Having a keen Fashion Sense has been the bane of many a Discreet Black Man and many heterosexual men accused of being gay. If you look good, clean and dress well…you must be gay or on the “down low”.

Its assumed that if you’re an out-of-shape, sloppy, poorly dressed man, then chances are you’re straight. Well…okay, there may be a little truth to this stereotype…but I used to be all of the above, and I’m gay, so it doesn’t apply to everyone. So four years ago, I decided to get my ass into shape and become more “fashion conscious”.

One day I hit the Internet and stumbled upon a blog created by a couple black “kids” who where into fashion. Little did I know that STREET ETIQUETTE would become a weekly staple for me and redefine how I viewed fashion in general.

These young boys, Travis Gumbs and Joshua Kissi (pictured below), at only 22-years-old have done what many fashion stylist and designers twice their age are still struggling to achieve: Build a brand.

Just by scrolling through a few posts on their blog, you’ll feel the vibe they recreate through fashion.

It’s also refreshing to see two attractive, masculine, heterosexual [so they say, however so did I at that age, lol] black men with an extremely detailed fashion knowledge. These dudes do their homework.

Their “style” is a dope mixture of the kind of fashion that defined masculinity from various periods of the past (vests, blazers, corduroy) mixed with contemporary trends guys their age embrace (skinny jeans).  Even if you wouldn’t rock anything they highlight, you gotta admire the individuality and creativity.

They’ve been featured in the New York Times, on both the GQ and Urban Outfitters’ websites, as well as named as one of the “40 Bloggers Who Really Count” by the London Times.

Here’s an interview with the two of them:

Without a doubt I hope to collaborate with these guys one day in some form or fashion…At the very least I will swagga-jack some of their styling suggestions (like the ones shown below) to get my grown man on, finally shedding my fitted caps and white-tees.

– Nick