After receiving a ton of backlash over their alleged Dapper Dan knockoff bomber jacket earlier this year, Gucci and the legendary tailor have apparently set aside their differences and will work together next year, the New York Times reported Sunday . When people called out Gucci for stealing Dapper Dan's innovative take on the jacket, the designer brand released a statement claiming that they were paying homage to Dapper Dan.
"Legendary tailor Dapper Dan @dapperdanharlem influenced the trend by making such custom pieces for his rapper and athlete clients out of logos from famous fashion houses, including #Gucci," the statement read. "In a homage to Dapper Dan, this jacket worn with jeans and a lurex headpiece is flanked with a striped knit with cross-stitch embroidery, cotton shorts and a georgette gown with trompe l'oeil details."
Shortly after releasing that statement, the entire Gucci design team reached out to Dapper Dan and eventually met him in Harlem. "They sat on that very couch you’re sitting on," he told the New York Times. At the end of this year, Dan will open a by-appointment studio for custom commissions. He hopes to have Gucci's sponsorship, as well as raw materials supplied by the brand.
The two will also collaborate on a capsule collection that will be sold in Gucci stores worldwide next spring. As for the controversy which ultimately led to this meeting and the subsequent plans down the road, Dapper Dan actually sees Gucci's jacket as an homage.
"You have to understand, I was prepared to be copied from the time my store was first opened," he said. "My store first opened, and I couldn’t even get designer garments in there, nobody would sell to me. I’m talking 1982. This is 2017. That’s already behind me. The fact that it has to be two different worlds, I had already accepted that. I was just content with satisfying the people in my community."
Monday, another facet of Gucci's growing relationship with Dapper Dan was unveiled: Dapper Dan stars in Glen Luchford's Gucci Fall/Winter 2017 campaign. Take a look at the first set of campaign shots below. The full set is due in October.
