Local clothier at 'one' with career, life choices
Wynsome Brown/Contributing writer
Issue date: 3/14/10 Section: Cover
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Kenneth's sister Tina Westray doesn't remember the doctors who performed the surgeries at Washington Hospital Center to save her brother's life. But she is thankful to them. The incidents were never reported to the police because that's not how Westray dealt with things.
His life started off the way a young boy's should. ?He grew up the youngest of seven in a two-parent household on 5th Street, NW in Washington, DC. He attended Shaw Junior High and Dunbar High School where he learned what would later become his trade: clothing and textiles. Sewing, reading about fabrics and cutting patterns became his passion.
When all the other students were trying out for sports and auditioning for plays, Westray was designing and making uniforms for the cheerleaders and the school band. He steeped himself in learning the intricacies of colors, fabrics, patterns and sizing clothing for residents, tourists, politicians, athletes and entertainers.?When he graduated from Dunbar in 1984, he stayed on the straight course, working his way to manager at a downtown shoe store
But a few years after high school, Westray's life took a wrong turn when be began hanging out with the wrong crowd. The money on the streets was faster and better than he was making at the shoe store. That was until the second near-death experience. He decided it was time to change.
In 1992, with $2,000 from his savings he started We R One, a clothing line of apparel and accessories that complements the urban lifestyle. He was 25. For years, he hawked his t-shirts from the trunk of his Honda.
"I was inspired by God after two near death experiences," he said. ?"I worked in retail after high school, so I decided to start my own clothing business."
In December 1996, he opened his first store to sell the We R One clothing line, at 518 Florida Ave., NW. In just three years, he expanded his struggling independent business adding stores in Baltimore, Suitland, Md. and Houston.
His popular items are sweat suits that appeal to men who prefer to wear trendy and versatile urban athletic sport clothing. A men's PC Terry set sells for $50 and a women's full zip up goes for $40. The stores also feature children's clothing ranging from $25 - $50. Even though the clothing line doesn't follow today's trends, Westray stays true to himself and continues to design clothes that represent his lifestyle.
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