SHIFTER recently did a Q&A with rapper turned clothing designer and Pvstlife founder, Bobby Brugal, about his clothing line and whether he’s retired from music. Here’s what he had to say.
SHIFTER: When did you launch Pvstlife and what made you want to start a clothing line?
Bobby Brugal: First and foremost thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on business, it’s kinda like my first in this capacity. Pvstlife was born in May 2019 while I was still working my 9-5 gig at Footlocker. My brother Neeco has DSGM & was pushing me to create my own line, so I gave it a shot with his help. I put out the OG Logo Tee aka “001” in 5 colors and they did great. We sold about 85/90 % of the 1st run so I knew this was something I wanted to get into full time, eventually.
SHIFTER: What’s the story behind the name “Pvstlife”?
Bobby Brugal: The story is interesting but simple. I have loved the ankh since I was child due to my mother being big on Egyptian culture. Since I was a kid, I always knew the ankh represented “Life” or the key of our existence dating back to BC times.
Pvstlife is the “bridge” between the past, present, and after. If you believe in reincarnation, the theme will resonate with you as well, because personally I believe we’ve all been here before in some sort of way, I’ll explain more in the future haha. But the mission statement is living your best life while you’re here, because you never remember your Pvstlife.
SHIFTER: You’ve worked at Foot Locker and OVO in the past. How did those experiences help you in launching Pvstlife?
Bobby Brugal: I’ve worked everywhere in my 20’s haha. I have had a job since I was 14. I was never an artist that was afraid to have a normal gig because I always put money into myself/career. I pride myself on being a known Indie artist that got more than some of the label guys, but it’s because I’ve always worked!
Footlocker and OVO were amazing experiences for me because 1) Imma OG sneaker head since I was about 13, it’s a culture thing for me, so working for Footlocker is a inner city kids dream when your young, I managed there for about 4-5 years and just regained my love for fashion, sneakers & youth culture. OVO was a perfect opportunity to learn from and help a brand that I’ve personally been a fan of since I’ve moved to Canada. Much love to both of the Companies, if you want to open a business, go run one in the same field for a bit and learn customer service skills, it helps in the long run.
SHIFTER: If you had to describe the aesthetic of the brand in one word what would that be?
Bobby Brugal: We tell cultural stories through luxury street wear. It’s Pvstlife Products, we aim to make products you will be able to use forever!
SHIFTER: In five years, where do you think the company will be?
Bobby Brugal: In 5 years Pvstlife will be one of the top streetwear brands in North America. A Couple stores in certain cities with Ottawa being the flagship location. Collaborations with brands who understand the vision of our brand telling stories. Big plans for sure haha.
SHIFTER: You’ve also turned into a personality, doing radio and event hosting. How did you get into that?
Bobby Brugal: I always hosted shows and club events just from it being a part of the business and being with DJ Mes. But the pod/radio stuff started right before the Pandemic, I started dropping “The Nutes” podcast with Kimberly Lopez in Feb 2020, we worked and just learned through the pandemic and that’s how the radio came about. My Mom & Dad were radio host’s as well, grew up around it, to be honest.
SHIFTER: Are you officially retired from making music? If not, when can we expect some new music?
Bobby Brugal: Nope, nah, never lol! I was playing with the notion before the pandemic, but I truly love music. I’m always dropping until I don’t, feel me? We got the DSGM x Pvstlife compilation album to go with the clothing, which I think is the first music project from a clothing line since Fubu, 10 Deep, Lrg streetwear days. And Uncle Snooky’s Laundromat is ready, hopefully May. Alot of features out as well, shout everyone still tapped in. Got some shows coming up too, since we’re back outside.
SHIFTER: Are there any other industries you’d like to get into aside from music and clothing?
Bobby Brugal: Not currently, I’m open minded to acting, but I just enjoy being creative and learning different things as I get older. Learning how to design clothing has been challenging but fun, I had to learn .Ai (Adobe Illustrator) and a few other things, still got a ways to go with cut & sew, etc.
SHIFTER: What’s one big lesson you’ve learned about business so far?
Bobby Brugal: You can’t do everything yourself, so don’t be afraid to ask questions and start small. Keep your books tight from year 1, aside from that nothing I’ve haven’t learned from retail and music, just believe in yourself and always focus on the quality of your product.
Thanks for having me, appreciate the time you took to read this.
Pvstlife to the Next Life!
Signing off,
Bobby
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