“I do not dictate fashion. I translate culture”
This September in partnership with New York Fashion week, Black Beauty Roster and MAKERS hosted the Black Beauty Excellence Luncheon in New York City. A highlight of the event was an in-depth discussion between fashion icon Dapper Dan and MSNBC host Symone Sanders.
The Harlem legend has spent decades dressing Hip Hop royalty such as Aaliyah, JayZ, Missy Elliot and Sean “Diddy” Combs, as well as launching a fashion line with Gucci. The Icon did not hold back while discussing the culture of today and how important it is not to lose oneself in the pursuit of financial success.
“When (artists) get up in the morning, they have to look at themselves and find out, is it the money or is it who I am? If you’re gonna sacrifice who you are for the money, then I don’t know where we are going,” said Dapper Dan. “I had to start all over three times. I was willing to go back and had to go back to a table on 125th Street. And I had no problem with that because I wanted to be able to live with who I am. You know? So, if I think the question they have to ask is, will I be able to live with who I am if I don’t stand up now, or am I gonna take down the money?”
Celebrated for his originality, Dapper Dan rose to prominence due to his influential store, Dapper Dan’s Boutique, which opened in 1982 on 125th street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. He is credited with introducing high fashion to both the hip hop world and Black culture in general. Despite coming on the scene more than 40 years ago Dan has managed to stay relevant because he stays true to the culture itself.
“The reason I have been able to stay relevant to all the rappers is when I collaborate with everybody who steps in my studio, I ask them, how do you feel about yourself? What is the message you’re trying to give? And when I embrace who they are and what they’re trying to say, you know, I’m moving with the culture. “You know what a lot of these design houses did that came about after I was forced into the underground, is they created completely from themselves. So when they ran outta ideas, they died. But when you are creating from the culture, when you are embracing the culture, when you are looking at how we wanna look, looking, thinking about what we want to say, and then translating that into a garment that fits with who they are.”
Dan’s longevity is clearly evident, he was recently included in Time’s 2020 list of the 100 Most Influential People. His distinct vision and point of view was on display in the conversation with Sanders at the Luncheon as he gave advice for the next generation of designers on how they too can stay relevant for over four decades.
“I never saw a mood board. I walked on the streets of Harlem. Harlem was my mood board. I’m looking at what they wear, how they wanna look. I say, that’s what I’m gonna do. That’s what I call translating culture. Artists get to sign up with a company and the company tells them, well, we think this is popular, and they lose who they are. And I tell young designers – don’t die inside. The biggest problem with designers, they die inside. Your time may come, but extract from the culture and as well as extract from yourself. If you blend that together, I think that’s the key to success.”
Through decades of invention and reinvention Dapper Dan has cemented his place in history due to his ability to see trends and understand the wants and needs of the market he is trying to reach. Or to say it even more simply, it’s better just to use his own words…
“I do not dictate fashion. I translate culture”
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