Bretman Rock on TikTok Style, Experimenting With Clothes, and His New MTV Show

“Good morning, bitch!” If you follow Bretman “Da Baddest” Rock on Instagram, you know this is how the Filipino-American social media star greets his followers every morning on his stories. Based in O‘ahu, Hawaii, the 22-year-old creator has over 15 million fans who tune in for his consistent daily content, where each day is a fun-filled adventure. Maybe today he’ll post a beauty tutorial, or a TikTok of him skateboarding or driving around in his golf cart. Whatever the case may be, Bretman has a bold fashion look to go along with it, and is always sure to be dressed like a “baddie,” which he defines as “wearing whatever the f**k [you] want, no matter what others think. It’s all about confidence.” He is, “da baddest,” after all. 

His statement-making style is always present on his TikTok page, where has over 8 million fans and counting. There, Bretman amps up the looks, where he’ll post a TikTok getting ready in a Dior house coat, or wearing a Chanel scarf with a matching double-C brooch. Some days he’s into camo shirts and a bandana; other days, he’ll rock a pleated skirt in full glam. He keeps you guessing. After all, nobody became TikTok famous by playing it safe. 

Killer style aside, Bretman is a social media personality in the truest sense. Candid and unfiltered, he has shared much of his daily life with his followers since first gaining fame on YouTube as a teen. And now, Bretman is also allowing viewers in via a new MTV reality show that’s premiering on Monday. The series will follow Bretman as he navigates his daily vlog life, new business ventures, and, naturally, drama among his family and friends. It will show a “different side” of him, he tells Vogue. 

In anticipation of the show’s premiere, we caught up with Bretman below to talk about his TikTok style, what his current wardrobe looks like, and what we can expect from his new show.

1. Your MTV series premieres on Monday. What will the show entail? 

You guys will see a whole new and different side of me in my new MTV show. You will finally get to know where I grew up, my family, my friends, and us all living our lives on the island.

2. Let's talk about your TikTok. As someone who's risen to fame on social media, how have you approached this new app differently? 

To be honest, I have been on TikTok since it was musical.ly and I’ve always really loved it. I feel like I can have more fun on TikTok and share more of myself on TikTok.

3. What's your process for creating TikToks and where do you get ideas?

I often get my ideas from other brilliant content creators on TikTok, since there are always trends going on, and that’s what’s so fascinating to me about TikTok—it never runs out of trends. Recently, people have been using some of my speaking audios to create their own fun twists on whatever I was saying that day. One girl, @UPSAHL, sang one of my videos and it went viral which was hilarious to see.   

4. One of the things I love about your videos is that you consistently dress up, even if you're just staying home. What does your wardrobe look like these days?

Well if you’re asking what my wardrobe looks like, let’s just say I have three walk-in closets. I love to wear whatever I want, I don’t let the clothing labels define me. I love mixing thrifting clothes with luxury to make my own look.   

5. What have you been into fashion-wise lately? Where do you get most of your pieces?

Fashion-wise, I’ve been really into vintage pieces since fashion is always coming around, and I always love to experiment with different fashion aesthetics. I’m going through a punk phase right now. I also love designers who are creating unisex lines, since I don’t think fashion needs to be gendered. I love what Stella McCartney has done with her unisex line Stella Shared, and Marc Jacobs with his unisex Dream collection.

6. What's the most special piece in your wardrobe? 

The most special pieces in my wardrobe are my jewelry, they are the most sentimental part of my outfits because I feel like jewelry ties in the outfit together—it’s sort of like the cherry on top. I feel like you can really tell a story with jewelry just as much as clothing. My favorite piece of jewelry is my pearl necklace.

7. You've designed sunglasses, which you often wear in your videos. Would you ever design clothes? 

I would love to design clothes. Bretman clothing would be a good reflection of my personality, with a super extra, non-binary, and non-gendered clothes that are made with quality sustainable fabrics.

8. We're obsessed with your boarding videos. How did you get so good? Do you have to wear a certain type of shoes to keep your balance?

I have always been skating, either with skateboards, ripsticks, longboards—so it’s been really easy to get used to the electric board. And no, you don’t have to wear certain shoes. I love to wear my crocs! 

9. You switch up your style often. Loving the pearl necklace and Chanel brooch you wore lately. Is this your new style era?

I don’t think it’s a new era so much as I just love to experiment with clothing. I don’t think people experiment enough with clothing because society tries to tell them what they can and can’t wear. I love playing around with different aesthetics and/or mixing around aesthetics to create a totally new look.

10. What's your favorite TikTok of all time? And which one took you the longest?

My favorite TikTok of my own would have to be the video of me drinking coconut water without closing my mouth—that trend was really fun to do because it was a hidden talent that I did well. The “Hopelessly Devoted” video is also iconic.  My spiky hair video took me about three hours to do because of the hair, and that’s the longest I’ve spent making a TikTok.