Female Disruptor: Janine Labaqui is helping men be rugged and dapper.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Janine Labaqui, CEO & Co-Founder of Rugged & Dapper, she is the driving force behind the business-side of the no-nonsense men’s grooming line, handling everything from creative branding to operations, sales and marketing. Alongside her husband Ryan Labaqui, they are hoping to grow Rugged & Dapper into the go-to grooming line for men and an internationally recognized household name.

What is your “backstory”?

As a teenager in Los Angeles, my two younger brothers and I all struggled with severe acne. Not only was this a serious knock to our confidence, but it was also painful — both physically and psychologically. The only silver lining was I was able to test every acne product on the market in order to find a solution.

I found that many products were actually harming my skin, and only when I began to use clean, natural formulas in my early ’20s did I see lasting results, which is something I have since developed a passion for and remains the driving force behind our brand and the mission we are so committed to fulfilling.

Before founding Rugged & Dapper, I was working as a designer and product developer for various brands, including Woo, William Rast, Denimocracy and Parker Smith. In the spring of 2011, I met and fell…