Know Your News Cycle: The Dapper Dan Debate

Know Your News Cycle: The Dapper Dan Debate

Rikki Byrd
Weeklies

Dapper Dan stands as a perennial icon within the field of fashion studies and dress history—a key figure that in-the-know scholars reference in order to ground discussions on everything from "logomania," to luxury fashion, to the enduring influences of little-known visionary black designers. Dap, however, was only recently catapulted into the wider public consciousness when he became the unwitting inspiration for Gucci's Cruise 2018 collection in which the brand's creative director, Alessandro Michele, referenced (or better, ripped off) the Harlem couturier's iconic puff-sleeve Louis Vuitton creation.

Teaching Fashion & Race

Teaching Fashion & Race

Kim Jenkins
Weeklies

As students flocked to enroll in “Fashion and Race,” I couldn’t help but think about the broader sociocultural context in which this course would be taught: racial tensions in the U.S. had boiled over in the past year and our students of color had been completely immersed in it, but were still searching for answers and outlets. I was consumed by a heightened sense of responsibility, fraught with an irrational need to address everything related to fashion and race.

Why A Hijabi CoverGirl Matters To Me

Why A Hijabi CoverGirl Matters To Me

Adelle McElveen
Weeklies

It wasn’t until I cut my hair short that I truly realized how many women wear their hair long. Surely my senses were heightened due to being mistaken for a boy, but it seemed that everywhere I looked, I saw women who could toss their hair, put it in a ponytail, or even just tuck it behind their ears. I’ve worn my hair natural since 2001, when I was a junior in high school. For several years I kept it short simply because I didn’t know what to do with it, or what products to use. As a black woman with an afro, my options felt limited to a relaxer or a weave, braids or dreadlocks. I didn’t see any examples, in my own life or in the realm of pop culture, of who I was or who I could be.