Rob Kardashian is a man about his business. As folks around the globe stalk the family that raised him via blogs and syndicated drama, the USC business school graduate is hustling off-camera.
With his year-old luxury sock line, Arthur George (which stands for his late father Robert Kardashian’s middle name and his own), Rob has been lining soles with funky fabrics and funny phrases to keep feet looking fresh from the toes up.
While cruising to Mama Kris Jenner’s Calabasas crib, the Brother Kardashian phoned in to VIBE and discussed the leading ladies in his life, keeping up with Kanye West and what he would change about his past relationships.—Adelle Platon (@adelleplaton)
VIBE: So why socks?
Rob Kardashian: Socks is just a starting point to doing apparel and streetwear. Socks just started to become more of a trend with the younger generation like five, six years ago. Me and my brother-in-law at the time, Lamar (Odom), we would just play basketball with everybody. The boys would wear colorful socks or even their dress socks and just put on their basketball shoes. Also, all my really close friends own companies like The Hundreds and Diamond and their number one sellers are socks. Everybody needs socks. We’ve only been around for like a year so we’re just a work in progress but it’s doing good. We’re growing.
You have very opinionated women in your family all the time. Do they ever said ‘Hey Rob, that looks whack?’ or give you feedback on your socks?
(Laughs) Yeah, they do, definitely like with packaging or designs or even some sayings for the women ’cause Mother’s Day is coming up. I definitely ask everybody’s opinions about and they’ll definitely say some things. But to be honest, they all just love them ‘cause they’re comfortable to wear to the airport or to work out so I just appreciate the support.
Describe your creative process. How do you go about picking designs?
The designers we have in house are really good and they throw out a bunch of designs and I either elaborate or change the colors here and there. I give them direction if I find that we need to do like, let’s say stripes. I literally pull from different wallpapers or the patterns in a random hotel I find cool. I have a lot of friends, who are girls who love designing and fashion, and just kinda shoot me ideas. Even Hermes and their scarves. I feel like we can get it from anywhere nowadays.
You mentioned that this could be the starting for a Rob Kardashian apparel line. Do you plan to expand into scarves too or maybe beanies and other accessories later on?
Yeah, I definitely wanna jump into other things, like boxers, underwear, t-shirts, even ties. Honestly, there’s so much to do. I’m working on some things with clothing but I’m just really trying to iron out all the little details about my socks. We are also doing kids and a lot of women’s stuff. I’m excited for that.
You said earlier that you playing ball with Lamar is what kind of started everything. Have you recently spoke to him about getting his input?
I haven’t spoken to him recently about newer sock advice or anything like that. But I love Lamar. Lamar is always a brother to me so.
Ok, serious sock question: do you do the deed with your socks on or off?
Never. (Laughs)
Never?! Not even your own? What kind of a businessman are you? You have to rep your brand!
Not when I’m like home. I take my socks right off. I put on my house shoes.
Ok, fine. If there was one female celebrity you could recruit to wear nothing but your socks, who would it be?
I mean, I’m sure everybody always says Rihanna cause she’s sexy.
I’ll co sign that.
I mean Look at her. She’s marketable.
Yes, marketable is the right word. Now, you’re surrounded by entrepreneurs all the time, not just women, but Scott Disick and Kanye West. Has anyone specifically been a business mentor to you?
I mean Scott’s cool just ‘cause he used to wear suits all the time and dress super intense with the suit game so he was definitely [helpful] with the dress socks. He kind of gave me the idea to go crazy. Kanye is like a fashion icon so he is definitely inspiration to being something great or having a great business. He does a lot. I mean everything he touches is literally gold from all the shoes he’s created whether it be Louis [Vuitton] to Yeezys to whatever he is about to do with Adidas. Everybody is an inspiration, not just my family members.
Music goes hand-in-hand with style and I saw you recently used Cam’ron lyrics for one of your captions on Instagram. What are you bumping in your headphones right now?
Dipset, Dipset. (Laughs) Now that was like probably back in like ninth grade for me. I was just listening to that song and I heard the lyrics and thought it was funny. Musically, honestly I have my mom’s iPod [right now] so all kinds of like Babyface and old R&B songs. I love Babyface though but honestly I listen to really whatever. I love Howard Stern. I listen to talk radio and stuff like that. To be honest, Howard Stern gets me through a lot. I also listen to a lot of Mumford & Sons, and Arcade Fire. Cam’ron and Dipset was one of my favorites, too. I’m not gonna lie.
Cam just dropped a clothing line too on Karmaloop. You guys should collaborate.
Yeah, that would be a good little collab. Maybe do some socks for him. I gotta check that out. Karmaloop is great too.
I’m actually surprised that you haven’t put your socks on there yet.
I talked to the owner of Karmaloop and he was like, ‘Whenever you’re ready.’ I have a lot going on. I’m trying to get my body right too ‘cause that makes a difference in the workplace so I don’t wanna take up on all these things for at least a couple more months. But I am definitely laying the way for the future.
Flip to page two where Rob Kardashian speaks on Kanye West working with Tyga and taking love lessons from his sisters
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Going back to Kanye. Have you gotten a chance to listen to what he and Tyga have been doing because I’ve seen them working together and Tyga’s a close family friend.
Yeah, Tyga’s the best. I haven’t really been in there. Scott and Tyga hang out a lot so Tyga’s always like, ‘Come to the studio with Scott’, but honestly I’ve just been doing my own thing and trying to just work out everyday, eat right and it’s been a battle for me and it’s tough. That’s really all I’m focusing on. I definitely have to take up Tyga’s invitation and go with Scott to check his music out. I am sure him and Kanye are doing good music. No pun intended.(Laughs)
Ha! I see what you did there.
I saw Big Sean the other day and he said he has a lot of good music coming out. I’m excited for all these guys. They are all killing it, especially Tyga. That guy is really a smart guy. I mean he just changed it. He just kept going and he is in a real good lane right now.
Now you mentioned that you’re focusing on yourself, getting everything right in your personal life and then also working on your brand but has there been any time for love at all?
Honestly, I’m not really stressing or tripping on any of that. I feel like I’ve had so many different relationships. I’ve lived like a different life with every relationship I’ve been in.
That’s human. It’s great to hear that from you because you’re in the public eye because it shows everyone goes through this.
It’s definitely true. It’s weird because I feel like each relationship is like 20 years of my life and it’s like I’m in a marriage each time. But I’m good. I’m happy right now. I’m just chillin’, working on my business, working on myself, trying to connect with all my old friends from back in high school who I haven’t seen in ages, I’m moving into a new house and that’s really it.
Now that you’re wiser and know what you want from yourself, is there anything about the situations that you’ve had, with like Rita Ora or Adrienne Bailon, that you would’ve changed or done a little better?
I feel like a relationship goes both ways. I’m a pretty good guy when it comes to relationships. Like if I’m with you, I’m with you and that’s it. I just honestly wish I was in high school and I had my high school girlfriend and wasn’t out there because nobody can judge or break each others relationships down. It’s just tough. If I was a normal person, nobody would even care but the fact that I’m on TV and people know [the Kardashian] name, it just makes it harder. Honestly, I’m so lowkey. When the word gets out that you are with a girl, that’s when it all falls down I swear.
And you want to protect that for when you’re ready to settle in the future.
Yeah, so when it comes to the future, I would literally do things differently. I always just try to keep myself private because when somebody knows you’re with somebody, they will always try and break you down. I don’t think I’ll do anything different. I’m just older. Even when I was 19 years old with Adrienne or with another girl or whomever it was before that, I expect to marry the girl I’m with because that’s the only thing. Why are you with somebody then? So that’s really like my only intention when it comes to the future.
Do you think you’re more cautious now, seeing your sisters’ relationships too?
Yeah, definitely. Just because I don’t like seeing them go through shit. We’ve all gone through shit. But I think everyone’s thoughts going forward is to just pick ‘em right.Let your feet do the talking with Rob Kardashian’s Arthur George sock line, now available on agsocks.com and set to hit shelves at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom soon