In fashion, what goes around always comes around. Seventeen years after it sent popular streetwear brand Supreme a cease-and-desist letter for creating skateboards and beanies bearing its monogram, Louis Vuitton partnered the latter last year on a sought-after capsule collection.
Such unlikely tie-ups are subversive, ironic and humorous – millennial marketers’ favourite adjectives, and also terms not commonly associated with major luxe labels.
In a seemingly similar quest for street cred, Gucci has opened a customisation studio with Daniel Day, a Harlem-based boutique owner known in 1980s streetwear circles as Dapper Dan. With a clientele including rappers, boxers and gangsters, Day was noted for customising flashy, pricey clothing that brazenly incorporated the logos of brands such as Gucci, Fendi and Louis Vuitton. He closed his store in 1992, after a series of raids and legal threats.
The new 4,700 sq ft customisation space, located in Harlem near Day’s original store, will be open by appointment to Gucci clients who want unique pieces done by Day. And this time, each garment will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity – not that this necessarily makes for more genuine appeal.
