The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of the New York Public Library, and MAD Free have partnered up for a photography exhibit that will usher in New York’s Spring Fashion Week in Harlem. The event, which will be held Thursday, February 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Schomburg Center, will showcase original photographs by Quistyle founder Mangue Banzima. From Dapper to Dope: The Exquisite and Enduring Style of Harlem Men features a look at some of the well-dressed men in the community including Marcus Samuelsson, Fab 5 Freddy and Rev. Al Sharpton.

In addition to Banzima’s photographs, the event will have a panel discussion with Bravo’s Fashion Queens star Bevy Smith, former Essence editor Emil Wilbekin, celebrity designer Guy Wood, and Harlem fashion icon Dapper Dan. Beauty and image activist Michaela Angela Davis will serve as moderator. There will also be a red carpet and an installation by the Harlem Haberdashery.

“The conversation around Black men in Black communities has been so heavy lately,” Davis said in a statement. “Dapper to Dope presents a counter narrative that celebrates the relentless self-expression of Black men through style while widening the narrow definitions and images of Black men in mainstream spaces.”

The free event marks the first time the Schomburg Center has curated a program for New York Fashion Week, and it will also be available via Livestream for those who cannot attend. The Schomburg Center is located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem, New York.
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