Damon Evans
DAMON EVANS, 22
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Location: Wantagh, New York
Topman Hoodie, Monocut Glasses from Urban Outfitters, Nike Air Huaraches, Uniqlo Socks.
UD: What is your general style vibe?
DE: Too mixed to be narrowed down-- I generally wear whatever fits me comfortably and I can dance in!
UD: Is style a vehicle for your individuality or do clothes just serve a purpose?
DE: Style is definitely a vehicle because if not then I would look like any other guy and let’s face it, I’m not anybody else. I may be similar to some people but nobody is me. However, on some days clothes really just serve the purpose of keeping me from being naked.
UD: How do you feel about the current men’s style landscape?
DE: I have always felt that there were never enough clothing options and variety out there for men. I like that I am seeing more movement towards super fashionable plus size men’s clothing but I still feel that it’s not enough. I would love to see plus size men’s styles that don’t normally scream “it’ll fit and cover my fat.” Sometimes, some of us bigger men like to wear form fitting clothes!
Customized Denim from Wrangler, Sweater from Topman, Monocut Glasses from Urban Outfitters, Flourescent socks from Uniqlo, Nike Air Huaraches in Grey.
UD: What are some of your go to brands?
DE: I love to get my dress shirts from Geoffrey Beene. I love the shine and feel of Geoffrey Beene shirts. For my underwear, I must go to American Eagle because of the look, prices and support of their underwear. For a lot of my general clothing, lately I have had to go to Old Navy because of the lack of the availability of clothes that look good on me in my sizes... especially pants sizes.
UD: What are some exciting aspects of fashion to you right now?
DE: I love how men’s fashion is slowly moving towards more feminine looks and thus more variety in looks.
UD: What gets you excited about your personal style?
DE: The fact that my personal style is constantly growing and changing-- that excites me.
Dior Homme Sunglasses.
UD: How does your level of confidence on any given day influence what you wear?
DE: If my confidence is not too strong, I will normally only wear something that will make me look slimmer or at least looks good on me. My confidence affects how I’ll be able to handle people’s reactions to how I look. However, if I’m feeling super confident- which I’ve been feeling more and more- I'll wear whatever I think looks good!
UD: Does your cultural background play into your style choices at all?
DE: Growing up in Williamsburg (before a lot of the Boricua culture was pushed out) has influenced a bit of my style. However, I don’t think my cultural background plays enough into my style as I wish it would. That’s simply because I have less and less of my culture of my life because of family and childhood friends being further and further away.
UD: Does the current political climate affect how you present yourself to others?
DE: Totally. My mom raised me to always be cautious of people and never try to draw too much attention to myself because you never know who is there that might want to hurt you. Therefore, now I am more cautious yet there is still that side of me that enjoys having fun and not caring who is watching.
John Varvatos Tee, Nike Air Huaraches, Custom Denim Suit, Monocut Glasses from Urban Outfitters.
UD: What struggles do you face when shopping for clothes?
DE: A lot of struggles I face when shopping come from either being too big for “regular” sized clothing or being too small/too short for plus size clothing. Something I have always struggled with was finding pants that could fit my waist, butt, thighs and not look like parachute pants. Usually because of the size of my thighs and butt, I’ve had to go higher in sizes and those pants are rarely form fitting.
UD: What would you say to men's clothing designers / manufacturers?
DE: Please add more options for men’s clothing that fits all sizes and shapes. Please don’t forget that plus size people are sexy too, so don’t just offer us shapeless clothing.
Monocut Glasses from Urban Outfitters, Nike Air Huaraches Custom Denim Suit.
UD: Lastly, What inspires you?
DE: As cliché as this may sound, I’ve found most of my inspiration from my mom and my boyfriend. Both have constantly made me feel just as handsome and sexy as the skinny male models you see all the time. Therefore, thanks to them I have been able to say “You know what? I can rock that outfit too. Damn right I look good!” I have also found inspiration from seeing people, that are my size or bigger, on Instagram or in public really loving themselves and their body. I struggled with being plus size but have learned to embrace it and love it, and now I’m loving life more than ever.
Monocut Glasses from Urban Outfitters, Custom Denim Suit.
