The baddest Benchsetter

BORN THIS WAY International internet sensation Bretman Rock is the new face of homegrown brand Bench
“I didn’t find fashion. Fashion found me.”
That was Bretman Rock’s answer as to how his journey in style began. His loud and non-binary way of dressing was founded at home with his parents’ unique play on gender roles. He described his mother as someone who always dabbled with the masculine aesthetic, while his late father was the metrosexual type with his love for leather pants, his 16-step skincare routine, and his long hair. As a result, the Hawaii-based internet sensation had the freedom to truly express his flamboyant and bakla self online and offline, through his stunning beauty looks as well as the way he curated his personal style.
“It wasn’t weird because I was born and raised in a family dynamic that allowed me to express myself freely,” said the 24-year-old. “I was wearing makeup in fifth grade, I was wearing bikinis in second grade. I didn’t think about it that much. It came normal for me.”

In 2015, he started recording himself talking about makeup and all his other vanities. In return, he captured the hearts of people everywhere, turning him into the icon he is today, After becoming an award-winning influencer, reality star, business mogul, activist, “scientist,” and book author, Bretman adds another feather to his hat as he becomes the newest face of the Filipino lifestyle and fashion brand Bench.
Through the years, Bench has cemented its place in the local fashion scene as one of the biggest players, building an empire with the brightest Filipino and international stars headlining its grand campaigns showcased online and on the giant billboards on EDSA. These ads were among the last things Bretman saw before migrating to America. As he poses for the brand today, he feels like the Filipino side of his dressing is coming full circle. And for us, this marks a new way of seeing local fashion stepping beyond the borders of gender lines.

Earlier this year, Bench gave a taste of that with its “Be Your Own Kind of Beauty” campaign with young gay kids turning tablecloths and blankets into dresses as they sashay down the street. For Bretman, those kinds of moments are among the essential parts of the bakla culture in the Philippines and he felt seen through that campaign. “It reminded me of my eight-year-old self. That’s why doing this Bench thing, I keep saying that it is my love letter to my eight-year-old self,” said Bretman. “When I was moving to America, I remember looking out the window and seeing all the Bench posters. It’s so cool to do this today because Bench allowed me to wear a palda. Bench allowed me to be non-binary on this. That’s where fashion is heading.”
This kind of fashion is also what Filipinos are going to get. In the campaign images, Bretman is donning the brand’s latest collection featuring an array of gender-neutral pieces. From tees and denim items to accessories, the collection is designed to be worn every day by everybody, reflecting Bretman’s unique sense of style. In the campaign images, people will see him sporting for-him and for-her crop tops, edgy and contemporary denim wear, and casual pieces that could easily go with an everyday pair of sneakers or towering platform heels—and that’s just the beginning.
“I truly love the direction fashion is taking today,” Bretman said. “I feel like one of my big advocacies in fashion is to f\*ck label, not labels as in the brands, but when it comes to menswear and womenswear. I would love to walk into a store one day where the clothes are not separated by men’s and women’s sections. The next step in fashion is making everything unisexy.”
Bretman Rock is the latest addition to Bench’s roster of #GlobalBenchsetters, featuring Filipino celebrities, Hollywood stars, and South Korean artists. You can catch more of him with the brand and discover its gender-fluid collection online @benchtm and in its retail stores everywhere.