About

MONKPUNK is here to bring back the ethos of the city, district, and street he knew in his youth: the intersection of culture, where skaters, punks and graffiti writers came together to exchange ideas and exist in a space where they could freely experiment. Monk Punk represents a shared space that conjoins worlds that would not normally co-exist unless an open mind builds out a space for them to do so.

Blending Eastern religious practice with punk ethos, Monk Punk shows rather than tells that nihilism and nirvana are closer to each other than we may think, but there is nothing nihilistic in world view at this streetwear mecca.

MONKPUNK is spiritual and counter cultural in the same breath, they bring empathy into streetwear with their express philanthropic mission aimed right at home and their commitment to sustainability in their products. Everything is small batch, ethically sourced, made right at home in factories paying living wages. Portions of every single sale go to LA based non-profits like the Crenshaw Rams. D.I.Y. in more than aesthetic but in practice, Monk Punk is Balt’s vision of how the fashion industry should operate -- how the next generations of consumers are begging the fashion industry to operate. When he looked around he didn’t see anyone doing it for the express benefit of the community, the way it should be done, so he’s gone out on his own to set an example.

Community is at the heart of Monk Punk, the through line that connects the two worlds featured in the namesake. Community and sustainability are cornerstones of both Monk and Punk, the foundation the brand is built upon. Monk Punk is raw LA streetwear with a heart, profiting for the community rather than from the community.