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 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, 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 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 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 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
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, 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 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 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