In September, designer Brendon Babenzien and director Michael Power will launch their boat shoe collection, Aprix. We’ve known Brendon for a while working for Supreme, An Earnest Cut and Sew, and his own line, Noah, so we decided to find out more about his first endeavor into footwear.
Name and age:
Brendon Babenzien/35 Michael Power/36
Where are you from?
Long Island, NY, South Shore
How long have you lived in New york?
My whole life basically with a couple of years back and forth between Miami Beach and NY.
Tell us about your beginnings in designing menswear.
I started working at a surf/skate shop when I was 13. I became one of the buyers there and basically became a young Stussy kid. My friend Don Busweiller started a company called Pervert and I eventually started working with him and got my first attempt at design.
After that, I moved on to Supreme, and eventually began my own line called Noah.
You have designed for Supreme, An Earnest Cut and Sew and as you mentioned, your own line, Noah, each varying slightly in aesthetic and market. How have your experiences at each of these brands differed?
I’m pleading the 5th on this one.
For which brands are your current focus?
I am currently the designer at Supreme and I still do Noah in a very small way each season. Aprix is a design partnership with Michael Power. We collaborate on all of our designs.
Congrats on Aprix, is it exclusively footwear or will there also be clothing?
It wil begin as just shoes but we have plans in the future to go into accessores like bags and eyewear. We do not have any plans to do clothing. There is pleny of good things out there already.
Is Aprix you first foray in designing shoes?
More or less, yes.
On the Aprix website, “Comfort, Style and Tradition” are named as paramount to the brand and you’ve mentioned being inspired by the outdoors for past collections. What’s the thought process behind recreating such a classic style of footwear?
Its pretty simple, really. Neither Michael or myself are very interested in trends. We always gravitate toward classic things. Often we cannot find what we want though, so we just decided to do it oursleves. It is very important to us though, that the shoes we make stand the test of time. I want people to be wearing these years after they get them.
As a menswear designer, what kind of challenges have you faced while trying to define your classic, yet subtle indie branding to buyers and shops?
I think a couple of years ago it was something that was hard to sell but it seems now, more and more people undeerstand it. Lately, I have been trying to stay out of my own way when talking about the brands and just let the stuff speak for itself and hope people like it.
What’s your experience designing for women been like so far?
I don’t really have any. I made a dress for my wife that I was pretty proud of but thats where it stopped.
What are your plans for Aprix?
We want to grow the line at a natural pace. Basically only introducing new styles as they seem necessary. That’s the short term. For the long term, we want to have our own Americas Cup team one day. A tad ambitious maybe but you have to have goals.
Which retailers will be carrying Aprix boat shoes and when will they be in stores?
Nom de Guerre in NY and they will be available in September.
How many styles and colorways will be available?
One style in three colorways for now and then 3 more styles in ‘08.
Visit them online for more info: www.aprixsport.com
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