people liked it.‘
It wasn’t perfect, but it certainly had potential. Still, it became clear NOAH needed more time.
So back to Supreme Babenzien went, where he’d see out another seven or so years, this time accompanying the brand alongside its meteoric rise to the forefront of 2010s hypebeast hysteria. Those that are really into the brand will quickly tell you that some of the best Supreme product was produced in this Babenzien stint – North Face collaborations, floral trench coats, cowboy print work jackets – the boy from Long Island had hit his stride, and the world of streetwear was loving it.
Once again, though, the time to leave Supreme came calling. This time in 2015, Babenzien was now a far more mature & refined version of himself than he was in 2004, and so was his concept for NOAH. Where the designs for the original collection were somewhat disjointed, this time, there was a clear and coherent vision. Workwear and prep silhouettes were adorned with tasteful branding, graphics and patterns that could be dressed up or down. Suitable both for days rolling around Tompkins Square Park or evenings traversing SoHo.
A core idea behind the relaunch – and every collection since – is that age shouldn’t dictate what you wear. Babenzien has spoken about the generational divide he felt growing up, and how, today, that line feels blurrier. He’s got a point: the skate and surf kids of the ’80s and ’90s are grown-ups now, but they’re still expressing themselves through what they wear.
How does this inform what NOAH’s clothes look like? Well, there’s a mature, quiet edginess that cuts across demographics. You’re just as likely to see a 16-year-old skater in NOAH as you are a 40-year-old Smiths fan. Whereas Supreme boldly says ‘fuck you’ NOAH subtly raises the finger. There’s a definite attitude, but it’s much more dialled down, and for the average person, this makes the clothing much more wearable.
NOAH is Babenzien in his true form, not just in cultural references, but also in regards to thoughts & attitudes on sustainability & politics. Not only does NOAH strive to be as sustainable a streetwear brand as it can, but it has also spoken out time and time again about the damage being done to our planet by climate change, as well as other cultural and societal issues. NOAH’s blog doesn’t just exist to express what the brand’s about, but also as a platform to raise money for causes such as Generation Citizen and ACLU.
As stated at the start of this article, talking about NOAH and not Supreme is hard, but the truth is they’re two very different brands.
Some critics have argued that NOAH doesn’t take as many risks as Supreme did under Babenzien’s creative lead. But that evolution feels natural. As Babenzien matured, so did his vision for NOAH. Now, after a decade of consistent, thoughtful output, it’s clear NOAH is here to stay — thanks to Babenzien’s creativity, direction, and, of course, those formative years at Supreme.
So, while it’s true that NOAH might not be as in-your-face as other streetwear brands, the reality is that it just requires a little more observation to understand it.
The latest SS25 collection continues in that same spirit: considered, sustainably made pieces with a quiet confidence that speaks to a broad audience. In celebration of ten years of NOAH, our top picks from SEVEN STORE are below.
