With 2.8 million combined followers across Instagram and TikTok, Marlon Noah is one of today’s most promising fashion influencers—globally. Born in Munich and raised just outside the city, Noah followed a traditional path, attending Technical University of Munich and graduating with a degree in business and technology.
“Until I was 20, I only had maybe 200 followers on Instagram,” he says. Then came TikTok. “I discovered TikTok, probably late COVID, 2021, and just started posting. And then basically it all happened.”
What started with casual experimentation quickly pushed Marlon to internet virality, with followers drawn to his modelesque physique as well as an out-of-the-box, genre-bending approach to fashion. Today, his videos often feature him randomly shuffling seemingly mismatching pieces in his closet to create new, cohesive outfits—or simply showing multiple innovative ways to style a single look.
As Marlon’s audience grew, so did the scope of his opportunities. What began as informal online experimentation would soon translate into real-world projects—with brands like Vivienne Westwood—setting the stage for global partnerships beyond Europe.
That expansion recently brought Noah to Vietnam for his first fashion collaboration, working with the Vietnamese brand Aesir Studios. Noah already had an existing rapport with the brand’s founders, built through ongoing exchanges, gifted pieces, and a shared creative sensibility. However, he says, he never imagined one day “They texted me a lot of times every time they release something new, and I wore their stuff,” he says. What began as casual familiarity eventually led to a direct invitation to collaborate.
Even then, Marlon Noah hesitated. “I don’t think I normally would really go much further,” he admits. “I was kind of interested, but I don’t know if I would have fully committed.” The hesitation stemmed less from doubt about the brand than from the scale of the leap itself. The project would mark his first time designing, selling, or building a collection from scratch. “I’ve never designed anything. I’ve never done anything by myself,” he says. “So I was just like, ‘Yeah, let’s just do it.’”
Designing the collection proved both overwhelming and clarifying. Noah began with an expansive, interconnected mood board, gathering references without immediately committing to direction. Over time, the ideas distilled into two clear anchors: an emphasis on buttons and a commitment to versatility. “I really like buttons at the moment,” he says. “Every piece has a lot of buttons in the collection.”
Just as important was adaptability—reversible garments, adjustable fits, and asymmetry—an approach rooted in necessity as much as intention. “When I first started out as an influencer, I couldn’t really afford so many clothes,” he says. “So I wanted these pieces to be versatile, to be styled in many ways.”
To launch the collection, Marlon Noah traveled to Vietnam for a campaign shoot as well as the opening of Aesir’s new store. According to Marlon, what stood out from his trip was the raw, frenetic energy of Vietnam’s young fashion scene. Compared to Europe, he describes Vietnam’s fashion ecosystem as “way more young and way more experimental and hungry and courageous.” He noticed a willingness to take risks that felt less mediated by mass appeal.
“In the West, a lot of brands just at least try to really appeal to the masses,” he adds. “But from what I’ve gathered, the cool streetwear brands in Vietnam, they more try to appeal to the young, cool fashion people who are really into fashion. So it’s basically more for the creatives.”
Looking towards global fashion trends in 2016, Marlon predicts fashion will continue moving toward shape rather than surface. “I feel like silhouettes will be a bigger thing than prints,” he predicts. “Basics with exaggerated proportions.” He also anticipates a return of unapologetic glamour, pointing to the “Euro-trash aesthetic” of early-2000s footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Balotelli, alongside the loose confidence of ’90s Brad Pitt.
Beyond forecasting—and shaping—global fashion trends, Marlon says he always makes time to take care of himself and his health: “People ask me all the time, ‘What’s your workout routine?’ I really don’t know what I’m doing; I just go to the gym and hope for the best. What I know is that it’s all about consistency. I go every single day if I’m not busy. It’s been years. I have also been eating really healthy for years now. It’s just what makes me feel the best.”
Nowadays, what excites him most about fashion is connecting with people, including fans. “The most rewarding part is definitely the people,” he says. “I find it so cute when people write to me. And I find it so surreal also when people tell me that I inspire them so much. I don’t really fully comprehend it at times.”
Just as meaningful are the relationships and partnerships formed through his work. “The people that I meet from the opportunities I get—I’ve met so many of my closest friends now from being in this industry,” he says. “It’s so inspiring being around so many cool people, so many driven and creative people.”
Image courtesy of Aesir Studios and Marlon Noah
