In the DMV, there are a few hills that natives will die on: mumbo sauce, gogo music, top athletes, and certainly, a top fashion sense. Sure, those not from the DMV will assert their own contrary opinion, but the DMV certainly has a unique sense when it comes to fashion, debate your mother. But you don't have to just take my word for it, even now-disgraced fashion mogul Kanye West admitted that he got his fashion sense early on from his D.C. friends who would wear Ralph Lauren and Air Jordans. It was a style he only saw in this area, back when he would come out to visit his father.

From streetwear brands like Solbiato and EAT to luxury high-fashion lines turned global like Hanifa, the DMV doesn’t get enough credit for being the hub of haute couture that we are. So it only makes sense that some of the hottest clothing brands are coming out of our backyard. In this article, I’ll be highlighting some of the brands and designers from the area that are making waves and should be in your online cart by the end of this article -- if it isn’t already.

Zella Fermani

First up, the fashion designer and streetwear brand with a name as smooth as a glass of Pinot Grigio, Zella Fermani is a top-notch streetwear brand in the DMV. All of their apparel is unisex and each item sports the Fermani name or logo with unique high-quality designs that are sure to level up your fit. Each item has the versatility to be a statement piece with anything you wear.  Fermani is just what you want from a streetwear brand. It’s original, stylish, comfortable, and ambitious. 

Zella Fermani is also a brand that should inspire you to be great while wearing it. For all the design dreamers out there, “the only person stopping you from following your dreams is YOU,” Fermani tells NUNAR.

Bryan Lewin

Next, we have an innovative luxury piece-maker, Bryan Lewin. Bryan Lewin is an ultra-visionary designer, and you can feel the inspired creativeness and avant-garde direction he takes with each piece he creates. “My inspiration for fashion design is to always make something better and to try my best to create the luxury in [a] solid design, at the best possible quality available to anyone who appreciates it,” Bryan tells NUNAR.  His two companies, Tomorrow and Solutions co., offer tailored pieces and impressive alteration services for any garment, to make sure every outfit is made perfect for you and only you. 

What's more impressive is almost every piece he creates is made from a recycled or reused piece of clothing, making sure that sustainability is each piece’s greatest feature. Currently, the textile industry is a big and unfortunately wasteful industry, which exceptionally makes Lewin the designer of the future.

Respect Brand

Next, we have Respect Brand.  At the helm of this growing streetwear brand is Carza Posey, a 16-year-old designer from Washington D.C., which already makes Respect Brand one of the most impressive brands coming from the DMV. 

While most of us at the age of 16 were trying to build our streaks on Snapchat, Posey was busy building a clothing brand that would garner the support of many of our favorite rappers like Lil’ Durk, Lil’ Baby, and Roddy Rich, just to name a few. 

That’s also a testament to the quality of the clothing the company provides. The rainbow-colored logo that each piece dons makes it versatile enough to go with any fit/sneakers, and is sure to catch the eyes of onlookers. 

Mingo by Domingo

Mingo by Domingo is a fun brand. Mingo was founded and orchestrated by Yanju Padonu a.k.a Domingo in PG County, and the company currently operates out of Baltimore City. Mingo has some of the best branding I’ve seen out of the DMV. The exhibit section on the Mingo website takes you through a curated photo book that is nostalgic and warm but also stylish as fuck. Their brand is like an ongoing story that gets better as you go, constantly evolving into something better than before.

Fashion is many things, but I believe it’s done best when you have a connection to what you're wearing. Mingo is not only just a fashion line or brand. I’d say it's a lifestyle– a lifestyle that is about growth. If you want to live by the Mingo way, just “try and be better than you were yesterday” says Domingo. If you need a starting point on how to be better, go cop a Mingo hoodie– at least your style will be headed in the right direction. One thing I do know, once you step into the world of Mingo by Domingo, you’ll never want to leave.

XCÉSS

XCÉSS has become one of the fastest-growing clothing lines to originate in the DMV. Run by Founder and CEO David Deloatch a.k.a dfazo and co-CEO Aaron Mahtemewrk, the 20-year-old entrepreneur wanted to build a brand that offers sleek and stylish designs for men and women to feel good in and ready to achieve more in life.

The brand offers a wide catalog, everything from hoodies to blankets to bathing suits. XCÉSS is a one-stop-shop for all your fashion wants and needs. As mentioned earlier, it’s certainly impressive that XCÉSS has grown as fast as it has. The brand was launched just a year ago, notwithstanding that Deloatch was houseless and struggling to find footing and support. When asked what advice he would tell an aspiring designer, dfazo says to “keep going and never look back even when it looks like it’s the end of the rope. You will never know how close you were to [clearing] a bridge.”

B. Fly Apparel

B. Fly Apparel is bold and chic, and has your next statement piece ready and waiting for you to live out your best life.

B.Fly is a boutique run and owned by Marisa Nicole, operating out of Bowie, Maryland. This brand exudes a bossy verve and aims to satisfy the fashion desires of femmes everywhere. In my opinion, this brand is impressive for its many one-of-a-kind pieces, designs you won't be able to get anywhere else. The clothes are innovative and very fashion-forward. Some pieces may perhaps be for the more seasoned fashionistas who can pull off bolder, original looks. With that in mind, casual wearer beware.

B.Fly is for all no matter the level of style, but if you aren’t prepared for the powers some of these garments hold, the piece may very well end up wearing you instead. 

More Than Your Average

More Than Your Average is an elegant, bold, and beautiful plus-size brand that pops with imaginative color combinations and design quality that really celebrates and complements the curves that the shop caters to. The brand is owned by Mya Price and located in Washington D.C. MTYA has been featured in popular publications like TeenVogue and PopSugar, just to name a few, and it’s easy to see why. Her pieces raise the bar with their vibrancy and the quality of the garments are impressive. More notably, in a fashion world where embracing fatness has long been deemed taboo, advocates and designers are still vying for further inclusion in the slim-figured dominant industry. It’s encouraging and captivating to see brands like MTYA destroy the old narrative and offer a fashion-forward, radiant choice for big girls everywhere.

So Extra

So Extra is just as the name suggests. With enough fun and style to go around, from jumpsuits and dresses to their “Spennanight” mini bags and duffle bags, this brand has you covered for whatever your glam needs are. Based in Richmond, Virginia, this women’s clothing line has the range for every late-night occasion, from the pre-game to the after-party. Clubbing should be a distant memory for most of us (looking at you Atlanta), but whenever the scene opens back up in the DMV, you can expect that this brand will have the girls looking good enough to skip the lines that will surely mire the late-night scenes once the pandemic is over.

TaeLamode

TaeLamode is sexy and breathtakingly elegant. This D.C. fashion line brings dresses, skirts, and gowns with a degree of flair that stuns on-lookers with designs like the ‘Tatiana’ dress, featuring a seductive high-slit adorned with crystals as pictured, which is just a taste of the luxe pieces that the brand has to offer.

TaeLamode is perfect for any special occasion/event, from a black-tie event with the hubby to a vacation dinner by the water. These pieces are classy with a splash of drama that I’m sure will entrance wandering eyes the second they gaze upon its wearer.

eve. clothing

eve. clothing is a women’s clothing brand from PG County run by Eve Matthew. This brand’s gracefulness and innovation is always on full display. When it comes to creating her pieces, her aim is to keep everything she does “original and interesting,” whether it's the different soft materials used, the splash of colors, or the different cuts she makes. 

From the popular hand-sewn velvet sets to the lovely hand-sewn satin/velour pieces and accessories, each item accentuates the wearer with cozy materials and youthful colors with a hint of iridescence that gives the wearer a mesmerizing and sexy allure. I’d say they are perfect for a girls night in or out because just as its comfy material and minimalistic designs can be perfect for the quasi-calm kickbacks with your best friends, I think it’s still fashionable enough to stand out in a more festive setting like a music festival or on U-street.

There are so many more popping brands where these came from. The DMV is full of trailblazing designers, shops, and boutiques and I hope this list introduced you to your next favorite.