Whenever you start a conversation about streetwear, Supreme is the obvious attention grabber. It would not be an understatement to say that Supreme is the originator of streetwear and started the hype that is so prevalent today. In recent years, streetwear has been dominating fashion, thanks to Supreme being second-to-none in churning out season after season of sold out quality products. However, Supreme’s true roots lie in skateboarding and NYC and has never been shy of professing its love for both. Unsurprisingly, there are other more low-key brands with their own unique identities that also hail from the Big Apple. Here are some of my favorite streetwear brands from NYC.
- Noah
Ushering in a new age of politically-active, conscious branding, Noah is at the forefront of infusing stylish clothing with social commentary. Noah’s founder, Brendon Babenzien, was previously the creative director of Supreme until 2015 when he left and established the brand. Noah is most known for its signature core logo hoodies, but it also sells trench coats that cost $1,200. This disparity can be explained by Noah’s commitment to quality, refreshing transparency, and individuality to the point of losing money. In the past, Noah has released clothing supporting Black Lives Matter, Robert Mueller, Smokey the Bear, relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey and Irma, Middle Eastern refugees, the Anti-Nazi League, the ACLU, and more, donating all the money raised to charities devoted to those causes in some cases. Noah even closed its physical and online store last year on Black Friday to protest excessive consumerism. Unlike other brands, Noah dares to take a stand and speak out.
2. Kith
Quickly establishing itself as one of the dominant brands on the list, Ronnie Fieg might be the king of collaborators. Ranging from surprising to elegant, Kith has pulled off the art of mastering collaborations. In 2018 alone, Kith teamed up with Nike, Coca-Cola, Levi’s, Bergdorf Goodman, Columbia, Mitchell & Ness. Kith Park demonstrated Kith’s flexibility in collaborating with luxury brands Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, and Greg Lauren. In just seven years, Kith has gone from a back alley shop to an international empire that commands respect. There’s no end in sight for Kith.
3. Awake NY
Angelo Baque leverages his background and the diversity of New York City to offer timelessly “woke” products. Since its launch in 2012, the former brand director for Supreme has consistently managed to capture the cultural vibrancy of the city and express his political sensibilities too. In addition to its logo tees, standouts include the Michelle Obama tee emblazoned with her slogan, “When they go low, we go high,” a Halloween tee designed with NY store Procell, and the recent Dover Street Market LA capsule hoodie.
4. Bianca Chandon
Bianca Jagger the singer. Olivier Chandon the racecar driver. Two figures who inspired founder Alex Olson’s love for the ’70s. Skateboarding is in Olson’s blood since he is the son of famous skateboarder Steve Olson. Bianca Chandon’s inception in 2013 has led to homages to underground skateboarding and campy imagery associated with the counterculture. The colorful streetwear and bold graphics really cannot be found elsewhere. Olson’s other brand, Call Me 917, is a more mainstream skateboarding brand that has its own skate shop merchandise and team of riders to give back to the community that gave him his start.
5. Aimé Leon Dore
It might be better to say ALD, founded in 2014, is a brand inspired by streetwear rather than being an actual streetwear brand itself due to its high price points and luxury items. Nonetheless, founder Teddy Santis keeps pulling off collections that embrace the sophisticated and gritty sides of the city. Santis recently announced that Aimé Leon Dore would finally be moving from its Mott Street location to a permanent flagship location. Even better, ALD showed off a sample Nike Air Force 1 Bespoke using polar fleece material made for its FW18 concept shop, a continuation of the custom Air Force 1 Bespoke with a different color scheme from the preceding year. Hopefully, this becomes an official collaboration.
6. Alltimers
Founded in 2013, this skateboarding brand has firmly entrenched itself in streetwear culture and likes to have a little fun, judging by its skateboard decks shaped like Ryan Gosling, Rihanna, Marisa Tomei, McNuggets, and Jenga blocks. Hit collaborations with adidas and Vans have helped the brand rise to fame. Founders Rob Harris and Pryce Holmes are clearly ready to take their brand to the next level.
7. Bronze 56K
Probably familiar to you for its collaborations with Palace and HUF, Bronze 56K has a devoted following due to its heavy emphasis on lo-fi ’90s graphics. What began as an inside joke between Peter Sidlauskas and Pat Murray in 2011 is now a full-fledged hardware company with its own skate team. Its fashion forward, retro designs are not only rocked by skaters anymore, so feel free to add something to your wardrobe.
Honorable Mentions: 10.Deep, Acapulco Gold, Alife, Only NY, Opening Ceremony, Paradis3, Saturdays NYC, SSUR, and Staple.
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