I started Engineered By Dré in January 2023. Before that, I was a mechanical engineer. I traded the title in to build something of my own, and I built it from scratch. No money. No handouts. No connections opening doors for me. Just an idea, the discipline to source the best fabrics, the patience to find manufacturers who could match my standards, and a belief that the way I see the world deserved to be worn.

I call myself a Fashion Engineer, not a Fashion Designer. The difference matters. Engineers build things that have to hold up. They sweat the details nobody sees. They care more about whether something works than whether it looks easy. Every workshirt, flannel, and piece in this brand is the result of chasing the best materials and refusing to release anything that doesn't meet the standard.

But the clothes are not the point. The clothes are the proof.

The point is the circle. The people who wear EBD are not customers to me. They are family and friends. The ones who bought my book in the first week with no ads behind it. The ones who size up to 5X and finally feel seen. The ones who tag the brand and tell me what it means to them. I'd rather give a discount, fix a mistake, or make sure you get your piece than worry about a dollar. That's what makes you part of this. The clothes are how we recognize each other.

Every month, I donate 100 workshirts to the homeless on the streets of Ypsilanti and Detroit. The plan is to take that nationwide. People who are unhoused deserve to be clothed in something built to last, the same way anyone else who wears EBD is. Ypsilanti is the city that built me. Detroit is the city that built this brand. Giving back to both is non-negotiable, and wherever EBD grows, the giving grows with it.

A big part of why I do this is to help other people make it too. That is why I give out free game on social media for other brands, other business owners, and anyone trying to engineer their own way out. What I learned the hard way, I want to hand to the next person before they have to break to figure it out.

If you're reading this, I pray you make it.

Appreciate you,

André

Relationships matter more than transactions. I only want to work with friends.