Dapper Dan launches PUMA collab in Midtown

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Fashion designer and Harlem native Dapper Dan launched his latest collection Tuesday, a partnership with PUMA.

Dapper Dan took over the PUMA store in Midtown Tuesday evening, celebrating his brand-new work, which includes casual clothes and sneakers infused with his signature style. 

“It's like being born again,” Dapper Dan told PIX11's Ayana Harry.

A collection launch on Fifth Avenue is far from where Dapper Dan first started. His career began in a Harlem design studio, creating one-of-a-kind pieces for some of hip hop’s earliest stars. Dapper Dan often replicated logos from popular brands. 

As his designs grew in popularity in the late 1980s, Dapper Dan was forced to take his work underground as major fashion brands sued to stop him from using their logos. Decades passed before Dapper Dan could once again openly take credit for his work. 

“I was born and birthed completely outside the fashion industry, Dapper Dan said Tuesday. “I am 100% a people’s creation.”