Gucci taps Harlem tailor Dapper Dan to front men's tailoring campaign

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Sep 12, 2017

Gucci unveiled on Monday its men’s tailoring advertising campaign, featuring Harlem couturier Daniel “Dapper Dan” Day.
 

One of Harlem’s elder statesmen, Dapper Dan created bespoke pieces for celebrities in the 1980s and early 1990s. Dan operated a boutique atelier on 125th Street, where he created new pieces from existing luxury items from international fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Fendi, among others.
 
The tailor and Gucci were mentioned together in May when the Italian fashion house was accused of copying a piece that Dapper Dan made for Olympic gold medalist Diane Dixon. The tailor’s piece, a fur coat with sleeves made from Louis Vuitton leather bags, was very similar to Gucci’s coat of similar construction, except that the leather bag sleeves featured Gucci branding. The company said that the piece pays homage to Dapper Dan and is not a copy.

Fast-forward four months and now Dapper Dan is the face of Gucci’s tailoring campaign.
 
Photographer Glen Luchford shot Dapper Dan on the streets of Harlem among children playing by an open fire hydrant and locals walking and riding bikes. The campaign can also be seen as an extension of the Gucci’s Soul Scene campaign that featured black models expressing what it means to have soul.
 
The men’s tailoring campaign will launch in October in print, digital and outdoor media worldwide.