Bretman Rock is not shy to be in the spotlight—but staying in and thriving under are different stories altogether. As a lifestyle influencer for about 10 years now, he got his recipe for success down to a T, owing to his many interests and endeavors throughout the years while remaining authentic to himself, not letting trends wash over him.
How does he do it? We had a short conversation with him during the GUESS JEANS exhibition in Japan. Discussing themes of embracing one’s interests fully, fulfilling childhood dreams, and embracing where life is headed despite the uncertainty, the exchange was nothing short of insightful.
We began our conversation with a reflection of Bretman’s past. Ever since he was a kid, he was interested in anything and everything. However he didn’t actively seek it—it just happened by coincidence and everything else followed. “[For] every subject [I took], I was eager to learn. I feel like a lot of my interests kind of just fell into my life.”
“For example, my chickens. I grew up in the Philippines with so many chickens and once I grew up, lived on my own, I was like, “I’m missing something in my life.” And I just go back to [my] childhood and I was like, “Let me raise some chickens”. Honestly, I’m interested in everything that I was probably interested in when I was younger and now they’re all coming back as I get older.”
But he did not always share every tidbit of his life at first. At the start of his career, his content was mostly focused on beauty. It was later on that he eventually branched out. His beginnings in beauty served as a blueprint, though, and we spoke about how this affected his trajectory, asking if there was a thought process on choosing which road to take next. His answer? There was no process at all. Similar to how it goes with his interests, it just fell into his lap.
“At that time, beauty was becoming oversaturated by ideas and trends that were too much. I felt like I wanted to do more things and I knew I was made for more things. I felt like it was time to connect more with lifestyle stuff, whether it was working out or my spirituality, or just working with different kinds of people for my own show with MTV. Truly, there was no thought behind it—it just fell into place.”
With all that said, and with the avenues he has taken thus far in the general lifestyle industry, we asked how creatives—and even non-creatives—can take note of what he has done while pursuing many paths and industries.
“Interest makes you interesting. I feel like I garner a lot of followers in different parts of the world from different interest groups because I have so many interests. Don’t be scared to explore your interests. I think a lot of us, especially us influencers, tend to pigeonhole ourselves in one category. If you’re a cook, you don’t have to cook for the rest of your life. If you’re in the beauty industry, you don’t have to do beauty for the rest of your life. Just follow whatever your interest is, and don’t give it too much thought.”
As much as he advocates for following one’s interests, he is not a stranger to the challenges here. It hasn’t always been easy for Bretman. He, too, was once in a position where he didn’t know what to do next. He shared that his mother would always tell him that “[He will] never know how long fame will last” or would provide different options as back-up in case his career falls through the gaps.
But as with anything Bretman, he overcame those thoughts and bouts. “But I feel like, when I turned eighteen, I just told myself that as long as I’m enjoying what I’m doing, I’m supposed to be doing that. I never put any stress or pressure when it came to what’s next. I just let it happen,” he shared.
This brought our conversation towards his north star—his guiding light in all the things he did and continues to do. “My north star is honestly, childhood. I feel like my north star is healing my childhood self. I always strive to make little Bretman Pebble happy. I always strive to do things that he was interested in when he was younger. Ultimately, I just want to make his dreams come true. Being in Tokyo today with GUESS, being interviewed by you guys, I feel like if I told my little 8-year-old self, my little immigrant self who moved to Hawaii that I would be doing this one day, he would do a back flip. And I don’t even know how to do a back flip. My north star is little Bretman Rock.”
The GUESS Jeans Exhibition played a role in this north star as well. Working with GUESS for almost 3 years, Bretman still feels like he’s learning something new every time, and for this particular trip, it really highlighted his childhood.
“When I was getting the tour, [the guide] kept repeating that, “as much as GUESS is focused on the future now, a lot of the things and designs that they’re coming up with nod to their past designs as well. That’s what I was saying—as I am older, I am wiser but a lot of the things that I still love and do are from little Bretman. This whole exhibition made me realize that sometimes we need to go back to where we came from to know where we’re headed.”
So, what’s next for Bretman? With a lot of people he looks up to, they now have their own brands, giving birth to something—an idea, a solution to a problem, a concept that they want to pursue.
“I think it’s time for me to give birth to a little brand, if you will. My own little GUESS Jeans [and] hopefully, 40 years from now, I’ll have my own little exhibit like this.”
As GUESS JEANS officially landed in Tokyo, the brand opened a four-story Flagship store in the Jingumae neighborhood in Tokyo–steps away from Omotesando Hills, through the back lane of the world famous Cat street. During the opening week, an exhibition entitled “The Next 40 Years of Denim”, a promise of an immersive journey through the brand’s disruptive denim legacy—past, present, and future, was also made available for viewing for the public.
Following the exhibition, there was also ‘Gift Shop with Friends’ curated by VERDY, an exclusive pop-up within the basement of the flagship store, offering limited products designed by himself alongside renowned local brands; Whimsy Socks, Secret Base Hiddy, BoTT, Car Service, See You Yesterday, TTTMSW, The FLWRS, Blackmeans and MASU. GUESS JEANS’ partnership with VERDY, announced in March 2025, has been pivotal in amplifying the brand’s artistic narrative on a global scale while celebrating and influencing Japanese culture.
“The launch of GUESS JEANS in Tokyo marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of our brand. Japan has always been a hub of cultural influence and creative energy that aligns with our vision for the future. We’re excited to build something meaningful here that reflects both the spirit of Tokyo and the future of GUESS JEANS,” Nicolar Marciano, Chief New Business Development Officer, shared.
GUESS JEANS Tokyo Flagship Store is located in 4-26-14 Jingumae, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo.
CREDITS
WRITER Ina Palaruan
PHOTOGRAPHER & LAYOUT Marvin Conanan
EDITOR Tricia Quintero
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Guess Jeans
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