They took his creations to the streets and were soon followed by rappers and sport stars who took it to the entertainment industry. Some jackets were fitted with extra deep pockets to conceal weapons. Martinez is now in the witness protection system following incarceration for multiple murders and violent crimes, but in his heyday sporting Dapper Dan eluded power and a sense of vigilante and untouchable outlaw.
The formidable rap duo Eric B. One of the most iconic looks was sported by the late DJ E-Z Rock, who commissioned Dap to create him a brown velour two-piece tracksuit with Louis Vuitton monogram side seams. Whilst collecting his jacket, he got into an altercation with fellow heavyweight Mitch Green, who wanted a rematch to a fight he lost in He had a profound influence not just in a visual sense, but also lyrically. Such is his street legend, it wasn't long until the luxury brands he was mimicking caught wind of his success and had the authorities raid his store on a number of occasions.
They shut him down in and forced him underground. Middle-class black people showed the same level of disdain towards him as the white-dominated fashion houses or white Americans. His designs catered to their specific needs: bullet-proof parkas for drug kingpins or jackets for gangsters that were fitted with extra-deep pockets to conceal weapons. By the late 80s, the boutique was being regularly raided by the police.
Another raid followed — and the authorities seized not only equipment, but material and photos, which served as the only existing records of the pieces he made.
In recent years, Day and his son — and brand manager — Jelani have begun trying to catalogue his surviving pieces. There were more raids, and more close calls. When Day witnessed a drug dealer being kidnapped in his store, he was shot in the back and nearly died. Day returned to selling on the streets, faux Chanel T-shirts to private customers.
In the late 90s, he set up a smaller-scale, more discreet operation in the home he shared with his wife and their two kids. In , he began outfitting the undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. And then something unprecedented happened: a collaboration. Gucci hired Day to design a capsule collection, and in it sponsored a new appointment-only atelier in Harlem in tribute to his original boutique. To him, it is a fitting remedy. While the collaboration has been largely celebrated, some have remained critical.
The racist belief that black people devalue luxury brands is gradually changing. The rapper Nicki Minaj launched a capsule line with Fendi last year ; and after years of ignoring him, Gucci employed the rapper Gucci Mane to front a campaign.
In , a display of tchotchkes in the windows of a New York Prada boutique included one that looked like a Golliwog. Luxury labels, he says, want fast access to black culture, often without truly trying to understand the meaning or history behind it.
Day still lives in Harlem, of course; some of his new customers are second- and third-generation Dapper Dan devotees. Well into his eighth decade, Day is at ease with change, still reinventing himself. A much overdue biopic is in development at Sony , which he will executive produce. He has every intention of continuing to experiment with new hustles. There was the huge double-G Gucci logo cut out of cookies-and-cream black-and-white leather that graced the album cover of Eric B.
The raids and lawsuits that followed effectively brought the golden era of Dapper Dan to an end, forcing the closure of his boutique in Yet chapters of the legend were still to be written. Last year, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele gave it a fresh layer of gloss by unveiling a balloon-sleeve bomber in mink and leather that was nearly identical to a Dapper Dan creation for Olympic track star Diane Dixon although in the Dixon original those balloon sleeves were emblazoned with Louis Vuitton logos.
It was a cue for Dan himself to step back into the spotlight. What might have been a curtain call—a chance for Dan to take his bow and accept his place in the annals of style—soon introduced a brand-new scene when it was announced that Gucci and Dapper Dan would be undertaking a joint venture in a new Harlem atelier, a space for him to work his sartorial magic with a free hand and raw materials supplied by Gucci. Dapper Dan was gracious enough to grant GQ Style a private audience in the sanctum of that new atelier, parting the red velvet curtains to offer a glimpse into a Harlem unknowable to anybody save for a very select few VIP clients who will be able to book one-on-ones with Dap himself.
Dapper Dan: This was a space I would not have selected. But Gucci thought it was so ideal, and I can't believe how right they were. I was thinking about th. Originally I was on th, so maybe that's why. GQ Style: But being kind of behind the velvet curtain, so to speak, feels right somehow. Yeah, it's amazing because Gucci wanted this speakeasy effect. And I like it. I realized I'm from Harlem, born and raised, and the stampede would be too much if I was to open the doors without having private appointments.
Because I've never been in a situation where I was open to the public since the '80s. Although my original place was similar to this. I had three floors. That would have been at least one floor for production, correct? One floor was for production, another floor was for receiving customers, and the other floor was to do textile printing. VIP clients who get the opportunity to collaborate with Dapper Dan on custom one-of-one pieces choose from a range of new design details created by Gucci exclusively for the atelier.
That would be the inks that bonded with leather? Which was one of your specialties. Yes, for leather. That was on the top floor, so the fumes would be away from the customers. And in this space, you'll be focusing purely on tailoring and design? Oh yeah. We are doing production here, but the fabrics are all coming from outside the space.
Gucci's supplying all the fabrics, all original fabrics from Italy. What was that selection process like? Well, the initial conversation was an agreement [with Gucci] that I would open up and I wouldn't have to produce any fabrics; they would supply me with all the fabrics. I'm super happy with the variations that they gave us. Especially the things that I was familiar with, the GG prints, of course. I can be as creative as I want, within the context of what Gucci's all about, you know, their standard Speaking of what you added to Gucci's brand, much of the initial coverage of this partnership revolved around questions of cultural appropriation.
Now that the atelier is opening, do you look forward to leaving that behind and focusing more on the work itself? You know, that's an interesting question, because that's an issue with the public. I've left that behind a long time ago.
Because I have seen [echoes of] my work in various forms, with various companies. In fact, Mecca launched their company with one of my initial creations. So I was used to seeing that. The only new idea that I had to get used to is getting credit for it! But social media was up in arms about it—you know, social media is new to me, so it all took me by surprise. But, no—I plan to just move ahead.
Sometimes I would have to address it, in fairness to the public, but all in all, I'm very happy about the arrangement Gucci and I have. Between that wave of commentary on social media and the announcement of the partnership, what sort of conversations were you having with Gucci? Did they reach out to you—or were you already in touch with somebody there?
I think we heard [of their interest] through various hip-hop artists and stylists. I was surprised about it. I thought it was a joke in the beginning.
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