BAM welcomes the High-end streetwear icon Dapper Dan to tell his story for the first time. He will be gracing the BAM stage to celebrate the launch of his stunning new memoir, Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem. At his now-legendary atelier on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan remixed classic luxury-brand logos into his own designs in the 1980s and dressed the likes of Eric B. and Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, Mike Tyson, LL Cool J, Jam Master Jay, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, and Jay-Z.
But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who daringly gambled drug dealers out of their money, and a young man in a prison cell who found nourishment in books. And when he turned his attention to fashion, he did so with the energy and curiosity that he approaches all things, eventually emerging as a world-famous designer whose looks went on to define an era. In this playful, poignant, thrilling, and inspiring account, he tells his story for the first time.
In conversation with Elaine Welteroth
Launch of Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem
Co-presented by BAM and Greenlight Bookstore
