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Fashion Fridays with Joanna featuring Dapper Dan

In this week's post on Fashion Fridays With Joanna, we will be taking a look at the life of none other than Daniel Day, better known as Dapper Dan. Daniel’s store, Dapper Dan's Boutique, operated from 1982 through 1992 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the hip-hop world. Daniel went from elevating fashion in the Black community to working and becoming an influential style icon.   

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Image Detroit Metro Times

RAGS

Daniel Day was born in Harlem, New York in 1944. He grew up with three brothers and three sisters on 129th and Lexington Avenue. Robert, his dad, was a civil servant and his mother, Lily, a homemaker. His family was a part of the lower class. The neighborhood he was raised in was very rough. It was known for violence, drugs, and a lot of harsh living situations. Throughout Dapper’s life he learned different ways to make money. By age 13, he was a skilled gambler. He has been very open about having to steal and sell drugs. Being from the neighborhood that he was from, it's not far-fetched to be involved in these types of activities, especially at a young age. In an article with Vogue, he said, “I was born and raised in the poorest section of Harlem. My first experience was with crime. I became a professional gambler, and to be a professional gambler, you have to be a professional conman.” Daniel mentioned in an interview with The New York Times that he gained the name Dapper Dan from his days of being a professional gambler. In the article, he goes on to say, “The name was a combination of two things. I was the flyest young guy in my neighborhood. But there was also an older guy, a gambler, and his name was Dapper Dan. When I started beating this guy in the crap games, he said, ‘You are the new Dapper Dan.’ He was also a really great tenor saxophonist. He told me: ‘Just call me Tenor Man Dan. Now, you’re Dapper Dan.’” Daniel's dream was to actually become a writer and he even worked in journalism for a bit for a Harlem newspaper called Forty Acres and a Mule in the ’60s. In 1968 Daniel was chosen by the Columbia University-Urban League program to travel with them as a student on a tour in Africa which they returned from in 1974. In an interview with The New York Times, he expresses that that trip changed his life. 

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Source CBS News

TO RICHES

After Daniel’s return to Harlem he was back to finding creative ways to make money. He began selling shoplifted items out of the back of his car. He turned an illegal hustle into a legitimate business when he opened his boutique. Dapper Dan's Boutique opened in 1982 and was  located on 125th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue. In the ’80s, he had enough capital to get serious about fur and leather, but many would not sell to him because he was Black and the location. Daniel was very observant of what people in his community found fashionable and, at that time, uncommon designer items were the trend. When he noticed that he could create costume pieces, he hired a group of tailors, including Africans he had met in Midtown, family members, and a friend from the Nation of Islam. From then on, his boutique was known for selling customized GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and MCM clothing which he referred to as “knock up opposed to knock offs”. Day clothing was often referred to as streetwear which set him apart from his competitors.  His main clientele were "hustlers and street people". His boutique was successful because not only could you get original costume pieces, but it offered his clients room to be comfortable and not fearful of being profiled as they shop for high-end brands. Around 1985, Dapper ventured into hip-hop fashion. One of his very first clients in the industry was, none other than, LL Cool J. From that very moment he became associated with hip-hop royalty. He also began working with boxers and athletes. Though his clientele was growing and his work was being noticed by people outside of just his city, his boutique was on the verge of being closed down; his illegal use of logos in his custom-made designs led to counterfeiting raids and litigation. In 1992, after legal action by Fendi and then-U.S. Attorney Sonia Sotomayor, Dapper Dan's was shut down for good. It is rumored that in conjunction to the lawsuits, he experienced an attempted kidnapping that sent him to the hospital with a gunshot wound, which is what eventually led him to shut down his boutique. Though his designs were everywhere for years, Daniel was not respected in the fashion world. That did not stop his love for what he did as he continued working underground and still styling celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather. This continued on for years until 2017. Dapper’s work, though it never slowed down, became mainstream. In mid-2017, in a homage to Dapper Dan, Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele designed a jacket based on a well-known Dapper Dan design for Diane Dixon in 1989. This caused an uproar because many believed that Gucci had stolen the Dapper Dan design, especially due to Gucci not stating it to be a homage until after they drew criticism. He gained a lot of opportunities with his mainstream fame, with the support of Michele and Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri; Day and the Italian brand partnered for a line of menswear. His success streak didn't stop there. In 2018, Day opened a new shop on Lenox Avenue in partnership with Gucci, Dapper Dan of Harlem, the first luxury house fashion store in Harlem. In an interview with Vogue he talks about his deal with Gucci and about his plans and aspirations. He said, "Gucci allowed for me to break Jim Crow barriers in fashion. So, now my real freedom is coming. This is going to be the biggest stage of my life. My plan is to try to work with young designers and show them how everything I did was connected to the culture and how to translate culture because that's the key to what I do." 

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Dapper Dan in the 80s from The New York Times

 

BEING AN ICON

All in all, it's fair to say that Daniel, or as many would say, Dapper Dan, is an icon that brought luxury to the Black community and, not only did he bring it into the culture in the most unique way, but he was able to make his own table when he was unable to get a seat at the table in the fashion world. He soon earned the respect he deserved from those same people that shunned him. Daniel's story is a story of rags to riches. Even though he started off with a rough background and constantly  seeing things around him that offered a negative influence and caused him to slip off track, he was able to find a way to put himself in the right track. He's not only a legend in Harlem, or even just New York, but he's a legend and an icon to people in and outside of the Black community. He once had his designs on the runway, but now he is walking those same runways. Dan is still working at the age of 76. He has eight children with seven women: William Long, Daniel Day Jr., Danique Day, Aisha Day, Danielle Day, Malik Day, Tiffany White, and Jelani Day who is the brand manager for his father.


“I went from selling clothes on a table on the sidewalks of Harlem, now I'm on my own giant billboard on a rooftop in Harlem. l went from having holes in my shoes as a child, now l wear Gucci loafers. l came from the poorest neighborhood in Harlem, now l have a brownstone in Harlem. l never had a desire to move away and be by the rich people, now they are moving by me. l always believed in me and I always believed in Harlem—and l thank GOD for that.”- Dapper Dan

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Gucci Dapper Dan Partnership today image from High Snobity



Joanna on February 19, 2021 at 04:05 PM in Fashion Fridays, textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Ella Emhoff and Her Show Stopping Entrance into the Fashion world

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Photo by: @ellaemhoff on Instagram

I’m sure you all remember the exquisite Miu Miu coat that Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’s step-daughter, exhibited on inauguration day, but the up-and-coming fashion star has so much more to offer the world than just one stunning look. 

 

Underneath the Miu Miu coat that for many people was the highlight of the day, Ella rocked a Batsheva Hay dress that gave off prairie-girl vibes to the max. Ella told Vogue, “I was going for something girlier, to embrace my feminine side.” 

 

Ella, a 21-year-old senior at Parsons School of Design, creates knitwear unlike any other. Her striped pants and flower pasties tops are well-structured, colorful, and overall fabulous. Although she’s not currently accepting commissions, you can see her amazing knit creations on her Instagram: @ellaemhoff.  

 

Of course, Ella is on to bigger and better things as the step-daughter of Madam Vice President. Just days after the inauguration, Ella was signed to IMG Models where she will be joining Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and more in the ranks of the top supermodels in the world.

 

Ella is someone we should all be paying attention to as she works her way up in the fashion world from a small-business knitwear designer to a supermodel who we will likely be talking about for years to come. 

 

This will be an ongoing piece to follow Ella through her rapidly changing career, so stay tuned to learn more!

Kasey Lettrich on February 16, 2021 at 08:30 AM in love it!, sewing, textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Fashion Is Self Care with Weaver & Artist Morgan Hale

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Morgan Hale, a weaver and artist, is one of many people who see fashion as a form of self-care. Morgan adores weaving and works to make the coziest garments and woven items. So naturally, Morgan defines a fashion-as-self-care garment as something that is comfortable. Read below as Morgan shares her experiences in the fashion industry, her upcoming projects, biggest accomplishments, and her idea of fashion as self-care. 

Check out Morgan’s Instagram, @m.h.a.l.e, to see her beautiful creations! 

CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? 

MH: I’m a weaver! I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in rural Vermont, but before that, my family and I lived in New York and Connecticut. Growing up, I loved creating in many mediums but my mom sparked my interest in the textile world by teaching me to knit and sew. I went to MassArt in Boston for college but at first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in. I considered illustration, photography, printmaking, and fibers, but I decided on a major in fibers, which is where I learned to weave. After college, I moved to San Francisco and made functional woven pieces like scarves, blankets, and pillows for a while. Currently I’m living and working in New York and I still make some functional items and take on commissions but this past year things changed a bit. The pandemic provided me with extra time to get back to my fine art practice, something I had been hoping to do for a while. My process has grown and changed but weaving is always at the root of it.

 

CC: How did you get into weaving? What makes you passionate about what you do? 

MH: When I toured the fibers department at MassArt I fell in love with the studio spaces filled with beautiful wood floor looms, big windows, and a huge yarn closet. I knew I wanted to learn how to weave and be in that amazing space. I took the weaving courses offered and after I learned the ins-and-outs of weaving, the process became second nature. While the setup process is relatively similar each time, the possibilities are endless. There are so many patterns and colors to try and ways to vary a design on or off the loom. Even after nine years of weaving, the repetitive and ancient process still feels a little like magic and it keeps me coming back to explore new ideas.

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CC: Tell me a bit about your upcoming gallery exhibit. What's it called and what inspired it? What was the most challenging part to get ready for it and what risks did you take?

MH: My work is being shown at Shelter In Place gallery. It’s a new and unique miniature gallery that opened during the pandemic. The gallery was made at a 1:12 scale, meaning 1 inch = 1 foot. This miniature set up allows for more accessible opportunities for artists to show their work. It also makes the work look huge - something I don’t currently have space or resources to pull off. 

 

The five pieces I made are part of my Time Isn’t Real series and are each 5” x 7” in real life but will look 60” x 84” in the gallery. The inspiration for this series began at the beginning of the pandemic. With my daily life slowed down, I was spending most of my time inside and I started to observe my surroundings more. I took note of the changing shadows and light and started to archive these moments by applying plaster to woven panels. Eventually, I broke away from the reality-based imagery and took this idea further by creating my own shadowscapes, like in the pieces for this show. You can read more and see more of the works in this series on my website.

 

The most challenging part of creating these pieces was actually working small. Applying the plaster at such a small scale was a bit fiddly but I made it work! I also ended up having custom stretcher bars made to keep the illusion of the scale accurate after finding no ready-made options available. You can view the pieces on the Shelter In Place gallery Instagram or website.

 

CC: Tell me about some of your creations. What are some of your greatest accomplishments in your work?

MH: Transitioning from creating functional work back to fine art took me a long time and while I could do without the pandemic, I’m glad quarantine gave me the push to really get to work. I know many people have struggled to just survive through this so I’m grateful for the encouragement from my support system to keep going. The Shadowscapes series I’m currently working on is one of my proudest conceptual works. My work has always been process-driven and I’ve struggled with conceptual work in the past but this came naturally. Having this work to propel me through this heavy time has kept my mind and my hands busy. 

CC: What is something interesting about your work that many people wouldn’t know?

MH: Many people don’t realize that to create a weaving, it is a time-intensive and multi-step process. Since most textiles today are produced by machines, it can be hard to imagine creating cloth one thread at a time with your body and a hand-operated loom. Sometimes the process to set up my loom takes longer than the actual weaving! I’ve been sharing videos of my process on Instagram reels and it gives a little insight into the many steps it takes for a weaving to come together.

CC: How did you find out about The Creative Cookie? How long have you been partnering/working with Lesley? 

MH: I found Lesley and The Creative Cookie in the “creative gigs” section of Craigslist over the summer! She was looking for help sewing masks and when we met via Zoom, we really hit it off. Since then I’ve become her studio assistant helping to sew masks, keep things organized, make sure things run smoothly behind the scenes, assist on photoshoots, and more. We both live in the wonderful neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens which has made moving materials around and doing photoshoots much easier, especially during the pandemic.

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

MH: For me, fashion as self-care is about comfort. Wearing something that feels comfortable on my body makes me confident. Along with being comfortable I also want to look cute which led to my love of jumpsuits and overalls. Comfort has become a bigger priority for me lately and I love how versatile jumpsuits are. They’re great for the studio, for relaxing, or for that rare occasion of dressing up and going out. When I’m looking for a quick self-care boost I put on a pair of fun earrings. Adding something small but special to my look always makes me feel great!

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By: Kasey Lettrich 

Kasey Lettrich on January 12, 2021 at 07:40 AM in fashion is self care , interviews, meet, textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Creative Cookie Holiday Gift Guide 2020

We are proud to present the first-ever Creative Cookie Holiday Gift Guide! This guide features curated and handmade items that will ship directly from our itty-bitty New York studio, as well as some unique virtual workshops. Supporting The Creative Cookie means you are not just shopping small, you're shopping micro. Our tiny team is here to help if you have any questions (please leave a comment below or email us). Check out the items that we are so excited to offer for the holiday season! 

Vintage Masks $20

These unique cotton face masks are handmade from vintage bandanas. My friend Kat gifted me these bandanas in 2014 and for a while, I was unsure what to make with them. Supplies are limited and one of a kind. Stand out and be protected.

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Flannel Masks $16

Get cozy in a flannel mask! These masks are perfect for the season because they are breathable and warm. Add it to your list of winter necessities!

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Sew Fab $19.95

Sew Fab is a style and sewing workbook + art book for anyone who loves fashion. You will learn how to sew and develop your own style. Packed with gorgeous illustrations by Sabine Pieper, and step-by-step projects, tips, and fun activities, you will create unique clothes and accessories in no time.

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My Fab Fashion Style File $19.95 

An inspirational book for girls (and boys who don’t mind a pink book) who love fashion. This is your personal style sketchbook to create and record your dream looks. Find your style inspiration, learn more about fashion concepts, fabrics, and colors, chart your own style history, design and draw your own looks, and much, much more!

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How to Be A Fashion Designer $16.95 

Design, style, and accessorize clothes with this fun guide full of practical fashion design ideas for kids + teens! Contents support the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) approach to cross-curricular learning.

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My Wonderful World of Fashion $19.95

An interactive coloring book for fashionistas of all ages, My Wonderful World of Fashion is packed with beautiful and sophisticated illustrations specially created by the leading fashion-illustrator Nina Chakrabarti. This is one of my favorite books! It inspired me to create "Sew Fab"!

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My Even More Wonderful World of Fashion $19.95

A new interactive coloring book for fashionistas of all ages, My Even More Wonderful World of Fashion is packed with more beautiful and sophisticated illustrations created by illustrator Nina Chakrabarti. The book encourages creativity, with illustrations to color in and designs to finish off, as well as simple ideas for making and doing. Another favorite that inspired my own books!

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“Fashion Is” Tote $20

A fun and functional tote. Also, a great companion to carry around all those fashionista books you definitely just added to your cart!

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Scrappy Scarf $40

This is a fun and easy sewing project, as featured on Nuuly’s #NuNotNew DIY series but if you don’t have the patience to make it, you can buy it here! Wear it as a scarf, belt, hair wrap, or a million other ways! These one-of-a-kind patchwork accessories are limited.

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Fun Fabric Bundle $35 / $42 

Three yards of assorted fabric cut in 1/4 and 1/2 yard pieces curated from my personal fabric stash! Tell me what you like and I will package it up and ship it to you. Ideal for making small projects like face masks, headbands, tote bags, and other things. Optional add on of two easy patterns available!

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Virtual Sewing Lessons with Bianca and Lesley $300

Make a project of your choice from the comfort of your home. Once you book, you'll be sent an email to schedule a time. This package includes 4 sewing sessions, text support, and an autographed copy of one of Lesley’s books. Fashionistas of all ages welcome!

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Virtual Self Published Book Workshops with Lesley Ware $450

Learn how to create and publish your own book or zine from home in this one-on-one workshop! Once you book, you'll be sent an email to schedule a time. This package includes six 90-minute sessions and additional check-ins over three months. All ages are encouraged to sign up!

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Gift certificates are available upon request. Email us to inquire!

Kasey Lettrich on December 09, 2020 at 08:52 PM in SEW FAB, shopping, textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Be the Change

Just a repost from my Instagram account:

I'm going to miss President Obama dearly. Went through my fabric stash and found a few yards of this print -- wishing I had gotten the entire bolt. In the spirit of recent developments teach someone younger than you to do something you are good at. Spread positive energy. Mentor. Support small women/minority owned biz. Let's make it better. Get from behind your screen and do something, please, everybody. PS...sorry for being preachy but 'ish is (really) real. I can't keep doing what I do w/o you. 😔 #obama #fabricstash #emo #bethechange #makeadifference #notbeingcliche

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creative cookie on November 10, 2016 at 12:52 PM in textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Hello New Venture

After years of dreaming about it I'm taking the leap into retail this week! The concept shop will include accessories and garments designed sustainably in our studio.We will also showcase curated items from designers and brands we adore! Starting this Wednesday you'll be able to find us online or visit our Brooklyn, showroom. First photo shoot happening soon; stay tuned!

from the shop:

Kotyo Multifunctional Yarn Accessory by Mawusi

paired with purple beaded necklace & shirt from Sew Fab by Lesley Ware

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creative cookie on October 30, 2016 at 08:04 PM in Holiday, SEW FAB, sewing, shopping, textiles | Permalink | Comments (0)

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