IDKMYDE: Dapper Dan

In todays episode of IDKMYDE, Dapper Dan goes from Harlem’s fashion underground to front-row at Gucci shows, proving that if you can’t get into the fashion world, just make it yours—and make them beg you to come back. It’s a tale of hustle, high fashion, and a whole lot of swag.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either.
I introduced to you Dapper Dan. Now, if you're not familiar,
Dapper Dan is like the Yoda of fashion, but instead
of using a lightsaber, he had a sewing machine. And
instead of fighting Darth Vader, he was back in the
eighties fighting Guccie and Louis Vatan. And I didn't know.
I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I

(00:28):
didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. Now very ignorantly,
the very first time I ever heard of Dapper Daan
was on a jay Z song. He said, We're a
g on my chest. I don't need Dapper Dan. I
was like, hold on, now, who is jay Z Shaw? Now?
Is this somebody new to the rock? But no, it
turns out Dapper Dan ben famous. See back in the day,

(00:49):
Dapper Dam was taking designer fabrics and remixing them in
the custom pieces for hustlers, rappers, athletes, anybody with that
money on luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vautan and Findy.
They wasn't checking for black folks. They didn't design for
the culture. But Dapper Dan, he did custom jackets track suits, hats,
it didn't matter. He turned rappers, hustlers, and athletes into

(01:11):
walking billboards. You wanted the Louis Vautan jacket with Gucci
sleeves and Fendy pockets, what Dapper Dan had you? He
would like the original Doctor Frankenstein of fashion, just putting
pieces together, except his creations was fresh as hell, not scary.
But it's always a plot twist. See the luxury brands
that he was flipping started suing them. Shut that man

(01:32):
down like he would bootlegging DVDs in the nineties out
the trunk of a cutlass. And I'm like, dang, y'all
mad at this black man for making y'all born ass
designs cool. And see, Dapper Dam wasn't just making clothes.
He was making statements. He were pretty much telling the world, Look,
if y'all won't let us in the front door fashion,
we'll build our own house of fashion. But in the nineties,
them big brands had his Harlem store shut down. Fast

(01:54):
forward to now and them same hating brands is calling
up Dapper Dawn like, excuse me, do you mind im
working with us? See around twenty seventeen, Gucci face some
backlash for a jacket that they had in a twenty
eighteen cruise collection. It looked entirely too close to one
of Dapper Dan's designs from the eighties. So instead of
them just going back and back with the controversy, Gucci

(02:15):
collabed with Dapper Dam to celebrate his legacy. This collab
led to him opening up his own luxury studio in Harlem,
where he collaborates with Gucci to create custom one of
the con pieces. Now he can legally blend his signature
style with the brand's iconic designs, designing for clebs and
chilling in front rows like he owned the place, legs crossed,

(02:37):
ankle showing I bet bro walking them Gucci meetings like
I remember me the dude y'all tried to sue. Yeah,
I'm here, Now where's my coffee and my money? So
the takeaway is this, be like Dapper Daan, don't wait
for nobody to let you in. Kick in the dough,
waving the faux fo, not literally waving the faux fo,
but kick in that dough, set up shop and then

(02:59):
make them call you. And that's the ultimate blow up.
Imagine getting kicked out of a party. Then years later,
they paying you to host the party. That's the Dapper
Daan effect. Baby. And all this time, I'm thinking all
the artists that have referenced Apper Dain, jay z, nas
push a t currency, I'm thinking, dang hip hop made
Dapper Danna legend. But the reality is Dapper Dam made

(03:20):
hip hop look legendary. Them old school rap covers with
dudes wearing matching outfits, looking like expensive superheroes. That was
dapper Dam. Because I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either.
I didn't