Because the Nineteen Twenties, Harlem has been a cultural mecca, attracting among the most proficient artists, writers, and musicians who’ve each drawn from and contributed to its infectious vitality. Clothier and stylist Dapper Dan is one in every of Harlem’s most beloved native sons, who made himself a family identify within the Eighties. His used his knack for repurposing logos from European manufacturers like Gucci, MCM and Louis Vuitton to decorate a few of hip-hop’s hottest artists, together with LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and Slick Rick.
In a latest interview with Advanced, Dan honored his beloved Harlem and talked about why he thinks the neighborhood’s type can’t be beat.
Within the interview, Dan notes that for over a century, Harlem has been the place for Black intellectuals, and a spot the place somebody he calls a “boy surprise” emerges each technology.
“A ‘boy surprise’ is the man all people needs to be like, to decorate like,” he stated. “So that they turn out to be the dandies for his or her technology.”
Though he’s visited many African nations, Dan says he’s at all times drawn on the sights, sounds and colours of Harlem, noting that he’s noticed how a brand new designer brand could make even the hardest gangster really feel his greatest.
In an interview with ABC Information, Dan stated that many of the inspiration for his designs comes from the vitality he finds in his ‘hood.
“My temper board is the streets of Harlem,” he stated.