In Conversation with Noah Kantrowitz of Noah K. Studio
Fresh off the release of his sophomore SS26 collection at NYFW, The House Always Wins, Kantrowitz presents a body of work that reflects on a single truth: Here, chance is never free; luck is only a mirror. Every patron is both cat and mouse, always chasing, always chased. With this poetic framing, Kantrowitz transforms knitwear into a leauge of its very own.
Though his brand is still young, Kantrowitz’s vision has already caught the attention of icons. Collaborations and features with Madonna, CR Fashion Book, Vogue, PAPER, Eartheater, SZA, and Office Mag have quickly positioned him as a rising name to watch. Now, with The House Always Wins, he takes the next step in cementing his place on the NYFW stage.
Having a pseudo background in economics, are there any elements of math that are prevalent in the way you see fashion?
It is important to me that knitting is an additive process. With sewing, you cut out pattern pieces from yardage or bolts of fabric. A subtractive process in which you end with less material than you started with. However with knitting, you start with a single end, and through a network of interlocking loops; shapes, patterns, textures, and techniques form. Building up and out, it feels like true alchemy combining single material and mental ingredients to create something physically whole.
Do you have any reference points or tangible media that you find yourself looking back at?
I have 3 main pillars that I tend to orbit when considering my studio practice as a whole. Science Fiction, Eroticism /Fantasy, and Symmetry are my main tenets of design. Artists I see myself in conversation with are Dita Von Teese, HR Giger, Ursula K. Le Guin, and John Waters. All blended together feel like a wonderful cocktail of sex, irreverence, and dark beauty.
How do you interact with capitalism within your studio, art, and having to sell pieces?
I understand that I am operating as a brand, and entwined in a system where creativity and capitalism exist on two sides of the same coin, however, I want to keep acknowledging my creative practice in ways which affirm me first, and then let my cup fill over, letting gravity's natural force guide my work in both the physical and digital landscapes.
Noah K. Studio supports fantasy. Much of my work lives inside of a still image, which allows pieces and garments to feel that much more intangible. In some ways, yes, it is an absolute dogshit business model if you are looking at it through the lens of a commercial system, but I get excited knowing that I hold the keys to my own city, which is currently under construction. My brand sits off the main road of goods and services, but still visible for all those that are driving by.
It can feel frustrating when the future responses to work that doesn't exist yet, sway decision making of the present. I hope to continue to carve out my path in ways that put myself and my creative outlet first, in all aspects.
Where do you see the studio going in the next 5 years ?
“I don’t know the end goal, but I know that I want to continue impressing myself, continue moving outside of my comfort zone and be able to look back on the next few years and be like, wow, I couldn’t have even dreamt of this reality before today, and now I’m sitting in it. It’s so cool to think that it’s a reality that I can achieve with hard work and spirit. Life moves at you fast and New York is tough, but I’m tougher and I’m faster. I don’t know specifically what’s next, but I know that the spirit and speed will never stop.” - Noah K. Studio quote from “Welcome to the Jungle” METAL MAG 2024
What originally inspired The House Always Wins?
Funny enough, the seed was planted from a manga series.
“Even if some of you'd kill someone, then I just have to make a game in which even the dead have a chance to win” - Student council member Runa Yomozuki in the Kakegurui manga.
The idea for this collection revolves around the double faced nature of life, with the clouded force of something bigger always looming, and someone is always winning due to a slow compounding rate. The cat and mouse in which you are both animals. There is always a bigger cat, and always a smaller mouse. I imagine the characters of the collection are all working at the door of a club, denying patrons to a party, but not being able to enter and enjoy themselves. No one has the upper hand, hence “Even if some of you'd kill someone, then I just have to make a game in which even the dead have a chance to win”
What is your creative process with building out a collection?
What shocks most people is that I don’t sketch, plan, draw, or map out designs in any way. It all just lives in my head. I enter my studio, and let my eyes and hands guide me to a yarn that, for whatever reason that day, has an extra glow to it. It’s like finding an enchanted artifact in a fantasy dungeon. When tarot card readers have certain cards fly out the deck when shuffling because of “divine force or intervention”, it feels like it's the same way I approach what materials I use for a specific project. It’s like a download from the universe. I will walk into the studio and lock eyes with something that I know is looking back at me, without vision of its own. From there, shapes and silhouettes take form and the larger narrative emerges. It really is a swirling chasm of references and ideas that form deep inside my brian, and then every now and then the eye of the storm will be directly overhead, which is when the sky is clear and I am finally able to make sense of the chaos that’s been circling.
For aspiring artists and designers out there, what advice would you have for them?
I am fortunate enough to have a full time job outside of this studio practice, which allows my financial decisions and creative output to not be swayed by market trends or financial margins. I am a young designer who is working around this beast of a system that promotes what can sometimes feel like hollow output. I am grateful that my weekends are not spent doing order fulfillment, which keeps my love for the craft that much stronger. I believe it is really important to remember that art and design should not feel like a chore, of course there is hard work involved, but it should always be recharging, resonating on a productive frequency, not a laborious one. I would say to other designers and artists to remember that balancing pleasure, leisure, and completely unrelated interests outside of this hypnotic machine is just as important to the success of your artistic journey, if not more.
Fashion is a bad reference for fashion. An individual's rich inner world full of unrelated interests is what I feel is more compelling than visual references of existing clothing.
