New York Streetwear Designer Angelo Baque Builds his Own Creative Platforms

For fashion designer Angelo Baque, artistic flow has always transcended the hours of any day job.

His two-decade career in fashion and photography has seen the pages of The Fader Magazine and the catalogues of Stussy, Nom de Guerre, and Supreme. As he scaled New York’s creative staircase, he never abandoned self-produced projects and freelance opportunities. That entrepreneurial frame of mind kept his vision fresh and unjaded. Recently, he launched Baque Creative, an agency that houses his varied pursuits as a designer, photographer, and brand director. One branch is called Awake, a fashion label under which Baque designs smart and understated streetwear that encapsulates the spirit of the city.

“I’m a native New Yorker,” Baque tells Hypebeast Radio. “Part of growing up here is you want to look good. The moment you walk out your doorstep, you’re being judged, whether you like it or not. So, for me, that first layer, before you can get to know me—you can look at my clothes.”

He developed a sense of style early on.

Growing up in Queens in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he looked up to the trends popularized by Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick. He was attracted to brands like Polo and Hilfiger, anything that came out of the West Coast hip-hop scene. When he went downtown with his older sister, he loved exploring eclectic shops like Unique Boutique, on Broadway back then. When he went to shows and open mics, he brought home band tees and cool merch.

Then he started reading Che Guevara, and his perspective deepened. It was the late 90s and high school was over. He was frequenting the Nuyorican Poets Café and was meeting like-minded, self-enlightened individuals (like Erykah Badu), all dedicated to some sort of artistic craft.

“As much as I love being from Queens, I wanted to be downtown, I wanted to be at the parties, at the hip hop shows, at the art openings,” Baque says.

Baque chose photography as his medium and joined the cultural movement. His mother did not celebrate his decision.

“My mother came from Ecuador in 1969—couldn’t speak English,” Baque says. “It was hard for her. She became a nurse,” Baque tells Hypebeast Radio. “So, I see how she wanted that American Dream for me. But this is the new American Dream.”

And that dream meant creative hustle.

When he scored a photography assistant gig at The Fader Magazine, he stepped out of the classroom and into the creative workplace for the first time. Here, he learned how to lay out editorial pieces and tell stories through imagery, through words. He cultivated creative relationships, which prompted more creative relationships. He found his corner in New York’s fashion community and used it as ammunition.

“I got an old work ethic,” Baque says. “You put your head down and shut up and work and respect your elders.”

As the years unfolded, he kept grinding and growing his professional portfolio. He was asked to help open a Stussy store, and his brand knowledge expanded globally. His T-shirt line, Absurd, partnered with a New York storefront. He joined the creative team at Nom De Guerre. He learned about Japanese denim and different stitching techniques, about buying and how to merchandise. With each new opportunity, he leaned further in. Eventually, there he was contributing ideas for new collections.

This accumulation of experience (across fashion, photography, and retail) was put to work in his role as brand director for Supreme. He contributed to the success of this powerhouse streetwear label for ten years.

“[I] kept busy while working for Supreme,” he says. “I kept contributing to magazines, I kept taking pictures, curating art shows. I knew, for me, being a creative person, I couldn’t just work at Supreme. I love the job and it definitely consumed a lot of my time, but for me to balance my sanity, I needed to do other things.”

This was how, at 39-years-old, after two decades working for someone else, he made Baque Creative his full-time work. Whether it’s brand consulting or collection development, he filters his projects and products through an artistic platform of his own.

Awake lives within the framework.

“For the most part, the bulk of my clothes are Supreme, APC, and Polo,” Baque says. “So, I wanted to make stuff that I couldn’t find within those three platforms. That’s where Awake started.”

The brand layers basics over graphics, merges edge and prep, and pulls from New York in the 90s. The Fall 2023 collection embraces genderless knitted vests, oversized argyle sweaters, monochrome and patterned hoodies, and cargo pants with less pockets. The tone is soft, smart, and subtly sporty—perfect for autumn on the East Coast, chilly evenings in California.

As Baque reflects back on his varied endeavors through fashion, it’s his curiosity and endurance that’s kept him going. No matter the project, no matter the payout, he consistently delivered quality work. From his view, creatives must let the work speak for itself.

“You can definitely charm yourself through the front door, but that doesn’t mean that you earn your seat at the table,” Baque says. “To earn your seat at the table, it takes a lot of f**king hard work.”

Shop Awake.
Check out the full interview with Baque on Hypebeast Radio.