Dapper Dan (designer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dapper Dan
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Dan during an interview in December 2019
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Daniel Day
August 8, 1944 New York City, U.S.
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| Other names | "Dap" |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Dapper Dan's Boutique, Dapper Dan's of Harlem |
Daniel R. Day (born August 8, 1944), known as Dapper Dan, is an American fashion designer. He is also a haberdasher, someone who sells men's clothing and accessories. He comes from Harlem, New York.
His first store, Dapper Dan's Boutique, was open from 1982 to 1992. It became famous for bringing high fashion to hip hop culture. Many well-known people were his customers. These included Mike Tyson, Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z.
In 2017, Dapper Dan started a new fashion line with the brand Gucci. They opened a second store together in 2018. It is called Dapper Dan's of Harlem. Time magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2020.
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Early Life in Harlem
Dapper Dan was born in Harlem, New York, in 1944. He grew up with three brothers and three sisters. They lived in a three-bedroom apartment. His father, Robert, worked for the government. His mother, Lily, took care of their home.
When he was 13, Dan was already good at gambling. This skill helped him earn money for his first store. Later, he wanted to change his life. He was inspired by a speech from Malcolm X. This led him to study at the Countee Cullen Library. He also went back to school. He joined a program with the Urban League and Columbia University.
In the 1960s, Dan worked for a Harlem newspaper. He wanted to be a writer. He also changed his lifestyle and became a vegetarian. From 1968 to 1974, he traveled through Africa. This was part of his academic program.
Fashion Career
Dapper Dan's Boutique
When Dan returned to New York in 1974, he decided to work with clothes. He started by selling items from his car. Dapper Dan's Boutique opened in 1982. It was on 125th Street in Harlem. Sometimes, the store was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dan used his own experiences to design clothes. He learned that what a person wears affects how others see them. He used this idea in his designs. He also learned to be a creative director and a businessman. He would observe people and ask himself what they wanted.
At first, Dan wanted to buy clothes to sell. But he faced challenges because of his race and where his store was. Many companies would not sell him the textiles and furs he needed. So, he decided to learn how to make his own designs. He studied fashion and symbols at the public library. He was inspired by the power of famous logos.
Selling furs was a way for Dan to move away from his old life. Furs were very popular in Harlem. A friend taught him how to make different types of furs. He also started working with leather goods. He noticed that designers like Louis Vuitton and Gucci only made bags from leather. Dan wanted to make clothes from leather. This led him to create a famous jacket for Diane Dixon.
Dan called his unique designs "knock-ups." He felt they were too special to be called "knock-offs." He even invented a new way to screen print onto leather. He also designed jewelry and car interiors.
His first store was large, like a grocery store. Clients often came in late at night after parties. Dan sometimes slept in his store. This was because it was open all the time. Also, some clients wanted their clothes ready in just 24 hours. The store gained a lot of media attention. This eventually brought his designs to the notice of big European fashion companies. Because of legal issues related to his use of logos, his first store had to close in 1992. After that, he continued to design clothes "underground." For example, he started making outfits for boxer Floyd Mayweather in 1999.
Return to Mainstream Fashion
Dapper Dan's career became popular again in the 2010s. In 2017, Gucci's creative director, Alessandro Michele, designed a jacket. It was a tribute to Dapper Dan's 1989 design for Diane Dixon. The original jacket had Louis Vuitton logos. Michele replaced them with Gucci's double-G logo.
People on social media noticed the similarity. Many thought Gucci had copied Dapper Dan's design. This led to Diane Dixon suggesting a collaboration between Gucci and Dapper Dan.
In 2017, with support from Gucci, Dapper Dan partnered with the Italian brand. They created a line of men's clothing. In 2018, Day opened a new store in Harlem with Gucci. It is called Dapper Dan of Harlem. This was the first luxury fashion store in Harlem.
In 2019, Gucci released a special edition of Dapper Dan's Harlem. The Gucci Garden Gallery in Florence, Italy, also features Dapper Dan and his famous jacket. Today, Dapper Dan is on the board for the Gucci Changemakers North America Scholarship program. In 2023, he also worked with the American clothing company Gap Inc. on a new collection.
Personal Life
Dapper Dan has eight children. His son, Jelani Day, works as the brand manager for his father's business.
See also
- Hip hop fashion
