Dapper Dan will receive the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Awards in November.
Dap will be the first Black designer to receive the honor, according to Rolling Stone. He is also the first designer who hasn’t had a “formal” runway show to earn the award. Previous honorees include Vera Wang, Tom Ford and Rick Owens.
The Brooklyn-based designer has been changing the face of fashion for decades. He opened his boutique in 1982 and began creating one-of-a-kind items for hip-hop royalty. He often used fabric and materials sporting logos of designer brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, which landed him in legal trouble.
After his shop was raided, Dapper Dan went underground until 2016, when Gucci copied his style for one of their shows. Dap’s fans called Gucci out, and eventually, the fashion house partnered with him to create a collection. He also dressed several celebrities at the 2019 Met Gala, including 21 Savage, Regina Hall and French Montana.
Dapper Dan acknowledged the award and reflected on his unconventional journey on his Instagram page.
“Isn’t it ironic how the fashion world says that Dapper Dan won the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, without ever having a runway show?” he wrote on Wednesday. “The streets of Harlem have been my runway for 35 years. Isn’t that where the major luxury brands got their inspiration from? Maybe logo-mania is an illusion. Thank you Harlem, I love you!”
“Thank you to the CFDA for making me the first black designer to win this lifetime achievement award,” the caption continued. “Harnessing the Dapper Dan brand to Gucci, mounted it on a global track, now the whole world knows what Harlem always knew, that the Dapper Dan brand is a thoroughbred brand.”
The CFDA Awards are scheduled for November 10, per Vogue.
