If you’re not yet familiar with Melbourne brand JUDAH., you’re not alone – it could just be because of where you’re from. Keen observers of Australian youth culture will often tell you that the movements that last donāt come from the cities – they come from the suburbs. You see, kids in the city generally have the better means and access to find their pocket – the thing theyāre into, the cultures they connect with, their clique. But kids in the suburbs? Theyāre underrepresented, no-oneās putting on for them. So they do their own thing – they make the waves, and by the time the rest of us start riding them, we donāt even stop to acknowledge where they came from.
If you donāt believe it, take a look at the Australian hip hop and drill scene right now. Groups like Western Sydneyās ONEFOUR, or South East Melbourneās HP Boyz are racking up views in the millions, no doubt lighting a path for the kids who come next.Ā
Which brings us to JUDAH., the streetwear label started in the outer Melbourne suburbs in 2016.
Year after year JUDAH. has been dropping street inspired fashion pieces with roots in hip hop and skate culture, on a level far beyond what you might expect from such a young brand (the founder is just 21). The most recent winter collection featured paisley-inspired puffer jackets – modelled by none other than the HP Boyz themselves, while recent drops included luxurious embossed tracksuits.Ā
We caught up with @phat.judah recently to learn more about where the brand is headed.
Q: You’re a young dude with an established brand – just passing 5 years of JUDAH. Do you feel like a veteran of the game?
I feel like it’s still early days. I never ever had mentors or anything put me on the game so it’s been 5 years of fine tuning my skills and figuring things out along the way. I wouldn’t say I’m a veteran, Iām still learning so much every single day. I’m still a youngin’ in the game with a lot of days to come and a lot of hurdles to overcome!
Iām at a point where people know about the brand and I can travel and get access to people that I maybe couldnāt before. There are more doors opening for me where I can ask questions and get advice from people who have been doing it for longer than I have.
Q: Even without a mentor or someone to guide you, do you have people in the game you look to for inspiration, or people whose success you would like to emulate?
Thereās definitely places and people I get inspiration from, butĀ my perspective is you can’t copy someone else’s blueprint – that worked for them and their circumstances and situation and environment, all those things are unique to them. My path and experiences are unique to me so I stay focused on my vision.Ā
Being real is number 1 for me. You have to be real. Don’t get lost in the sauce. Too many people get caught in the bullshit. I started a brand to create stuff I want to wear, and show the world what my perception and experience is. Thatās one thing I see when I look back at the 90ās – all the brands were original. Even like Freshjive and FUCT etc., they had their own personality and you could see that.Ā
When you look at a brand you should be able to see a story behind it. People see that about JUDAH. and they realise itās unique and its got its own flavour.
Q: We’re seeing a lot of good stuff coming out of the suburbs – especially in music, most of the Australian hip hop and drill scenes now are born from the suburbs – same with JUDAH. Why do you think that is?Ā
I think it’s the circumstances we were brought up in. In my environment growing up we had a lot of things that some places donāt have – bikies, gangs, all that. It’s completely different to the inner city – they don’t have that much flavour, there’s a lot of people that migrate to the city but theyāre not from there.Ā
Being creative is being a storyteller, and people out here have stories to tell whether thatās through clothing or music or whatever. And people resonate with the experiences we talk about and the lives we live.
Q: Your collections always surprise (in a good way) – if we look even at the last couple of releases, the details and the quality of the jackets and the tracksuits is next level. How long does it take from having an idea of a garment, to going through design and sampling to having it ready to release?Ā
It all stems from back in the day coming up. Being from a low income area we never had money to buy a lot of the crazy stuff we would see online or wherever – we would see Wayne or Pharell wearing something but never be able to afford that stuff. Back when I was like 15 the big thing was going to Sure! Store in the city on Boxing Day to try to get a t- shirt at their Boxing Day Sale, and even that was a struggle.
Anytime I could get my hands on some nice stuff I was inspecting it, like looking at the quality and the stitching and how it was made.Ā
So then when I went to make a puffer jacket, it was referenced from luxury brands but made to be affordable – Iām not spending $1,200 on a jacket.
In terms of the process, I spend so much time and money on sampling and getting that down. I love the process of playing with different fabrics and stitching patterns to see the ideas come to life.Ā Ā
And each round of sampling gets you closer to this vision that you had so while itās kinda stressful and expensive it’s definitely exciting too.
Q: 5 years deep with the brand – did you think way back that it would get to this point? And because I know you’re probably looking forward not back – what are you most excited about for the brand’s future?Ā
When I first started I knew what I wanted to do but I didn’t think it was going to get this far. I kind of just went with the flow. When I was 16 I thought I was doing it big already! I remember having a conversation with a homie at 17 and he asked me what my vision was, like to paint a picture of how I saw it all happening, and I couldn’t. I was thinking too long term, I wasnāt focusing on all the smaller steps that were going to get me there. And I realised that you need to build things step by step.Ā
Even when you get to someone like Virgil’s level where he was at (Rest in Peace to Virgil) – he was still expanding and growing. So I don’t like to look too long term, I focus on what’s in front of me and go with the flow and see where it takes me.Ā
When it comes to the brand and the production schedules, I have it all planned out way in advance but Iām always revisiting things and fine tuning. Ive re-designed 2022 5 times already!
Q: Thereās a lot of hype about the Metaverse right now, weāre seeing brands launching NFT projects almost daily. Is that something you see in the future for JUDAH.?
Definitely. I have a bunch of NFTās that I’m planning to release. When it first started becoming a thing I didn’t want to release mine straight away and rush something out. I want to do it properly and have the community behind it and have a more developed plan of how people can access them. Iām plotting right now on how I want to roll that out and when is the right time.
Q: Lastly, if you could work on any product in the world – from a car to a sculpture to anything, what would you like to put the JUDAH. stamp on?Ā
Probably a video game! I’ve always been a big gamer, ever since i was young. Thatās my happiness. My mind doesn’t stop, itās always going -so the only way i can get a break from the brand and everything involved in running a business is to play games. I can switch off from problem solving in life and just play games.Ā
I would love to work on a game with Rockstar, that would be crazy. Like getting to work on GTA 7 or 8 or something. I play a lot of 2K and FIFA with the homies right now – thereās always a little wager on the line for sure.
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You can shop JUDAH. right here on StockX now.
