Some of D.C.’s biggest sports teams are repping a local couple’s designs.
Michael and Christian Warren used their backgrounds in fashion and art to create A Life Well Dressed (ALWD.) Their apparel company includes the DC Proper brand, which makes Washington Commanders, Wizards and Capitals gear.
“We created a company together, A Life Well Dressed company, that we pretty much sold and activated at local pop-up shops,” Christian Warren said.
One of the couple’s first designs to gain attention was a Commanders varsity jacket.
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“We wanted to highlight the D.C. in the brand colors and then we have the 90th edition patch celebrating all of that. And then, DC Proper with the W," Michael Warren said while showing the jacket. "Washington DC Proper is how we're trying to tell that story.”
The jacket quickly became a huge hit.
“We're just honored that people saw it and they loved it. This has been like one of the most desired jackets in franchise history,” Michael Warren said.
The Warrens' success didn’t happen overnight.
“When COVID-19 happened, everything was at a complete halt,” Christian Warren said.
The couple lost everything and to survive, they sold their house, furniture and moved in with family in California. Christian is originally from Compton, California, and Michael is from Southeast D.C.
“We focused on what we did have and not on what we didn't have, and what we did have was our creativity, our hearts, our family,” Christian Warren said.
Despite the challenges, they kept designing, pushing and making connections until their perseverance paid off. Eventually, they were selected as one of the Black-owned businesses to open a retail shop inside the BWI Marshall Airport.
“It's just so special because it's not like our product is even in a traditional space, like we're in an international airport selling brands that we created together,” Christian Warren said.
At about the same time, they got a deal to design a capsule collection for the Washington Wizards.
“When we created DC Proper, I wanted to partner with the Wizards. I wanted to partner with the Commanders. I wanted to partner with the hockey team, and tell these stories because we're all fans, we all believe in these teams,” Michael Warren said.
One year later, they partnered with the Washington Capitals, who wore the gear to the outdoor stadium series in North Carolina.
“It's just, it's a humbling experience, it's always humbling because I've always done this since I was like a kid. Like, I used to draw on fabric paint, you know, and put my name on T-shirts and things from like junior high school in Southeast D.C.,” Michael Warren said.
Now, their brands are going global, and they recently opened a second retail shop at Reagan National Airport.
“It's super exciting because people get a chance to experience what we believe in. Experience through fashion, what Baltimore Soul is, what A Life Well Lived is, what DC Proper is and what it means, and what it feels like," Michael Warren said. "And so, they can take that, and they can take it wherever they can take it globally, and that's what's so exciting that it provides us the global exposure to expose people to local culture."
The Warrens' designs have been sold at Nordstrom, Foot Locker and D.C. team stores. Next, they are working with HBCUs and hope to work with the Nationals and Baltimore sports teams.
