Dapper Dan and Gucci Open a Harlem Atelier

For Resort 2018, Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele sent a look down the runway that looked incredibly similar to a jacket (albeit counterfeit) made by Harlem-based designer Dapper Dan back in the '80s using a fake Louis Vuitton logo print. The Italian fashion house called it an “homage,” after replicating the silhouette using the its own logo, but that wasn’t enough for those who claimed Gucci was appropriating black culture without respecting the man who popularized it. Dan himself, in a press released, said, “Everyone paid homage to Dapper Dan, but no one ever paid him.”

That’s all changing. After appearing in a campaign for the brand, Dapper Dan has now reopened his famous atelier with support from Gucci. The brownstone will serve as the home base for the designer’s custom apparel — by appointment only. Though Dan’s designs once used luxury fashion house logos illegally, now he’ll have access to Gucci’s raw materials.

“The people have spoken and Gucci has listened. Nothing has been more significant in the Harlem cultural scene than Alessandro and Gucci coming to Harlem and partnering with Dapper Dan,” said Dan.

For those that can’t get penciled in, don’t fret: a Gucci x Dapper Dan capsule collection will be presented with the brand’s Fall 2018 line.  

Dapper Dan's studio opens this January.