Helmed by Sam Schmidt, 9LIFE originates as the nine reasons the designer lives his life which also serve as his nine design principles. The brand stems from Schmidt’s North Carolina roots as his small beach town in Wilmington, North Carolina is the only place he travels to when designing his seasonal collections. While the brand has a North Carolina basis - it imports luxury fabrics from Italy, Japan, and Spain then manufactures everything in New York City. The mantra is simple - “we exist to create beautiful things.”

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A menswear brand utilizing luxury approaches while retaining facets of streetwear with a mission on redefining exclusivity. 9LIFE aims to be a label where people from all walks of life are able to be represented in the luxury streetwear space.

The inaugural “Palm Youth” collection is based on the sole essence of a palm tree, as a palm grows, old leaf scars form a regular pattern around the trunk. The collection represents this idea in relation to the youth of the world — “Palm Youth”. As a child grows, the world similarly scars the innocence and genuine nature of youth. Every human is pure; it is their experiences in the world which inherently create scars that in return change their entire demeanor towards the world. The message of “Palm Youth” was to reveal this theme through the use of provocative graphics and stimulating silhouettes.