Leslie Odom Jr. | Family Issue 2019

WHEN ONE THINKS OF PASSING DOWN THE FASHION GENE, MEN, AND SPE-
CIFICALLY BLACK MEN, MAY NOT BE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO COME TO MIND.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL FAMOUS BLACK FATHERS AND SONS THAT
HAVE MADE FASHION A MAJOR PART OF THEIR PERSONAL BRANDS, AND IN
SOME CASES A SERIOUS SOURCE OF INCOME. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT A FEW
OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FATHERS AND SONS IN TODAY’S FASHION SCENE.
P. DIDDY, JUSTIN AND CHRISTIAN COMBS
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has been a fixture on the fashion scene
since he started Bad Boy Entertainment in the early 90s. In
fact, one could say that fashion has been just as important to
the evolution of P. Diddy’s career as music. He was one of the
first rappers to intertwine high fashion into every aspect of his
brand. He also started his own clothing line, Sean John, in 1998.
So it probably comes as no surprise that two of his sons, Justin
(25) and Christian (21) have followed in their father’s footsteps,
making fashion a key part of their growing careers. Justin,
whose mother stylist Misa Hylton-Brim helped curate many of
the looks for Bad Boy artists, is a staple at New York Fashion
Week. He and his brothers have been named by Forbes as one
of the black youths leading the new black renaissance in fashion.
Meanwhile Christian doesn’t just attend fashion shows,
he walks them, serving as a runway and campaign model for
brands like Dolce and Gabbana and Philipp Plein.
DAPPER DAN AND JELANI DAY
Daniel Day, widely referred to as Dapper Dan, and his son
Jelani Day may not be as well known as P. Diddy’s family, but
their impact on the fashion world is no less great. A Harlem
New York native, Dapper Dan got his start as a clothier in the
1970s and opened his own boutique on 125th street in 1982. He
quickly became known for his bold use of logos copied from
top luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton. With the
rise of both hip hop culture and the crack epidemic, Dapper
Dan saw his clientele skyrocket, dressing both entertainers and
kingpins eager to embrace the height of 1980s excess. Eventually,
luxury houses caught on to the fact that celebrities were
wearing knock-off versions of their monograms incorporated
into outfits created by Dan and sued him, eventually putting
him out of business. Ironically, it would be one of those same
brands, Gucci, and its newly appointed creative director, Alessandro
Michele, whose copies of Dan’s original designs would
help bring his name back into the headlines. Dapper Dan’s son,
Jelani Day, who serves as his brand manager, along with a social
media outcry demanding Gucci acknowledge Dapper Dan’s
work, have been instrumental in his resurgence in recent years.
He and Jelani have since fostered a new professional relationship
with Gucci, creating an off-shoot menswear line for the
Italian house. The duo, in partnership with Gucci, also openedv
an atelier, Dapper Dan of Harlem, in 2018.
KANYE AND SAINT WEST
One of the more controversial names in fashion, or anywhere
for that matter, is undoubtedly the former Louis Vuitton Don
himself, Mr. Kanye West. When Kanye came from behind the
scenes and released his first album The College Dropout in
2004, he was lauded not only for his musical genius but also
for his unique style aesthetic. At a time when most rappers
still embraced the oversized tall-tee look, West was decked
in bright-color Ralph Lauren polos and designer backpacks.
Through the years, his star power and style have evolved, leading
him to create his own (highly popular and often criticized)
apparel and shoe lines. His sneaker collaboration with Adidas
has produced some of the most sought after silhouettes in the
sneaker business. He and his four young children have already
begun to have their own influence on the fashion industry. Oldest
son Saint, at a mere three years old, is a style star in his own
right. He, along with older sister North, have been featured in
fashion magazines and have even inspired their parents to create
a clothing line for kids.
WILL AND JADEN SMITH
Will Smith has made a name for himself as a rapper, actor and
Instagram obsession. While you may not automatically associate
him with fashion, he has served as a major influence of
Black men’s style since the start of his career in the late 1980s.
His 90s sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, helped showcase
his edgy and sometimes quirky fashion sense and propelled
him into leading movie roles that increased his stardom. While
papa Smith has since adopted a more classic Hollywood look,
his youngest son Jaden has carried on his dad’s more unconventional
style legacy. Jaden is known for his out-of-the-box fashions
and is a staple at major industry events such as the Met
Gala, where he once carried his freshly cut-off dreadlocks as
an accessory. Jaden has also starred in numerous campaigns for
luxury fashion houses. In fact, arguably his most talked about
fashion moment was when he starred in Louis Vuitton’s 2016
womenswear campaign, wearing a series of skirts from the collection.
As the younger of this Smith duo is only 20, it’s safe
to say that probably won’t be his last time rocking the fashion
boat.
FAMILY 2019 / 5