Five Things - Brendon Babenzien
5 things - 5 pertinent questions posed to prominent protagonists. A means to seek opinion and the truth. A window to the soul.
Brendon Babenzien is a native New Yorker and founder and CEO of environmentally conscious street wear brand Noah. Previous to this Babenzien served time with Don Busweiler at streetwear OG brand PERVERT in the 1990’s and went on to become Creative Director of Supreme for a tenure of almost a decade. A humble man who notoriously remains behind the scenes - a quiet conscious visionary who chooses his words and moves carefully. Noah was created from a passion for skate, surf and music and a desire to curate and manifest a brand delivering integrity and originality with every piece made in a responsible way. Noah currently trades out of two flagship stores in NYC and Tokyo and occupies permanent spaces in DSM London and LA
What was the moment that changed your world ?
Lately, I feel like Ive been going through so much change that my world is altered daily. But the most recent truly life altering moment was the birth of my daughter. Actually, my world changed before she even arrived. Its fairly obvious that your world will change when you have a child, but my world changed in ways I didnt expect. I literally found it difficult to make decisions that I knew might have a negative impact on the world in the future. The idea of having a child played a huge role in my decision to begin Noah and do my best to use it to make some positive change.
Where in the world is your physical and spiritual home ?
I can't believe Im about to say this but the beaches and bays of Long Island make me feel completely satisfied. Ive traveled all over the world and have seen lots of beautiful places. But I still rank the NY beaches and waterways as some of the best anywhere. I could probably extend it to most of the Northeast in reality but I know the Long Island beaches better than anywhere. The ocean here has given me so much fun over the years. I live in Brooklyn and wouldn't really choose anywhere else but Id be completely empty if I couldnt access the sea.
What does the world need now ?
Empathy
Who and what rocks your world ?
People who don't have fears. Or maybe better yet, people with fears who have the courage to overcome those fears anyway.
How do you use the world to inspire your creative process?
The world is the creative driving force. Everyone draws from the world what they want or need. In my case, its incredibly simple; we do our best to honestly present ideas and things that are important to us. The world has given us incredible things to talk about: music, surfing, skating, running, art, etc. In our case, unfortunately, the world also gives us great problems and tragedies that need to be addressed; we draw from that as well, not as a creative component, but as a responsibility.
