There are no simple few words to describe someone who refuses to be put in a box, not perfect, yet confident and not compromising. Sheen Magazine had the most incredible opportunity to chat with multi-hyphenate life artist B.Slade and am thrilled to share it with you!
B.Slade goes beyond a music artist who dances and sings exceptionally well. He is an actor and director who works on various movies, television shows and produces other musical artists. He has always had an eye for fashion. He orchestrates the artist’s looks that he works with and the visuals that he wants the audience to experience. That is why we want to share with our Sheen family about B.Slade’s new clothing brand, Plush Boy Apparel.
B.Slade, your strong followers know how creative you are with your fashion. Tell us about the new clothing brand, Plush Boy, and the ideas and visions behind it. When did you realize you were ready to launch your clothing line?
If you are talking about where I am fashion-wise as an artist and those things this past year. I’m finally owning it instead of just discussing the concepts and the ideas. I’m manifesting them into physical products and creating designs in my mind. My mind is always making something, some backdrop, not just music. My whole life is art. I live the art – and to see it come into physical manifestation is incredible. This year was the year. I was like, “It’s time with my team. Let’s go for it.” It’s hard work setting up your own fashion line. It’s much easier than it would have been ten years ago. You have to make the choice, stick with the idea, and see it through. At the top of 2024, I launched Plush Boy Apparel.
Plush Boy reflects my expression, music, faith, and walk—everything has been created and curated with complete authenticity and no compromise whatsoever. My inaugural collection, Plush Boy Street + Stage, uniquely combines unisex casual vibes, couture, poshness, and pedestrian functionality that accompanies the buyer from bed to the street all the way to your destination – “The Stage.”
When it came to fashion in my performance, I used to dilute myself slightly. Some of the things I was doing then are still not being done now on stages. As my team and I were planning the launch, I wondered if people would connect with my brand or if I should stop trying to win over new people and talk to the ones who rock with me now. It was a journey, for sure.
That’s amazing. Now I have to ask where the name Plush Boy came from?
Well, long ago, Uptown Records, Andre Harrell, and groups and artists like Guy, Jodeci, Mary J Blige, and Heavy D. pioneered that whole cultural fashion in music, to me, was developed at Uptown Records. Everything about how they rolled the product out, marketing-wise, the music videos did not look like any other R&B at that time. When I saw the group Guy, Teddy Riley, and the whole flair, I was like, man, when I think about everything they were doing, not just the music….It was the lifestyle, the celebration of black Glam they brought to the table. I was like, OKAY THIS IS PLUSH!
That word came to me because it was beyond cool, dope, or whatever the slogans were back then; yeah, I think it was “fresh.” The clothes they wore were something I wanted to either feel the textiles or wear. Whatever they made it out of, I wanted to feel the fashion experience it and not just rock it.
So that was the Plush part. The Plush Boy part is more like I always kept that wonderment because we didn’t second-guess our fashion when we were younger. Even though we were kids, many of us knew what we wanted our fashion or style to be, but our parents, church, family, and friends tried to discourage us. But many of us early on knew exactly what type of artist or professional athlete we wanted to be or what persona or character we wanted to present or deliver to the world.
So, the Plush Boy whole thing—you know I don’t have any children, but every time I make a new piece of fashion, it is like having a new kid. I always wanted to have a son. It’s not specifically for boys; it’s unisex. Women and girls can rock it, too. It’s more about the life it gives the person wearing it.
Someone texted me recently that they saw someone rocking a Plush Boy hoodie in New York. The thought of someone I didn’t know, rocking something that was formed in my mind – when this happens, it makes me feel like that piece of creativity…that legacy, has gone beyond myself. It’s not just something I enjoy but something someone else can enjoy.
It’s also like planting a mustard seed of purpose and positivity – like my “Witness hoodie” which comes from my inspirational song “Witness,” can be like a form of ministry that you can see, but it’s not pushed in your face. I can use this art to plant seeds of positivity – that goes beyond just me, and it’s through me but not from me.
Do you ever question yourself when you come up with different t-shirt/fashion ideas? What would church people think?
Oh Yeah, most people don’t understand I’m a hybrid entity. I’m the one that understands where both sides are coming from church vs. mainstream, Republicans vs. Democrats, straight vs. queer, rock vs. rap vs. trap…you know what I’m saying. I stand at the intersection of many things and reflect to society how much they have in common on a human level. If my fashion can spark that conversation, and if someone says, “What’s that supposed to mean?” it will get people to research or ask the person wearing the garment why it resonates with them. They may say, “Where did you get this?” Even if they don’t want to say it out loud, it might be something they connect with. Someone might look at what I’m wearing now and say, “That’s not for me, but fly for him.”
This brand is comfortable and approachable, but it doesn’t look cheap. If I can combine that feeling with quotes that trigger conversation, even if we never talk again, I have broken that wall. We are all in our little worlds on our phones; if I can get people with Plush Boy to look and see each other, even if it’s corny, inspirational, or funny, I’ve done my job.
There’s something for everybody at Plush Boy, but it’s not for everyone.
Growing up in church, with your dad as a Pastor, did you experience what you should or shouldn’t wear in church?
When I was ten, it was a significant time in my life fashion-wise. Miami Vice was popping high. I swore I was on Crockett and Tubbs’ team. I remember Easter Sunday. Easter was a big event at church. Offering time was like the runway when the people marched around to give. I loved the Miami Vice, and I wanted to rock the look. My Father wasn’t the Pastor then but was really concerned about what the church and the other ministers would think of me wearing my pastel oversized sport coat, grey and white striped shirt, turquoise blue skinny tie, baggy pants with pleats, no socks, and loafers looking like Don Johnson.
My grandfather came to my rescue, and he happened to be in town at that time. You see, my grandfather was the coolest grandfather – he was a chef, painter, and saxophonist. He supported my eccentricities and always encouraged me to be myself. He heard my conversation with my dad and stood up for me. He said, “Go ahead and let that boy express himself.” He reminded my father about his admiration of James Brown and his days of playing saxophone with him on the road. My grandfather said that his censorship of my fashion would be a bit of a double standard of what’s okay and what’s not. My grandfather stood up for me, and I got to rock the outfit that Sunday!
The Plush Boy brand’s color story, palette, and vibe are inspired by Miami Vice—turquoise, pink, and blue—and you can’t forget the flamingoes.
Everything I create is done with what is genuinely inside of me. I hope it speaks to others the way it spoke to me. The brand is resonating with people internationally.
That is awesome, and I’m excited to see where Plush Boy is going. It has been amazing chatting with you. Do you have any encouraging words for our Sheen Family that it might speak differently hearing from you and not someone else?
Don’t Give up. Surround yourself with people who encourage you. It can get lonely sometimes when you have a vision that only you can see. God always gives us a vision, and often, before we see the provision…that’s where our Faith comes in. Hang on, it always works out.
About B.Slade
B.Slade is a multi-hyphenate life artist with a 30-year career boasting two Emmy Awards, a GMA DOVE award, an Ovation® Award, eight STELLAR Awards, and eight Grammy nominations. With a discography of over 30 albums and 300+ songs spanning numerous genres. B.Slade writes, arranges, and produces for icons like Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, Snoop Dogg, Sheila E., Faith Evans, Shanice, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla $ign, Jordin Sparks, Tisha Campbell, Eric Benet, Jacky Clark-Chisholm, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. B.Slade has worked with the legendary Patti LaBelle as Creative Director on her world tours and Janet Jackson as Show and BGV programmer on her last five world tours.
About Plush Boy Apparel
B.Slade conceptualized Plush Boy Apparel in 2022 because he loves fashion and desires to integrate his musical and visual creativity into wearable expression. The flagship brand Plush Boy Street + Stage launched in 2024 and uniquely combines unisex casual vibes, couture, poshness, and pedestrian functionality that accompanies the buyer from bed to the street all the way to your destination – “The Stage.” Plush Boy Apparel is an online retail center (www.plushboyapparel.store) with plans to expand to a flagship retail location soon.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Plush Boy Apparel
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