A Los Angeles Family Affair in NOAH SS24
Of all the internationally-known streetwear-ish brands, NOAH is easily the most approachable. Or at least it feels that way. Founder Brendan Babenzian pours a lot of himself (and his peers) into every seasonal collection, lookbook, drop, and collaboration. Like, they're almost always accompanied by an in-depth explanation, even when none is required.
As such, only NOAH could've conceived of its own Spring/Summer 2024 campaign.
Accompanying the brand's initial SS24 drop on February 8, NOAH's seasonal campaign highlights a cast of Los Angeles-based pals. This ties in with the collection's theme, drawn from Long Island-born Babenzian's dreams of visiting the West Coast.
"To a young kid dealing with cold weather, rain, and snow for chunks of the year, it looked like the streets [of LA] were paved with gold and life was absolutely perfect," he says in the collection notes. "Seemed almost mythical."
As such, NOAH Spring/Summer 2024 is rich with sunny summer shirts, beachy corduroy caps, no-brainer crewneck sweaters, and ankle-length jeans, the sorta versatile stuff that only makes sense in the Golden State's mild warmer seasons.
There's a bit of NOAH's distinctive stylistic inclinations throughout — Italian-made linen suits scratch J.Crew menswear creative director Babenzian's sartorial itch, leopard-patterned cardigans reflect punkish flair — but it's all grounded in sheer wearability.
Nothing here necessitates complex styling, nothing here is unfamiliar, but all of it is right at home in the Californian wardrobe of Babenzian's dreams.
But that's the clothes.
The main event is the accompanying campaign, a beautifully-shot celebration of NOAH's Los Angeles-based friends.
Some of the names are recognizable: designer and Jordan Brand collaborator Melody Ehsani, UNION LA overseers Chris and Bephie Gibbs. Some are insider-y, like Western Hydrodynamic Research founder Pat Towersy. And some are just locals whose relationship to NOAH is known only to them.
And that's just fine, because all a solid campaign really needs is good vibes.
