Fashion Designer Rob McKiver shows the world The Gent’s Life
WJBF – Fashion designer Rob McKiver is certainly making a name for himself with his brand of apparel known as The Gent’s Life.
McKiver chats with WJBF about his experience in fashion and how a certain “King Of Comedy” helped put him on his journey.
Welcome to Celebrating Black Excellence. Let’s get started with your humble beginnings. How did you get started with fashion?
Honestly, I’ve been in fashion pretty much my whole life. I think I came out of the womb dealing with fashion. I went home for the holidays, man. I’m from New York, so I went home for the holidays. There’s a grade school picture, man. I’m talking like third/fourth grade. When you take your school pictures, you normally come in and your character t-shirt, your jeans, or whatever, but I’m literally standing there in a three piece, white and pink, full suit, like tuxedo suit. So, like I said, I’ve always been enamored with fashion. That’s just been my thing. Like, I’ve always been known for that. I actually got into the fashion industry back maybe in ‘99/2000, right around when the Kings of Comedy were taping for The Kings of Comedy. That’s actually what gave me my birth into the fashion industry. I used to dress some of the well-known entertainers, some ballplayers, etc. I would always just kind of be that guy behind the scenes putting outfits together. They liked how I put things together. It wasn’t until we were taping The Kings of Comedy that I actually began with The Gent’s Life Apparel, and a well-known guy by the name of Steve Harvey was like, “Man, how much do you charge for this?” because he liked how I was putting things together. I was like, “You know, I don’t charge anything. I mean, it’s just something I love to do.” He was like, “Well, from this point on, you need to start charging,” and from that point on, I started charging. So, that’s how everything kind of came full circle. So, like I said, it was on the taping of The Kings of Comedy. So, if you actually go back and look at that video, like the outtakes, and look behind the scenes at the end of the movie like a B-reel, you’ll see me, Steve [Harvey], Ced (Cedric The Entertainer), and the late, great Bernie Mac, and D.L. [Hughley]. We were all kind of like sitting backstage and chopping it up.
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How does that feel to have these well-known people appreciate your choice of style?
Man, this is super humbling. It’s not one of those things you ever really get used to because my style is that: my style. So, some things that I may feel look good on me may not necessarily translate to looking good on you, but you want it to look good on you. However, it’s very humbling, man. Like, I still get the jitters and the goose bumps every time. Man, I’m grateful. I’m humbled by that. Just to know that after 20, almost 25 years now, people are still rocking with me on that level. So, it’s still very much humbling to me.
So, the name of your company is The Gent’s Life Apparel. What’s behind the name? Why The Gent’s Life?
So, it’s just that, man. Like, I’m just a throwback. Like, my grandfather was in a Harlem Renaissance, so it’s like I’m a throwback to that. I have a whole storage closet of all of his old clothes, like suits and things like that. It just so happened that we were the same size. So, I’m that guy, man. I’ve always been the overdressed person, you know? There are people who are like, “Well, I feel like I’m a bit overdressed.” Well, if I didn’t. If I didn’t come looking the way that I was looking, I always felt like I was underdressed. So, you know, I always had that mantra, man. If I stay ready, I never have to get ready. So, that’s just always been my thing when it comes to fashion.
So, what inspired the “I Am Black History” jacket? What was the reasoning behind this type of apparel?
Obviously, it was right around Black History Month… well, what we consider Black History Month. You know, we’re Black always and always. So, that was the thought behind the jacket. That was a thought behind the I Am Black History versus Celebrate Black History Month. I mean, as we live, as we walk, and as we breathe, I am Black history right now. I’m making history as a Black man, and in every day in which I’m on the side of the dirt is history being made. So, that was my thought process behind it, and I was like, “Well, I want to take it to another level.” So, I said, “I want to do it.” So, whereas someone can wear that 365, 7 days a week, however they want to do it. They could still do that and not just be kind of compartmentalized to that 28-29 days that we have a year. So, that was also thought behind it. I wanted to do it obviously for Black History Month, but for Black History Life.
So, what’s next for you? What do you have next on your plate?
Next, man… it’s just much the same. Like, what you have to understand is that in my head… it’s always by the time you guys see it and by the time it’s into production, I’m already like 10 or 15 designs ahead, if that makes sense. So, what you got – even this design – was done like a couple of years ago, but I just had to wait for the right opportune time. I want to do it on a leap year, which is because it gets a couple more days. Well, at least a day and a half more to kind of celebrate. But next up, man, I’m coming out with another line of suits. I do actual suits as well, like tailor made suits. So, I’m going to be doing that. I got pitched again for New York Fashion Week and then Paris Fashion Week. So, I’m going to be doing that in the fall. So, I’m trying to be prepping for that.
So, what inspires you? What or who inspires you when it comes to fashion and what you do?
My kids: I have two girls. They keep me in line because they’re always telling me, “Okay, I think you should do this. You should do that.” So, it gives me that youthful thing, if you will. I kind of stay in touch with my youth. As far as people, like I say, I mean, I’m a throwback. So, it’ll be the older generation, man. It’ll be, you know, like I say, the Harlem Renaissance-feel like when we actually dressed the part, if that makes sense. When we walk out of the house, you make sure that when someone sees me, they’re going to see me today. So, I’m just inspired by everything, to be honest with you, man. Not one thing in particular. I’m inspired by everything. Like, you and I can be having a conversation, and then, it can spark something creatively in my brain. The next thing, you know, I just put pen to pad and there you go.
What are some words of encouragement or inspiration that you can give someone?
Just do it, man. I tell people I don’t know. I tell people to get in and just mess up, right? Because what I tell people all the time is that I’ve learned nothing in life from my success. Like I feel like if I if I stay ready, I never have to get ready. If I prepare, if I do the things I’m supposed to do, if I cross all my T’s and dot all of my I’s, I’m supposed to be successful. It’s not until I lose, or until I don’t get what I’m supposed to get from life, then, I’m like, “Well, what did I miss?” So, then, I have to go back to the drawing board. So, what I would tell people is just do it. Jump out there. If you got that thing in your head, put it down on paper and go forward. And don’t take that no. Like, don’t be afraid of rejection. I promise you that I’ve learned nothing in life from my success. Every lesson I’ve ever learned came from a failure, and I don’t even look at it like that because I feel like this is my winning season. That’s what I would tell people all the time. It’s a part of my product line: It’s My Winning Season. So, what I would tell people is just go step out on faith, man. I mean, at the end of the day, you’re going to miss all the shots that you don’t attempt to take. So, that’s what I would say. Just go.
Now, if people want to know more information about you and The Gent’s Life, how can they get that information?
We have a website, but we do it mainly from like Instagram, Facebook, and IG Store. We have Tik-Tok now. So, that’s booming. So, you probably just log on to Instagram and go @thegentslifeapparel, just like the brand, and it’ll pop right up for you.
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