Photography by Andrew Peters.

The surfer/designer breaks down his travel kit.

Noah Collins is one of those super creative characters who happens to also be good at everything he does. Whether it’s designing clothes in his DTLA studio, shooting photos and video, or surfing, Noah brings a style and approach that’s becoming increasingly rare in our culture. Naturally, his travel bag is just what you’d expect: a mix of cameras, curated playlists, and a hodgepodge or surf goodies.

QUIKSILVER ORIGINAL CHECKERED BOARDSHORTS:

‘I just love that they brought back the boardshort design that I grew up watching my dad’s idols wear in the ’70s. They gave it a few modern tweaks with the fit and material that make them real minimal and comfortable.’

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA:

‘I don’t really ever leave the house without a camera on me, in my bag, or hidden in the trunk of my car. When I drive to my studio downtown, which is a few times a week, there’s always so much happening that I’m always observing and trying to capture and document. You really never know what’s going to go down each day on this side of town. I park far away and bike or skate over to see what I see and try to capture it if I’m quick enough. Whether it be a fight, a cool hand-painted sign, a well-lit building, graffiti, a protest… the options are endless and it’s always changing every day.

‘It’s important to me just to document points in time. To be able to look back on what was happening in the world at that time or what my interests/surroundings were and what I was paying attention to.’

FILM:

‘I’m not against digital or anything, but the character and imperfections that come with shooting film are why I prefer it over digital. It forces you to be way more intentional with what you’re shooting and it just has a way more timeless feel that I’m really attracted to. Along with shooting stills I’ve been backlogging a lot of super 8 footage from trips and around home that in a few years time I’d love to do something with.’

MUSIC:

‘Music is everything to me. My playlist is a really vast mix of genres and eras: Prince, Joy Division, King Krule, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Frank Ocean, Jimi Hendrix, Sade, Death, Tyler the Creator, Kanye West, Biggie, 2pac, Iggy Pop, Al Green, Steve Lacy, Lenny Kravitz, the list goes on.’

CRAP:

‘I’ve always got Crap (eyewear) on my face’

Get a pair of sustainably sourced Quiksilver board shorts here.