Welcome to Well Dressed Brother
Welcome! The Start Here Page is divided into six sections. If you're a first time reader or visitor, learn about WDB and what we're here to do.
Click on the numbered links below to jump to different sections of the page, or scroll past them to start the page from the beginning.
A Few Things You Should Know:
#1 WDB Was Founded as a Magazine
Welcome to Well Dressed Brother, founded with the intention of being the ultimate black men’s magazine. From that goal, it evolved into what you see today. We put out a few older digital magazines, which you can see in our archive. It was quite a point of pride for us.
#2 The Focus Was On Black Men's Fashion
Why did we create a magazine? We were focused on helping black male models be successful, give them a bigger platform, etc. We wanted to interview them and have them give style advice and tips that our subscribers would appreciate. All this made great sense at first, and we were enjoying doing both…
#3 We Needed a Bigger, Better Resource
But the problem soon came up – we weren’t reaching enough black men interested in fashion. The magazine only had a few subscribers… not a ton. Long story short, we weren’t reaching enough folks out there on the web – we needed a bigger and better platform than a once-a-month magazine.
#4 So This Site Was Created
Our mission statement: simply to help.
#5 What You See Today is The No. 1 Black Men's Style Site
What you see today, then, is a constantly expanding site on black men’s fashion. Every time we put together a new article or send out an email, we’re doing it for yall.
#6 And Why Is It Needed?
Much of our style advice and content is relevant to all audiences. But black men have style unique to us – questions, looks, and inspiration that we gravitate to. Why is it necessary that black men have “their own” style site? We have style problems unique to us.
-
1
What Colors Look Good on Darker Skin?
Specifically, what colors and color palettes work on light, medium, and dark black skin? As you probably know, colors stand out and look differently on us as compared to men of different skin colors. Looking at outfits that Caucasian and Asian models wear, for example, don’t help as much. Sure, the apparel looks great, but we go about color coordination very differently.
-
2
How Do I Mix / Match Patterns?
Another related topic...what fabric styles and patterns look good on black skin? What’s hot in the black community as well? Learning how to mix and match patterns and articles of clothing is another area of black men’s style most aren’t talking about.
-
3
What Are Men My Age Wearing?
Then there’s age ranges - black men of different age ranges are searching for a resource that collects photos and images of black men of their age. Older, mature gentlemen want to know what looks good on men of their peer group...younger men want to know what’s hot...and so on.
-
4
How Do I Care For My Hair / Beard?
There’s grooming, too. Specifically black hair and beards. Grooming them, taking care of them, making sure that they’re healthy, knowing the products to use, and so on. Understanding how to style them, how to avoid getting a shaving rash… there’s lots of moving pieces to it.
-
5
Any Recommendations On Casual, Formal, Urban Wear? Etc
Different dress types - what are black men with my tastes in style wearing? For example, casual, classic man (formal), and streetwear styles? Among other things, one of the most basic issues with black men's style is that good inspiration is hard to find.
-
6
Where Can I Buy Black-Owned Apparel?
Self explanatory,
The above are just a few examples...questions that aren't really answered anywhere else on the web. We have unique style problems that we face.
I’m betting dollars to donuts that you have a similar story at some point in your life.
Some time ago my friend invited me to come and visit him in Southern California, somewhere I’d never been until then.
I had living in the south for most of my life. So I was down to visit great big California and felt that this was the perfect time. I hopped on a plane and headed out West, to Los Angeles.
Once I touched down in Los Angeles, my friend offered to show me around the city. We spent several days sightseeing, visiting landmarks, heading out to a few night spots, etc.
Each day was something new and it was great - visiting areas like Santa Monica, Hollywood, Beverly Hills . I could not stop commenting / talking about how stylish everyone is out there.
Over there in LA (as well as a handful of other cities around the world), when you step out the door you’re making a statement.
Now until that point I considered myself somewhat stylish - I got a few compliments from time to time. But in LA, the difference was huge. I knew I had a ways to go in terms of stepping up my style game.
I mentioned what I was thinking to my friend. I told him that I was dissatisfied with where my style was currently at.
Now, he had been living in LA for some time, so he knew exactly where I was coming from.Of course, not being black, he tried to help without understanding the core issue..
Recommending a few generic things like the typical style blogs that everyone in LA follows, along with some famous menswear influencers as so on.
My friend asked why not use some popular sites, i'd already seen them. He also suggested popping open a couple magazines, etc.
The problem was, of course, none of it’s tailored to black men, or relevant for us. If you open a fashion catalog, its mostly non-black men throughout the pages.
If you hop on a lot of menswear apparel / discussion sites, a lot of them are mostly tailored to what looks good on Caucasian men, or all backgrounds.
Black men’s style can be niche or unique. I mentioned that it would be nice if we had a site just for us, wouldn’t it?
Listening to all this, my friend nodded his head; he seemed to get it. Well, he added. You’re a digital marketer for a living right’?
Maybe you should be the one to step up and create the website. You’ve made a few before in the past….
I laughed...he was joking...but what he said sank in. We all face these issues.
Ask Yourself:
-
1
Is black men's fashion well-represented?
We get “the short end of the stick” when it comes to representation in men’s fashion. Catalogs, TV, pop culture. For the most part, we’ve gotten by with advice, social media, etc. But the issue of representation hasn’t gone away.
-
2
Isn't black men's style diverse?
I always marvel at how niche we get. Some wear loafers 24/7, others rock ripped jeans & chains, still others love button downs & chinos,... the list goes on. Life’s short. Why wear different spins on the same outfit everyday?
-
3
Is it tough to stay current?
It’s easy to watch what your friends and family are doing, and try and be in the middle of the pack. But most of us don’t want that. We want to be out there, in the lead, setting trends, not just blindly following them.
-
4
Isn't it time we have our own corner of the Internet?
Don’t just hope for the best? Or burn a hole in our wallet without being sure of whether it REALLY looks good on black men. Nope - WDB is here to help. This is the site for you.
Before, You Weren't Set Up for Success
Keeping up with black men's style used to be:
Time Consuming to Follow
Lacking Black Male Models / Style Inspiration
Competitive / Hard to Stand Out
Expensive
Now, You're In The Right Place
WDB helps you with:
Age Appropriate Menswear
Different Styles & Looks
Best Quality, Best Price Apparel
Answers to Your Questions
Section 6:
What You Need to do Next
Sign Up for the Email List
Our email list is where we drop knowledge on great sales, new looks, menswear recos, style tips.. seriously, SO MUCH happens on there. Sign up by clicking the icon above.
Take the Style Quiz
The style quiz is the first step to understanding a little bit more about the way you dress. Click the icon to head to the quiz page.
Ask a Question
Curious about any aspects of black men’s fashion? Want an answer to your question? Just head over to the Contact page.
Browse Apparel
Get started! Make sure you do the following (on the left) so we can keep in touch and help you with your style.
