Dapper Dans of Harlem: The Gangsters Taylor How Street Culture Influenced Hip Hop and The Fasion Industry.
Hip-Hop icons Eric B and Rakim. Rakim sporting his creed on his back, the Five Percenter "flag', was flown proudly by Rakim almost everywhere he went in some form or fashion. Elsewhere on this blog site, I have delved into the Five Percenter's and their ideological impact on Hip-Hop culture.
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| POSTER FOR FRESH DRESSED THE MOVIE, DIRECTED BY SACHA JENKINS. |
Above an old photo of Dapper Dans. From 1982 until it closed in 1992, Dapper Dan's Boutique on 125th street in Harlem churned out clothes that have come to define an era. The boutique doubled as its own factory, and workers toiled around the clock to re-appropriate and remix the luxury designs of European houses that had flagship stores about 50 blocks south.
Any true Hip-Hop head, will remember Dapper Dan's the Spanish Harlem boutique that originated the trends of Hip-Hop fashion during its Genesis. Every major and minor rapper worth their salt, in the 80's and 90's era's had to have at the very least worn one outfit, tailored made at Dapper Dan's . The fashion trends developed at the boutique, literally shaped the culture and eventually would evenfluence all of the major fashion houses like, Fendi, Gucci,Louis Vuitton and all the other's that inner city people wore at the time and still wear. The following is an interview on Mass Appeal.com with the man known as "Dapper Dan", in his own words: " Mass Appeal: What would you say was the point that really kicked it off for you in terms of fashion? And who were some of the people you looked up to who inspired you at the time?
Dapper Dan: Alright now, there are two points—two major points with me being involved in fashion. The first point is, I didn’t have any influences in terms of people already in the fashion industry who excited me or anything like that. It was more about stores, as opposed to fashion designers. Stores had the influence. Major stores where guys like The Rat Pack used to shop. Frank Sinatra, all those guys we saw as hip, were the influences in terms of me being excited about fashion. Even more so than that was the hustlers on the street, who had the money and were major influences in fashion at the time. So that was my primary motivating force initially. I went into fashion as an alternative to being in the street and doing other things. I turned away from that. But at the time what was going on, the designers at the time, they were stigmatized that you had to be of a certain sexual persuasion. So the inner city didn’t gravitate towards that till later on.
Who were some of your mentors at the time? Who gave you a helping hand in terms of figuring out your voice and narrative for making your clothing?
Well, what happened was, initially I started just buying and selling. And then I saw that I was not going to be able to make it buying and selling because I didn’t have free access to the market of what people in my community wanted to wear. So I took it upon myself to learn how to make all of it. I had a friend, he was already into it, and he thought that he could make it doing that. So initially I had him help me with little technical stuff, like cutting and sewing and things like that. But that was a short period of time. The major backbone of what I was doing was converting the African guys that I recruited—because they know how to sew and cut clothes already—and showing them how to take the skills that they knew and use that to create the type of garments I was interested in. So to answer your question, I didn’t have any mentors. There was nobody around to mentor me, so everything was like trial and error, and I would read and study and learn as much as I can on my own.
Alberto Geddis Martinez aka Alpo, sporting a Gucci jacket by Dapper Dan. Alpo was from East Rivers projects in Spanish Harlem. Today Martinez no longer in prison and is in the "Witness Protection", program somewhere in the US.
What was the first piece you sold and how much did it cost?
Okay, you know what? The piece that triggered everything was a Louis Vuitton sweatshirt, and I sold it for $100. I felt excited, and the excitement that generated from the piece. The Louis Vuitton sweatshirt only needed a small screen [to print the design]. I began to explore how to make larger formats that I could use and print on, as well as printing on leather. So the first thing I made was like a Louis Vuitton sweatshirt. It made me go deeper into the direction that I eventually ended up going in—and at the time, $100 was a lot for a sweatshirt.
Who were your most loyal customers when you first started out?
"Okay, to give you an example, the average person would not accept what I was doing in the beginning, because they were like, “Oh no, Gucci didn’t make that, he made that.” So, my most loyal customers were those who were already outside of the system, which were the so-called gangsters and the money-men in Harlem. They didn’t talk about it, so it didn’t make no difference. As long as it was fly and it fit and it made them look good, they was with it. So, I would say the gangster element was my most loyal. From day one to today, those are the most loyal".
So after the street guys put on for you and your designs, when did the artists see what you were doing and say, “Yo, we want a piece of that too”? Which artists gave your brand the most exposure?
The iconic album cover for the rap album by Eric B and Rakim; "Paid in Full", the movie based on the life of Alberto Martinez, Rich Porter and Azie Faison soon followed. By wearing Dapper Dan's creations especially on their album covers, the rappers aadvertised his clothes and made his brand infamous, before them according to the man himself, the street hustler's and their "sub-culture", from that time till today are his most ardent supporters.
"Now, when you look at the golden age of hip hop and the birth of hip hop, you’ll notice that all of the powerful hip hop artists during that era: Rakim and all of them, all of them had some affiliation with major drug dealers and major criminal elements etc. And so the drugs influenced them and the criminal element influenced them. The act that made the most impact was Eric B and Rakim, because the outfits that I made for them, even up until today, those were phenomenal outfits. The concept behind the album was Paid In Full. And then the outfits, they looked paid in full. Even up until today, I get a lot of feedback about that—a lot of people loved that up until now. I think that those outfits, the Paid In Full Eric B & Rakim outfits, gave me the most exposure".
"The funny thing is that it would be the follow up to the Paid In Full album, which is the Paid In Full movie, and the Snorkel that Alpo wore. The Louis Vuitton Snorkel that is my most favorite outfit. That’s the one I am most proud of. People from all walks of life just love that coat and take pictures of it and everything".
Would you consider that to be the design that you’re the most proud of?
Above Alpo sporting the infamous Snorkel referenced previously, in the narration by "Dapper Dan".
"The funny thing is that it would be the follow up to the Paid In Full album, which is the Paid In Full movie, and the Snorkel that Alpo wore. The Louis Vuitton Snorkel that is my most favorite outfit. That’s the one I am most proud of. People from all walks of life just love that coat and take pictures of it and everything".
"That’s a very memorable piece for sure. Every person who’s successful in what they do has a build up to where they feel like they are untouchable. But in reality, there are low points too. What do you feel was your lowest point within your career"?
Latin hustlers in Spanish Harlem sporting Louis Vuitton creations all by Dapper Dan.
"There was a combination of things that brought about my lowest point. That was probably when the judgement went through because I was not here to defend myself. I was out of town. The judgment that went through was Fendi and brought about through the lawyer, [Sonia] Sotomayor, who now is a Supreme Court Justice. When she won that judgement against me, and then during that time I had gotten shot, I lost everything. At the same time, there was an assault on what I was doing by the major companies to get me out of the way and to block everything I was doing".
"I had a great relationship with Yo! MTV Raps. Ted Demme from Yo MTV Raps! told me anytime you want me to come to the store, I’ll come by and I’ll film. But the pressure brought to them by the major style houses like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, and all of them, Tommy Hilfiger and all these other brands, began to come out and said if they showed anything he does again on MTV, which was my major vehicle at the time, they wouldn’t advertise with them. So, at that point, you saw everything that I was making that the rappers would wear ripped off the screen. It was a combination of those three things—the raid, me getting shot, and the attack from the major brands—that forced me into the underground. I was starting all over at that point— undoubtedly my lowest point".
Above Dan and Jim Jones.
After you built up your business and all these other companies saw what you were doing and even went out of their way to try and get rid of you, did anybody ever hit you with a job offer? Did any of the major style houses ever try and tap into your talents?
Tyson with a jacket by Dapper Dan.
In Fresh Dressed, you said that you “blackenized” fashion. How do you feel about brands that tried to take your creative flavor and capitalized off your ideas?
Tyson with a jacket by Dapper Dan.
In Fresh Dressed, you said that you “blackenized” fashion. How do you feel about brands that tried to take your creative flavor and capitalized off your ideas?
"The more I think about that, the clearer I get on what took place. Sometimes things happen, and you think that it happened to knock you down, but it turns out they knocked you up. When they pushed me out of the way and then began to use the concepts that I brought about—now that the history of where it all came from is coming out—it makes it all more valid. So it’s a good thing, because now all these artists know, “Wow, it’s more obvious than it has ever been that they come in and kick out of the creative stuff and use it for themselves.” This was just one of those times they didn’t get away with it. Fresh Dressed is a prime example to point that out".
Above street hustlers rocking McM and Louis V creations by Dapper Dan.
I saw an interview with Vanity Fair where you talked about being excluded from New York Fashion Week, yet a lot of those brands showing at Fashion Week took your ideas and reinterpreted them for a new generation. With that said how far do you think your influence has reached?
Mike Tyson sporting an exclusive creation by Dapper Dan a sweater with crown, proclaiming Tyson "king".
"That comes right out of the last question that I just answered, but let me go into detail. When I began to take the Louis Vuitton symbols and use them in a way they had never been used before, it opened up a new world for them. Now you see them copying and taking graffitti and using it on their bags and circles. We see them looking for other ways to be creative with their brands and their trademarks, so they reach out to further what I had already started. The interesting thing I found about all this (expletive), is when [Louis Vuitton] started using the artist Murakami because of the flowery designs. If you get deep into fashion, you look at what the designers are doing, what the statements are all about, and it makes you go into the mind of whoever is creating that statement".
A crew out of New Jersey wearing Dapper Dan creations.
'I find Murakami to be very exciting, because when you study him and you go into some of the books that he’s written, you go into the Japanese mind. It made me study the symbols they put on the garments, that the brand is reusing. I studied the symbols and what they are supposed to mean before I even got involved in recreating. This was so that I never made exactly what they came for. All the rappers were coming back from Japan telling me how hip hop was the number one music in Japan. I wanted to know what the Japanese mind was like, so I went into Murakami’s mind to see what it was. I found it truly exciting".
Rakim in a Gucci from Dapper Dans.
I say all that to say this, what I want to bring to fashion is something that makes people look at our culture and say, “Wow, these people are deep, ya know?” I think that’s the greatest part of what’s going on, because people can see our contribution; the minorities’ contribution to fashion now. In an artistic way. So, I am fascinated that people are beginning to see that they’re following path, and taking fashion and embracing different concepts by different artists.
I found a quote on Twitter that said, “You can’t be in it and not be of it.” I just wanted you to explain that to the newer generation of folks who feel like creating original content and clothing is easy.
"Young people now who are going to [design schools like] Parsons and FIT are getting a great education from a technical point of view, and that’s a great thing. But that’s not being in it and of it. You would have to go to where they went to, to get the concepts that the brands used. They came into where the culture is sparked at, where the culture keeps renewing itself, like the legendary Phoenix it crashes and it rises again from its ashes. So, the technical part is good for FIT and Parsons and all these schools…but that’s not in it and of it. It’s the sacrifice and the beauty of it. The way to extract that is to be in it and of it and to be part of it. That’s what it’s all about—and it’s trials and tribulations with that. What that statement is about, there’s consequences with that, as well as a constructive way to further ourselves in fashion".
Above Rich Porter and Alpo, adorning the cover on arguably one of the most slept on writer's today. Seth Ferranti as a result of actually being, locked up with some of the major players in drug crews like the Supreme Team , was able to introduce a whole new perspective on street culture to the world. Many who write about the character's that he brought alive through his work, are building off of his foundation without crediting Ferranti.
At one point there was a general belief in hip hop that artists needed to own one of your outfits in order to be respected amongst their peer. Why do you think that was?
"That’s another thing that grows out of the self-portrait in the ghetto. It’s like when you are a hustler and you don’t have a fly car and fly jewelry, then you didn’t make it, alright? So, you hadn’t arrived yet in the rap game—even today, with the jewelry and all that is associated with it, the bragging is all about material things. At the time, you had to have the jewelry, and then you had to have what was happening in the clothes element. So, I was utilizing exclusive brands—expensive brands. If you’re gonna be able to say that you made it, you had to have the jewelry, the car, and the Dapper Dan outfit—that was it. Those were the things to get you the status and the acceptance that you needed if you want to be a legitimate rap act at that time".
What ever happened to some of those legendary designs you created? Is there like a museum where people can go see them? Or do you keep them in storage?
"They were all bought up without me even knowing about it. I didn’t know until the last minute. One of the early rappers, Busy Bee, was recruited by one of the billionaires to go around and buy all the rich new outfits that were made by me. Busy Bee went around buying them all up, all that were available at the time. For a museum in Seattle, Washington I think. So that’s what happened to the pieces. And by the time I found out, it was too late for me to even collect those pieces. Now the Smithsonian, they’re even having trouble getting together original pieces that I made. Because of that, I have to put them in contact with like major drug dealers that might have some of their pieces left or major artists. Busy Bee bought up all these pieces from the artists that were unaware of what was going on, and some of the guys don’t want to part with their pieces. So, I was fortunate enough to get a piece from someone who bought something for a museum and saw me in New York. I have the original Alpo coat. The original pieces are still out there and I am trying to get in contact with them, but most of them are owned by people who are relatives of or at some past time was involved with the subculture in Harlem".
Is it still possible to purchase your designs? Do you have any newer designs you are working?
"In the near future, yeah. My creative well that I have within me has always been below my ability to put it all out. So, there is just so much more that I have to come. That’s why I am excited by what’s going on now. But to be creative while you’re doing underground things is kinda restrictive. So, when you can come out of underground and then use your full capacity to create the way you want to, it is unlimited. Everything that I have done, it’s not like I had to learn each aspect of that business. So, if I wanted something silk-screened, I can’t go to a person who does silkscreens and say, “I want this to say, Gucci, Louis, or Fendi.” I had to teach myself that. If I wanted to do any embossing, I had to teach myself embossing. Every element you see on my garments is something I had to teach myself. Nothing came from outside me. I had to learn each element of the game, and be able to do it myself".
"With young people today, they can leave FIT or Parsons and go to this contractor and have this done, go to that contractor have that done. That wasn’t the case with me—and it was a good thing because it gave me an understanding of how everything is put together, and all kinds of treatments. The other day I said, “If you really love this game, go to Macy’s, walk the floors in Macy’s and when you leave Macy’s, if you can describe the process by which every garment in there was made, then you’re ready for this game.” Because that’s what I had to do: I had to teach myself every element of the game, as part of my palette to create the garments that I did. When you understand how something is made, it’s like a person working with clay and understanding the nature of the clay. Until you understand the nature of the clay, you can’t be as creative as someone who has mastered the clay. So, I am thankful that I was locked out of the system because it made me self-sufficient and more creative than I would have been had I been accepted".
"I was only interested in certain facets of the game, which is what I fear among the young people now. I had to teach myself computer graphics. My son told me I had to know computer graphics, to run the peripherals off the computer, that would make me capable to run a certain type of machinery myself. So, I am happy about all of that".
That’s amazing.
"Yeah, I had to teach myself all of that, because I couldn’t go to no contractors that would do anything illegal. So, I had to go outside of what the brands saw—and it was exciting. It was like eureka after eureka after eureka! Just discovering and the excitement about that is like, not only to master how it’s done, but to use it—you know what it’s like? You take an instrument used in the orchestra and you jazz it up. That’s what we are all about. Jazz personifies who we are, ya know? Once we understand how to use that instrument in the typical and technical training that it takes to use that instrument and you take that instrument and use it to reflect who you are, that’s the key and the excitement about all of this".
Do you see that same spark in any newer designers, or artists or musicians?
"That’s a good question. In terms of artists, I used to have this English teacher and she raised a question: what is good theater? Her answer was that good theater will take you apart and put you back together better than before you saw it. So, that’s what excites me about this here is that everything else that you see in the street and the subcultures—does it put us together better than before? That’s what fashion does, it makes us feel better about oneself without hurting anybody, ya know? So, that’s what I like about what I do. I am creating something that makes someone feel important or better about themselves when they put it on. They feel better than they did before they put it on. I say that to say that the artists who influenced me are the ones who can make a person feel good about themselves".
"I was excited when Kanye came out with “Jesus Walks.” To me, the spiritual experience is the highest experience that any human will ever feel. So, when he came out with that, I said, “Uh-oh, it’s about to happen.” Any artist who reflects that, that’s gonna make a person feel better about themselves and connect, they excite me. That’s not to put anybody else down, but those are the ones that excite me: the ones with messages like that. I am motivated when I see that. That’s what I want in my fashion. I want the fashion I create to make a person feel good about themselves and make a person study their culture and the contributions. That’s not only good for the minority, but it’s good for America, because once we are proud of our contribution and it’s recognized, it makes America great. Not just the minorities, it makes America itself great because we become a nation of people—of creative people who can respect each others’ creative abilities. Hip hop in itself is a part of it, any artist who furthers that in a positive direction is what I am most happy about".
This post will be followed up shortly with : "HOW JAMAICAN DANCEHALL MUSIC HELPED SHAPE HIP-HOP MUSIC AND FASHION: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
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