Claima Stories x Vista: The Story of Dapper Dan

A self proclaimed, “underground designer” Dan’s journey began in 1980, when he started making bootleg versions of high-end designers for the streets. He’d even buy left behind equipment at auctions supplied by fashion manufacturers that moved overseas. Although Dan felt like he was fashion’s best kept secret, more affluent Black communities didn’t connect with what he was doing. But that didn’t stop the gangsters, rappers, and athletes from coming through for Dan’s styling services. He's been in the game for over 40 years now, priding himself on translating the culture to high fashion. Today, Dan is focused on working with more accessible brands in order to engage with a larger community. His collaboration with Puma is set to launch this month, which even includes a sneaker…a first for Dan.

Co-Founder of Claima and Former Nike Marketer, Bimma Williams interviews leading and emerging creatives and entrepreneurs of color about how they were able to build their own tables by turning their hobbies, side hustles, and ideas into thriving small businesses.

From these stories, listeners will learn how to claim their dream careers by stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, featuring Melody Ehsani, Jeff Staple, James Whitner and more.

At Vistaprint, we're proud to be your go-to design and marketing partner for small business owners across the world.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Intro
0:42 - Dapper Dan explains “The Black Staircase”
3:27 - Dapper Dan on being shunned by the black community
6:55 - Dapper Dan on not having an identity crisis
10:23 - Dapper Dan on how he could influence luxury at the top
14:17 - Dapper Dan reflects on the Mike Tyson Mitch Green incident
16:21 - Dapper Dan on being transparent with big brands
18:50 - Dapper Dan on his close ties to hip-hop
20:27 - Dapper Dan shares story on translating culture
24:24 - Dapper Dan on Tupac and Nipsey Hussels’ impact on culture
26:36 - Dapper Dan on learning from his elders
30:30 - Dapper Dan on the Puma “For All Time” campaign
32:00 - Dapper Dan shares story on the creative vision he bring to fashion
34:03 - Dapper Dan on his collection with Puma
37:01 - Dapper Dan on accessibility of his collaborations
39:07 - Dapper Dan on designing his own collection and going global
41:14 - Dapper Dan on how he feels about bootleggers
42:33 - Dapper Dan gives advice to young creatives coming up


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