Gucci Comes To Harlem With Help Of Designer Dapper Dan

HARLEM, NY — First Whole Foods, now Gucci. The Italian luxury fashion brand announced it will open a brick-and-mortar store in Harlem headed by famous street style designer Dapper Dan, becoming the first luxury fashion retailer to open in the neighborhood.

Dapper Dan — born Daniel Day — confirmed the collaboration this week on Twitter.

"A sign of the times. For the 1st time in history, a major luxury brand store has opened in [Harlem]" the designer said on social media."

The new Gucci store will offer made-to-order pieces designed by Dapper Dan in custom measurements. The legendary designer will help customers come up with a design or create anything the customer thinks up on their own, he said on social media.

Dapper Dan broke into the world of high fashion after opening his original Harlem boutique in 1982. He sold custom-made designer clothing to celebrities such as Mike Tyson, LL Cool J and Eric B. and Rakim for 10 years, the New York Times reported.

Gucci's partnership with Dapper Dan started after outrage over designs that appeared in a Gucci show last year, the Times reported. The designs appeared to knock off a custom Dapper Dan piece designed for Olympic track athelete Diane Dixon in 1989, the Times reported.

Months later, Dapper Dan and Gucci's partnership was announced, the Times reported.

"I would not submit to any collaboration that wasn’t on this level," Dapper Dan told the Times. "I think that would be doing a disservice to the culture that I am a part of to accept anything less than what [Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele] has offered me. I think it’s something that the younger people in my community could be very proud of."

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