Made in Harlem

With his now-legendary store on 125th Street in Harlem, Dapper Dan pioneered high-end streetwear in the 1980s by remixing classic luxury-brand logos into his own innovative and glamorous designs. But before he reinvented haute couture, he was a hungry boy with holes in his shoes, a teen who dared to gamble drug dealers out of their money, a young man who found nourishment in books—and a prisoner who discovered creative ways to flourish in a country designed to privilege certain Americans over others. He witnessed, profited from, and despised the rise of two drug epidemics; paid neighborhood kids to jog with him in an effort to keep them out of the drug game; and turned his attention to fashion when he was finally ready.