By Crystal Tate, Allure
Before designers were scrambling to dress rappers on the red carpet, hip-hop tailor Dapper Dan was outfitting everyone from Run DMC to LL Cool J. In the ‘80s and early ’90s, hip-hop artists were regular customers at Dapper Dan’s Harlem boutique. During a time when logos were omnipresent, Dapper Dan created a process for screen printing on leather, designing everything from jackets, pants and hats to even custom car interiors.
[post_ads]Although Dapper Dan eventually had his business shut down after being charged with infringing on intellectual property, the tailor was essentially paying homage to the luxury European designers many hip-hop artists and fans didn’t have access to, remixing their designs and logos and creating a new way of looking at high fashion.On Monday, Gucci held its Cruise 2018 show in Florence and it appears that creative director Alessandro Michele and his team may have ironically paid homage back to Dapper Dan. Stylist and vintage collector Jordan Page noticed that a fur jacket with monogrammed puffer sleeves looked oddly similar to a jacket that Dapper Dan himself had designed over thirty years ago.
But that wasn’t the only look that was reminiscent of Dapper Dan or styles of yesteryear. There were logo-printed handbags, pants, tights, socks and a fur coat with the double G’s, and even slogan tees that read everything from “Guccy” to “Guccify Yourself”. Another look of note was a logo-printed suit that looked like a modernized professional take on one of Dapper Dan’s tracksuits.
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In an interview with The Cut, Dapper Dan said, “I never used or designed anything that [the luxury houses] would think of — I was too cutting-edge for that.”
Whether Michele was inspired by Dapper Dan’s cutting-edge style or not, it’s safe to say that fashion always has been — and always will be — cyclical.
More on Hip-Hop in fashion:
[post_ads]Although Dapper Dan eventually had his business shut down after being charged with infringing on intellectual property, the tailor was essentially paying homage to the luxury European designers many hip-hop artists and fans didn’t have access to, remixing their designs and logos and creating a new way of looking at high fashion.On Monday, Gucci held its Cruise 2018 show in Florence and it appears that creative director Alessandro Michele and his team may have ironically paid homage back to Dapper Dan. Stylist and vintage collector Jordan Page noticed that a fur jacket with monogrammed puffer sleeves looked oddly similar to a jacket that Dapper Dan himself had designed over thirty years ago.
But that wasn’t the only look that was reminiscent of Dapper Dan or styles of yesteryear. There were logo-printed handbags, pants, tights, socks and a fur coat with the double G’s, and even slogan tees that read everything from “Guccy” to “Guccify Yourself”. Another look of note was a logo-printed suit that looked like a modernized professional take on one of Dapper Dan’s tracksuits.
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In an interview with The Cut, Dapper Dan said, “I never used or designed anything that [the luxury houses] would think of — I was too cutting-edge for that.”
Whether Michele was inspired by Dapper Dan’s cutting-edge style or not, it’s safe to say that fashion always has been — and always will be — cyclical.
More on Hip-Hop in fashion:
