NOON GOONS
Noon Goons: From SoCal Punk to High End Design
SewCal is a production company in downtown Los Angeles’ Fashion District. Its founder, Kurt Narmore, moonlights as the designer for high-end men’s contemporary line Noon Goons, which is moving from an inspiration of Southern California concrete to a continental sophistication.
Noon Goons is inspired by Southern California’s punk-rock scene, skating and surfing. It has been recently picked up by retailer Dover Street Market, an emporium curated by Rei Kawakubo of Commes Des Garçons, with locations in London and Tokyo. It also was picked up by high-end men’s e-commerce site Mr. Porter, with offices in London and New York. Noon Goons is also scheduled to ship pieces from its Fall/Winter ’17 styles to the Union boutique on Los Angeles’ La Brea Avenue.
SewCal will continue to finance Noon Goons, Narmore said. But he hopes to continue building the line and finding a forum for what he believes is a unique, Southern California point of view.
Working with Narmore on Noon Goons is Rick Klotz, who is considered the godfather of the streetwear fashion movement. Klotz founded the now-defunct streetwear line Fresh Jive. Klotz helps design some of Noon Goon’s garments. Sam Jarou, a celebrated art director, serves as a creative consultant.
Narmore worked with Klotz at Fresh Jive, and together they introduced Warriors of Radness, a surf-inspired line. It was critically lauded but closed in 2013. Narmore introduced Noon Goons because he wanted a creative outlet. “This is like my art medium. I’m an apparel manufacturer. I love making clothes,” Narmore said. “Noon Goons is me—surf, skate and growing up in Southern California. All I would do would listen to punk. It’s my way of representing the Southern California lifestyle. [The styles in the line] are easy pieces. Nothing is over-designed.”
For the Spring/Summer 2017 collection, significant styles include a corduroy jacket with a bright, royal-blue color. “It’s got that bold color with a shiny zipper. If I saw it at a store, I’d pick it up myself. You don’t see that color often,” Narmore said.
Another popular piece is the “Stripe Zip Polo” shirt, which features wide stripes of white, black, blue and orange. Other pieces include a T-shirt bearing the slogan “USA Surf.” Also popular, cord shorts and chinos. Retail price points range from $59 for T-shirts to $579 for a varsity jacket.
Narmore has exhibited Noon Goons at Paris Men’s Fashion Week. To exhibit, he rents a flat in the city’s Marais district. “I like getting a flat in the middle of Marais. It’s in the middle of everything. That’s why we can get away with renting a flat; there are so many buyers around that you can just invite them up to the flat. We’ve showed the line at 10 p.m. There are no rules,” he said.
