Montreal's Pif creates LOVIAH Pants

Whether it’s grinding down 30 stairs Hubbas, putting an end to a decade long drinking problem or launching his own brand in the midst of a global pandemic, PIF knows all about putting the hammer down. We chatted with the 41 years old man about his latest power move, the Loviah brand. 

You are 40 years old, have been sober for more than 10 years, still skate like an animal and just started your own brand, Loviah. Does your sobriety play a role in your abundant motivation?

Absolutely. Having a brand and skating motivates me not to drink and not drinking motivates me to skate and have a brand. Skateboarding is my way out, it allowed me to compensate for my alcohol addiction and still does to this day. Same thing for the brand. It's a way for me to invest my energy in something positive and obsess over this instead of partying.

Did your dark years have an impact on your brand's creation process?

It didn’t directly influence the creation of my brand, but my sobriety definitely helped. Let's say that I wouldn't have been in a position to start a brand when I was at the bottom 15 years ago! The renewal of my love for skateboarding was also an element that influenced my brand's name so in a way, we could say that my sobriety played a role in the creation of Loviah.

Pif, crooked grind in 2005.

What motivated you to create Loviah at first?

I've been skateboarding all my life and as a lot of skaters probably do, I always had the dream of starting a skate related brand. The actual idea for Loviah came recently during a dinner with my girlfriend's family, when my mother-in-law mentioned that I should start my own brand. She always sees me with new fresh gear on and basically told me: “Working construction doesn't fit you, you should just launch your own clothing brand”. That was the spark that ignited the whole thing. We were deep in the pandemic and we couldn’t do anything, so I decided to start learning about fabrics and what it takes to make a nice, good looking pair of pants. 

How exactly did you make the family dinner idea come to life?

Before I even knew my brand’s name, I started searching for durable and comfortable fabrics with the goal to make pants for myself. After months of searching, talking to a bunch of people and making phone calls, I found what I was looking for and went to see my friend Phil Beauséjour to transform the fabrics I found into pants. The first production was 150 pairs of pants. I sold a good chunk of them and gave the rest to my homies so they could try them out. From that point on, the brand felt 100% real. My 150 pairs were gone and my friends looked great wearing them. It sure motivated me to take the operation to the next step.

Pif, massive 50-50 in Portugal, 2018.

Where does the name Loviah come from?

The origin of the name is really random. I'm a guy who loves life, skateboarding and clothes, Love was a word that I liked, but I knew it was a bit unoriginal. Probably also already trademarked everywhere in the world. During that time, I randomly watched Transworld Skateboarding’s Video Radio. For those who don't know, it was an early 2000s Transworld video of a Circa Footwear tour in Europe. After a demo somewhere in France, Chad Muska gets out of a pimped out black van and shouts “Peace France we love you!”. That's when the name came to me… We Loviah! 

What makes Loviah special compared to all these other pants brands?

I believe the fits and materials used in our pants are what set us apart from others. We offer high quality pants with premium fabrics and cuts made for skaters to feel good when looking down at their pants and shoes. We offer the style, durability and comfort of premium pants for a really affordable price.

What did your product line look like in the beginning and how has it evolved until today?

At first, Loviah was just one pair of pants. It was simple, but people seemed to like it. It was a baggy corduroy pant that felt like sweatpants. I offered it in a few colors like brown, black and wine red. After running out of the pairs we made, I slowly started introducing tops with prints to the line. At that time, all of the printing was handmade in the back store of Adam Green’s shop OSS in Saint-Sauveur.

Tell us a bit about your first official drop, now available at finer skate shops near you.

Pants will always be at the center of the Loviah collections and for Spring 2023, we have three models. A relaxed fit corduroy pant available in 5 colors, a cargo pant with extra-large pockets in 6 colors and baggy denim jeans in 5 colors. Then we have printables like hoodies, tees and long sleeves. We also have a baseball type jacket with a selection of dope New Era hats. We’re only at the first delivery and Loviah garments are already being sold in more than 20 shops in Canada! 

Congratulations for your success! What's next for PIF Daddy and for Loviah?

I still feel in great shape so I’ll keep skating on a regular basis! That’s one thing. Otherwise, I will continue to work on Loviah. We did our first event at the beginning of March and it was a success. I really want to be doing more of these in the future. I will continue to focus on finding quality materials and designing comfortable, durable and affordable garment. Stay tuned for drop 2, available soon at a skateshop near you!

Pif, frontside board slide, 2020.

Check out LOVIAH on instagram here.

Interview by Phil Lajeunesse - Skate photos by Dan Mathieu

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