The legacy of dapper dan

By Alexandra Ennabi

10 / 21 / 23

Hip-hop isn’t just music, it’s a cultural movement. You can’t begin to talk about streetwear fashion without mentioning hip-hop’s influence, and, some may even say, creation of the streetwear style. A pioneer in hip hop fashion is designer and icon, Dapper Dan. 

Dapper Dan was born in East Harlem in 1944 where he grew up poor and in his early 20s, was arrested for dealing drugs. After he left prison, he got clean and began writing essays on Pan-Africanism. He began touring places like Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and Liberia. In Monrovia, Liberia he befriended a tailor who made him a suit from local fabrics. This suit’s West African take on American style served as an influence for Dapper Dan’s designs which he described as the “Africanization” of High End European fashion houses. Dapper Dan had found his calling and returned to New York to become a clothier. 

He opened his first boutique named “Dapper Dan’s Boutique” on 125th street and Harlem in 1982, and at first his boutique only sold furs. He then began studying Gucci, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton logos and started remixing high fashion designs with Harlem streetwear. The first piece he made was a jacket which he trimmed with logo printed canvas garment bags he purchased from Gucci. He was creating designs for big artists of the hip-hop scene like Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, LL Cool J and athletes like Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson. 

One of Dapper Dan’s well known designs was Eric B & Rakim’s luxury monogram leather jackets on their “Follow the Lead" and “Paid in Full” album covers. Another well known design is Salt n Pepa’s 8 ball jackets that drew a lot of attention and became a staple of the 90s. However, Dapper Dan’s most well known design was his creation of logomania. Before, logomania was just on handbags and purses but Dapper Dan transferred the design onto clothing such as jackets, vests, and tracksuits. He is now thanked for the logo heavy style that is still popular today. 

Dapper Dan’s customers came to him because Ready to Wear designer fashion was still new and the European sizing didn’t fit the broader build of the rappers and athletes who made up Dan’s customers. Dan also made luxury clothing for Black people who didn’t feel welcomed or comfortable shopping at luxury stores. Dapper Dan was unique to other designers of the time, he had the insider look into Harlem and understood his customers because he was one of them. 

Dapper Dan’s designs were controversial since he used the brand's labels without their permission. Even though he claimed his designs were an homage to the brands, all of the boutique’s success soon came to an end. The boutique was regularly raided and in 1992 due to a trademark infringement case from Fendi, Dapper Dan shut down for good. However, Dapper Dan continued to dress all the celebrity hip-hop artists on the downlow and is now known as the Father of Harlem Style and a pioneer in Hip-hop and streetwear fashion. 

Not only has Dan’s past designs become staples in everyone’s wardrobe, normal person and celeb alike, he has collabed with many influential brands. In 2018, Gucci and Dapper Dan collaborated on a collection that reimagined Dan's ’80s and ’90s designs. Gucci also helped Dan reopen his legendary Harlem Boutique which is still open by appointment today. 

Dapper Dan introduced the fashion world to Urban Luxury and reinvented high fashion for people of color. Dan was able to fuse together streetwear and high fashion which paved the way for many successful Black owned brands like Rocawear, Sean John, Karl Kani and more. We must all remember before there was Virgil Abloh or Kerby Jean-Raymond, there was Dapper Dan, the Godfather of Hip-Hop Fashion.