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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 1 June 2017
‘Dandy Lion’ rejects young

black male stereotypes

ERRIN HAINES WHACK We have this subculture ability. Frederick Douglass
Associated Press of style happening, from was one of the most pho-
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sev- the heart of the Congo, to tographed men of his day.
en years ago, Shantrelle New Orleans, to Brixton in Here is a formerly enslaved
P. Lewis was consumed London, and also in Brook- man having people docu-
by the negative images of lyn. ment him ... That was a tool
young, black men being AP: What is a “Black Dan- he was using to argue for
depicted in media as ag- dy?” Where does that term the humanity of black peo-
gressive and dangerous. come from? ple. (W.E.B.) DuBois did the
Most looked nothing like Lewis: A “Black Dandy” is same thing with his 1900
the black men she knew: an individual who appro- Paris Exposition, showing
in her family, her social cir- priates western European black, middle-class, free
cle, from her college days menswear and fashion, people who are educat-
at Howard University, or and introduces an African ed, who are prosperous.
from living in New Orleans, aesthetic to create some- In a contemporary con-
New York or Philadelphia. thing new, to express con- text, it’s really about
In response, the curator temporary style. It comes younger black men who
launched “The Dandy Lion from a European term to are rejecting this image
Project,” a touring pho- describe a specific class of that the corporate hip-hop
tography and film exhibit what was called a “fop,” machine has come to dic- This cover image released by Aperture shows, “Dandy Lion: The
focused on black men in an individual who was ob- tate of what it means to Black Dandy and Street Style,” written by Shantrelle P. Lewis.
Associated Press
cities around the world sessed with clothing and be black and masculine.
with an aesthetic that in- imitating, while also making
corporates European and a mockery of the manner-
African influences. isms of aristocracy. These
The project is now a book, individuals were men of
“Dandy Lion: The Black leisure and of various pas-
Dandy and Street Style” times who were really ob-
(Aperture Foundation) cel- sessed with dress, and who
ebrating the bold prints, also have very political
bright colors and tailored views of society at large.
style challenging society to Think Oscar Wilde or Beau
reimagine what it means to Brummell.
be a black man. Lewis dis- AP: What are some of the
cussed the project and the essential components of
significance of “Black Dan- “Black Dandyism?”
dyism” in a recent interview Lewis: The suit is just ba-
with The Associated Press. sic. Very modern. The way
Associated Press: How did they’re cut it’s a European
“The Dandy Lion Project” cut, it’s very tailored. That’s
come about? a nod to Edwardian fashion
Lewis: I was consumed with that’s at the heart of dan-
the negative stereotyping dyism. It’s not baggy, it’s
of black men, particularly not excess. There are also
in visual culture. As a cura- a variety of different ac-
tor, I wanted to respond, coutrements: vests, pocket
and my work definitely has squares, pocket watches,
a social justice component custom hats.
to it. But with young black dan-
I decided on a photogra- dies, there’s also a hip-hop
phy exhibition about how element. So they might pair
particular black men were a vintage vest with an un-
choosing to use their bod- collared Dutch wax jacket
ies as a form of resistance and some Chucks or some
and oppositional fashion. Air Force 1s. There’s a trans-
I wanted people to be national influence also
confronted with the same present that is not neces-
people they approach on sarily present in traditional
the street every day, that dandyism. For the Black
they’re in the elevator with, Dandy, he’s pulling on all
that they’re encountering of these different aspects
every single day in these of his identity and experi-
global, urban environ- ences as a black person.
ments. The exhibition re- AP: How does the “Black
ally speaks to the fact that Dandy” reject the stereo-
blackness is not monolithic, type of the thug?
that there’s these diverse Lewis: I think it’s historical. I
narratives of black people. think its roots are in respect-