Dapper Dan, Telling Stories In Leather, Fur And Logos
The legendary hip-hop designer is now partnering with the big fashion labels who originally shut him down for bootlegging their logos. He's got a new memoir out, called Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem.
It's summer in Harlem. It's blazing hot. But that hasn't stopped Dapper Dan from holding court on the street in front of his atelier, greeting people as they pass by.
I met up with him to talk about his new memoir, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem, about his journey from hustler to respected taste-maker and businessman. Today he's wearing a pastel green suit jacket over a couture vest and matching pants that he designed himself for the European fashion giant Gucci. "This is fine polka dot, Gucci loafers, semi-loafers they call them," and yes — those are gold moths on the back.
Dan says these daily greetings
