(This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity and space.)
John Supowitz rocks a comfortable yet statement look, walking out of class in the Life Science building at LMU. His outfit may look ordinary to the average person, but it holds meaning for Supowitz because he is wearing his own clothing brand, Rage in Paradise. Supowitz is a sophomore finance major from Los Angeles. Using his business skills and his passion for all things clothes, he took a risk and launched a clothing brand last year.
What are you wearing today?
I am wearing a Couture Club hat, which is a British brand, a T-shirt from my own brand, Rage in Paradise, which I started this past year with my partner Shawn Wayans, Nike sweatpants, and Air Force 1’s.
How would you describe your style?
It changes day to day depending on what I have to do. Most of the time it’s streetwear, sometimes business casual. If I’m going to a meeting I like to sport business wear that fits well and is tapered.
What are your favorite brands at the moment?
Honestly, my own brand is number one . I like what AntiSocialSocialClub is doing as well as Nike. A lot of people might not know him because he’s up and coming but I’m into Nahmias. He just started up two years ago and recently had his first Paris Fashion Week show. I think Chrome Hearts is one of my favorite brands for sure, too, but they’re kind of overhyped now.
Tell us about your clothing brand.
My brand is a streetwear brand that I started about a year ago called Rage in Paradise. It took a year before that to even come to vision. It’s streetwear going into high fashion but it started off as streetwear so we could build our audience and now we’re working up to high fashion with some of the connections we have and just trying to get into that upper echelon of fashion.
What is your favorite outfit to wear?
Definitely Chrome Hearts jeans with either a white tank top or a white tee that has a graphic on the front. I’d probably also throw a jacket over it from Fear of God and then elevate it with some jewelry. Every single outfit whether it’s necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches, jewelry takes the outfit to another level.
What’s your favorite thing about clothes?
The personality. You can really tell someone’s personality depending on what they’re wearing. If they’re having a bad day maybe they’re wearing all black and a hoodie over it. (He laughs noticing I am wearing all black). If they’re having a great day you can tell by what they’re wearing, maybe it’s more vibrant, has more colors. I think you can also tell where they’re from too. There are regions where they wear different colors more, so you learn about markets. Asia’s a big one with colors and you can see that in the brand Bape, or Ecosys which is an American-made brand that’s huge in Asia. Supreme is big out there also because of the colors and patterns. Whereas here in the states, we like tones and dark, more practical colors, which you can see in Fear of God and Chrome Hearts- there are very few colors but it’s simple and eye-catching at the same time.
What influenced you to make a clothing brand?
A couple of things. All streetwear now is based on exclusivity. I hate that. I think it’s stupid, I think quite frankly it’s not fair to the little kid that I was, trying to get the Supreme drop at 9 a.m. on a Saturday. I wanted to create something that is for kids, and I’m still a kid at heart so I’m doing this for the younger version of me who wanted to be a fashion designer, who wanted to be creative and was told maybe you can’t do it and I still did it.
