The second season premiere of How To Make It In America opened with our two fashion-focused friends living it up at the tail end of their trip to Japan.

The montage was a solid start to the season and oozed credibility as it featured pertinent brands like Ambush's POW jewelry. While they may have been "big in Japan," as the opening song chorused, The City That Never Sleeps was busy falling in love with another young design team, the New York Neanderthals, led by James Ransone of Generation Kill fame.  

"I'm Good" showed right away that Ben and Cam's business prospects were anything but. 

Ben nailed their biggest problem when he asked Cam if he even knew what CRISP meant. They were so focussed on being associated with pop fame - from the Lulu D store to David's lofty promise to get Jay Z to their show - that they failed to address just what about themselves makes CRISP a desirable label.  Just like Rachel needed to realize it wasn't the dress she was trying on that made her boobs looks large and perfect, Cam and Ben needed to stop thinking an external influence was going to get them street cred. (Side note: Could Rachel be pregnant?)

Eventually, they began to see that the story behind the clothes is just as important as the materials its printed on if not more so.

Highlights for me included the nod to Gogo Yubari at the fetish show, Domingo policing the merchandise, and Rene's man going all Plaxico Burress and shooting himself in the store. I thought Ben feeling the effects of the high was a bit overdone; he is smoother than those scenes showed. Julie would never let a guy get edgy on her ass like she did, if he couldn't hold his smoke. Ben was one puff away from ending up in Debo's pigeon coop. 

Ben and Cam continued to roll their eyes at Rene and his incessant pushing of Rasta Monsta, but they can't knock the guy's hustle. I just hope he can smooth things out with Debbie. He did have her back, even if it meant posting it all over Orchard Street. 

Overall, it was not a bad start to the season and there was no shortage of already memorable quotes. I was glad they didn't try to jam too much into the premiere and am very excited to see the sophomore season unfold as it will feature guest stars like Gina Gershon (HBO's Eastbound & Down) and Andre Royo (HBO’s The Wire).