These Bright, Minimal Sneakers Have Supreme in Their Roots

Supreme as we knew it is dead. Today, 14 years since its inception, the once-cult streetwear label belongs not to its own culture but to its fandom—corrupted by the age of Instagram and the droves of tasteless influencers who seek nothing but the social currency afforded by the box logo. While the clothes themselves are still consistently well-designed, the brand no longer means anything.

Thankfully, there are quite a few Supreme alumni—designers and even store workers—who have gone on to create other brands. One of them is Brendon Babenzien, who spent more than a decade as Supreme's design director until 2015. He then left to found Noah, a label that blends punk with old-school prep and retro sportswear, today one of the hottest rising brands among the New York streetwear set.

But during his time at Supreme, Babenzien also founded Aprix, an independent brand of elegant, minimal sneakers in super-simple silhouettes. The brand was stagnant for a while, until Babenzien relaunched it in 2016.

Today, Aprix (pronounced ah-pree) is pitched as a sneaker brand of leisure—the kind of shoe you'd want to wear to laid back weekends or island getaways. Appropriately, the shoes themselves look like the right blend of everyday urban and elsewhere—like Vans for wealthy jetsetters. Aprix sneakers are also made in Portugal using high-grade canvas, corduroy, suede, and leather, so you know that the quality and construction are notches above average.

And now, the best part: Aprix has arrived in Metro Manila, via Assembly. Check it out:

Select Aprix models are now available at Assembly Rockwell Powerplant.