A couple of years ago, fashion brand Gucci came under fire for ripping off the styles of famed Harlem fashion designer Dapper Dan. They later came forward and claimed that they were inspired by his looks, but still many called foul on the clothing company. So, in turn, Gucci partnered with Dapper Dan and last year he debuted a collection with the luxury brand.
Recently, Gucci has been the target of racist allegations after there were claims made that their clothing items were created to mock black stereotypes, specifically blackface. Celebrities stepped forward and called for a boycott, most notably rapper T.I. who used his platform to raise awareness about the influence of black culture in fashion and entertainment, globally. However, not everyone wanted to join the cause, and there were plenty of black famous figures who thought boycotting the brand was pointless and opposers were over-reacting.
Dapper Dan recently sat down with The Breakfast Club and talked about the Gucci boycott, a cause that he couldn't get behind. “Gucci comes and they say everybody’s paying homage to Dapper Dan but nobody’s paying him," he said. "We gon’ change that. We gon’ allow you to do what you’ve always done in Harlem and we’re going to do a partnership and you get a percentage of that globally. I could never get that. That’s my foothold."
He also shared that this isn't a boycott worth championing because the outcome won't produce change. “Don’t tell me there’s any organization in the world that don’t have a number of people who are racist because we don’t hear them say it, that don’t mean it ain’t happening,” he continued. “Forget that part, let’s look at what can we get out of this? This will be the first boycott black people have ever had in America that we get zero results. That is too damn stupid. You walk away because you’re insulted and you end up with zero? You can’t be no hero like that.”