Harlem fashion designer Dapper Dan teams up with Gap for Giving Tuesday
NEW YORK -- Harlem fashion designer Dapper Dan teamed up with Gap for this Giving Tuesday, donating thousands of dollars to a nonprofit that helps young people.
Gap's donation of $100,000 will fund fashion programming for the Brotherhood Sister Sol kids for the next year with Dapper Dan lending a hand to open opportunities.
To celebrate the launch of his new line of hoodies by the Gap brand, the Dap Man decided to give back in a bigger way to his hometown, curating a collection for the culture.
"After Trayvon Martin, I was so preoccupied with how people of color are stigmatized in a hoodie. So I said now I have a chance to take advantage of the opportunity to destigmatize that," Dapper Dan said.
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A candid conversation followed his journey from the streets of Harlem to streetwear icon, and the crowd went wild when another local icon, rapper A$AP Ferg, showed up to perform.
In a quieter part of the brand new BroSis headquarters, CBS2's Jessi Mitchell sat down in the meditation room with co-founder Khary Lazarre-White to discuss the impact these interactions can have.
"A lot of our work is about exposure. It's about helping young people to understand the possibilities of the world," he said. "We're developing agency in young people. We're helping them to really identify goals for their life, develop a moral and ethical code. What does it mean to be men and women, leaders, brothers and sisters in your community?"
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Over the next year, Dapper Dan plans to call his designer friends to continue the conversation here, showing these students a new path to success.