![]() Oh stupid me, though… I went to that restaurant one day in a python jacket and python boots that matched. I began by going to a Quaker restaurant in Greenwich Village, and I would take my carnivore friends – they’d ask for hamburgers and French fries but get a plant-based version, and you couldn’t tell the difference. I started out in vegetarianism for health reasons. I like MorningStar Farms vegetarian burgers and nuggets – they do a pretty good job. ![]() In my fridge you’ll always find vegetarian food. MorningStar Farms vegetarian burgers and almond milk – always in Dan’s fridge © Timothy O’Connell What really stood out for me was that when he changed his style of music, and started playing acid rock instead of jazz, he also changed what he wore.Ĭalfskin boxing shorts for Floyd Mayweather’s bout with Logan Paul in June 2021 © Timothy O’Connell Miles Davis and John Coltrane were the first to develop their own style of dressing. What I admire about Davis is the way he rebelled against the musicians who came before him, the black musicians who during the Harlem Renaissance era were required to wear what they called “jungle clothes”, or clothes that were symbolic of Africa. Fashion and music are opposite sides of the same coin. When I look at his work I am always trying to figure out what he was thinking about, how he reacted to the world.ĭapper Dan at his atelier in New York © Timothy O’Connell The one artist whose work I would collect if I could is Basquiat. Life is like that – you have to know when to get in and when to get out. As I got older, I realised how symbolic and significant that was. We used to throw a popsicle stick in to see which way the current was going and work out where to dive in so that we didn’t have to swim against the current, which could be very strong. I was born in the last house before you get to the river. The site that inspires me is the Harlem River. I was 14 before my parents could afford to shop anywhere except Goodwill I also like the tribal fabrics created by the Maasai, who fluctuate between Kenya and Tanzania, and all through east Africa. When I visited Lagos, I learnt how to print on African cloth. My quest with my brand, which I’m launching in spring 2022, is to have my own iconography. My whole thing with fashion is symbols – like the way I’ve made use of the Gucci logo and other brand logos. The last thing I bought and loved was African fabric from Nigeria. I was maybe 14 before my parents could afford to shop anywhere else but Goodwill. One of the most amazing things he wore was a black leather Aquascutum trench. Every morning when I was growing up, my older brothers and I would get up in the window to watch this guy walking towards the Subway, just to see what he was wearing. My earliest fashion memory is watching Moustache Bobby – that was his street name – walking to work. I like to encourage young guys to dress up in a way that’s more mature but still cool enough for them to identify with. I can’t just wear a shirt and put a tie on it because that’s not inspiring, so I’ll wear my tie directly against my neck, inside the shirt. I make them myself and I wear one almost every day. My personal style signifier is an ascot .
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