Believe it or not, Dapper Dan has never been a creative director.
His custom monogram creations have been worn by everyone from LL Cool J to Floyd Mayweather Jr. He has worked on capsule collections with Gap. Gucci has given him collaborations and an atelier in Harlem. His resume speaks for itself. But the illustrious title of “creative director” has eluded him, until today.
Paint company Sherwin-Williams has officially named Dapper Dan the creative director of its new “The Loneliest Color” campaign.
“To be honest with you, this is one of the hallmarks of my career,” Dapper Dan tells Complex. “You’ve seen everything that I’ve done with Gucci. Louis Vuitton and all the major brands have been implementing the innovation that I brought. But never once was I offered the position of creative director. That’s what makes this here so important.”
Since 2011, Sherwin-Williams has declared its Color of the Year. In 2024, it takes a new approach. The Loneliest Color focuses on Kingdom Gold SW 6698, a shade of yellow that Sherwin-Williams says is the least tinted in its lineup. For context, millions of gallons of Sherwin-Williams’ top colors are tinted each year. In the last 14 years, Kingdom Gold SW 6698 has been tinted only 11,000 times total. The Dapper Dan-led campaign is meant to spotlight the color that so many people have overlooked.
“[Kingdom Gold] represents achievement, accomplishment, going from zero to hero,” says Dapper Dan. “It’s like being a rapper. Until you have a gold chain, you’re not even an official rapper. And the thicker the chain, the bigger the rapper. So, [Kingdom Gold] represents elevation for me. It’s hard to imagine that it’s the least tinted color. Everybody has something gold.”
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