DAN THE RENAISSANCE MAN

The first thing I notice as I’m going up Lexington Avenue towards Dapper Dan’s new atelier in Harlem is a billboard saying, ‘Gucci Dapper Dan. Made in Harlem.’ It is a sight that would have been hard to imagine even a couple of years ago. But many things in the industry have changed, largely because of Gucci and Alessandro Michele, who have been proving that there might be multiple exceptions to tried-and-tested marketing rules.

Daniel Day (a.k.a. Dapper Dan) opens the door, a guard of N.B.A. proportions lurking behind him. Daniel is about 70 but he’s so energetic, lithe and slender you would never believe it. And he’s decked out in Gucci, from his loafers to the large smoky glasses with gilt logos on the frames. We go outside to take a couple of pictures. Guys in enormous hoodies and sneakers, who are hanging around the corner, and random people on the street, wave at Dan and exchange jokes. He’s obviously more than just a famous local; he’s a star.

“When I first saw the billboard with my name on it, I was like, ecstatic,” he says. “Because I knew the effect it was going to have on the community. I knew people were going to be coming, taking pictures. I knew it was something Harlem was going to be proud of. I think by the third day there were like, 39,000 likes on Instagram [@dapperdanharlem]. Do I believe this is something that was