Legendary Harlem fashion designer Daniel R. Day, aka Dapper Dan, is a testament to tenacity and determination: He was sued, ousted and fired by top luxury fashion brands 30 years ago, yet now collaborates with them and has built a reputation as a trendsetter.
Dapper Dan, the 79-year-old fashion designer known as the “Godfather of Hip Hop Fashion,” is finally getting some recognition from the industry after his legendary boutique at 43 East 125th Street in Harlem was forced to close due to lawsuits from high-end fashion houses who claimed that Dapper Dan had used their logos in his designs without permission.
“I didn’t make a knockoff, I made a fake,” Dapper Dan told ABC News. “Knockoffs are like, people go to the Canal. [Street] And then I look for an exact replica. That’s not what I did. I do what jazz musicians do.”
Dapper Dan talks about creating a new Harlem Renaissance. ABC News
In the 1980s, Dapper Dan aimed to attract the wealthy and fashionable in his community by offering his own unique twist on prominent designer brands.
Dapper Dan realized he could make a lot of money by putting the logos of luxury brands on his clothes. After going back to the books and learning about textile printing, Dapper Dan began incorporating the logos of luxury fashion brands like Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci onto his products. He put his own name on the tags, and soon word spread about his unique items.
Big name celebrities came in all day and his store became a 24-hour business, and Dapper Dan says he worked tirelessly, slept in the back of the store, and never took a break.
His clients ranged from Harlem hustlers to celebrities such as Run DMC, Mike Tyson, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Bobby Brown. He was more than just a fashion designer, he was considered by many to be a cultural icon for planting the seeds of fashion in the hip-hop music genre.
As media attention increased, Fendi sued Day in 1992, claiming that the use of the Fendi logo on Day’s designs was a trademark infringement. Day lost the case and was forced to close his store and go into hiding. Day kept a low profile throughout the ’90s, and business slowed.
He says the lawsuit left him with almost nothing and he found himself sewing in his basement.
Under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele, Gucci presented a nearly identical version of the 1980s Dapper Dan coat worn by Olympic gold and silver medalist Diane Dixon in its Resort 2017 collection.
Dapper Dan talks about creating a new Harlem Renaissance. ABC News
Gucci called it a homage to Dapper Dan’s unique designs. At the urging of Diane Dixon, Gucci’s then-creative director, Alessandro Michele, collaborated with Dapper Dan to create a new men’s clothing line and opened a new luxury store called “Dapper Dan of Harlem.”
“The number one designer came to Harlem,” Dapper Dan says, “and said, ‘I believe in you, and I want to do this project with you.’ And we walked through Harlem. It was like a political march. We walked from our brownstone to the Apollo Theater. And you look at the entourage, it’s all brown and black. And you can see that the Gucci team — the whole Gucci team — embraced it.”
On April 4, 2024, Sherwin-Williams announced that it will collaborate with Dapper Dan to launch a new fashion line called “The Loneliest Color.” The fashion collection is inspired by the brand’s least popular color, Kingdom Gold SW 6698. Dapper will be making his debut as Creative Director of The Loneliest Color™.
Other brands, such as Puma and Gap, have followed suit with the fashion trends that Dapper Dan has provided over the years.
“Usually, to be successful, we have to be like them,” Dapper Dan said, “so that to be successful, we have to be like them. That’s why you see a little bit of my influence in every major brand.”
He is currently working on recreating designs from the past with a modern twist, researching African styles and sensibilities and adding his own unique twist to them, which he shares with the streets of Harlem and the world.
“In our culture, we take something that already exists and mold it into our own personality,” Dapper Dan said. “And that’s what I did with the logo. If Ralph Lauren gives you a horse, I’ll give you the whole horse, and the herd. Gucci gives you two Gs. I’ll give you colorful Gs.”
