Sticky Fingers: Gucci Accussed of Stealing Design from Dapper Dan

Photo: High Snobiety

Did Italian haute couture line Gucci steal from Harlem fashion designer Dapper Dan? The internet definitely thinks so. Gucci released their 2018 Cruise Collection and similarities between Dapper Dan's 1980's Louis Vuitton puff sleeved jacket and a Gucci jacket were noticed immediately. Instead of the original Louis Vuitton print, there was a Gucci print. Dapper Dan is credited to be one of the forefathers for hip-hop streetwear mixing knock off high fashion brand logo fabrics with an urban flare in the 1980's. He's dressed the culture's pioneers from Run D.M.C. to Salt 'N Pepa and L.L. Cool J.

Yesterday Gucci created a post on Instagram crediting the designer:

Inside the #GucciCruise18 collection by #AlessandroMichele, a look that celebrates an iconic style of hip-hop fashion culture from the 80s—a plush jacket featuring puffy sleeves monogrammed in GG motif. Legendary tailor Dapper Dan @dapperdanharlem influenced the trend by making such custom pieces for his rapper and athlete clients out of logos from famous fashion houses, including #Gucci. In a homage to Dapper Dan, this jacket worn with jeans and a lurex headpiece is flanked with a striped knit with cross-stitch embroidery, cotton shorts and a georgette gown with trompe l’oeil details.

A post shared by Gucci (@gucci) on May 31, 2017 at 10:22am PDT

While many claim Gucci is "paying homage", many are stating this is theft. Ironically this past April, Gucci released a campaign for Fall 2017 featuring all Black models. Personally I'm not buying that it's genuine. For decades, Black models and other models of color have openly fought against the lack of representation in the high fashion modeling world. Now all of a sudden during the Natural Hair Movement, and in an era with an emergence of Black curated and centered art and fashion campaigns, Gucci is "interested" in promoting Black models. Let's keep it a thousand, this is simply an attempt to keep up with trends. I'll pass.

Some people are stating there's nothing wrong with this since in the 1980's Dapper Dan did create his designs out of bootlegged designer cloth, such as the iconic Louis Vuitton puff sleeved jacket. However, in regards to the actual design of the new Gucci jacket, it's pretty spot on to the original.