If you want to find the cutting edge of Dallas fashion, look no further than Temi and Afritina Coker. Both multidisciplinary artists, the couple not only exhibit immaculate drip through self styling, but also collaborate on their own designs, turning out boldly-colored and highly wearable basics through their namesake idea factory, Coker Studio.
On this episode of Mark the Spot, our host Temi brings Afritina along in the Lincoln Nautilus® Hybrid to visit D for Dapper, their favorite spot in Dallas for men’s resale and high-end vintage. The Nautilus® experience echoes Temi’s style standards in the best of ways, with its craftsmanship, utility, comfort, and sleek-yet-bold appearance.
“My wife and I always notice the details first, the small choices that make something feel truly considered and thoughtfully made,” Temi says. “That’s exactly what stands out to us inside the Lincoln Nautilus® Hybrid. From the stitching in the seats to the softness in the interior, every element feels intentional.”
It was a similar dedication to craft that first led them to D for Dapper, owned and operated by maestro of vintage menswear, Derandon Davis. Temi praises Davis’s aesthetic sensibility and his dedication to keeping vintage accessible to a broad range of people, saying, “Derandon is very picky about what he puts in there. His curation is immaculate and also he’s really big on affordability.”
While you can certainly find cowboy boots at D for Dapper—“I’m a loafer or boot guy. I got into the cowboy boot game,” Davis tells Temi and Afritina—you can also discover a far more niche and sophisticated style of clothing than what many outsiders think of when they think of Dallas. More impressive yet is Davis’s ability to style a customer at a glance and help them build a sustainable high-end wardrobe.
“When it comes to styling, I always like to start off with several questions; figuring out where the client is fashion wise to see how much help they need,” Davis says. “I always want to make sure their foundation is solid…Style is one of those things that comes over time, experience, and is always evolving as you grow and evolve as a person.”
Inside D for Dapper, Temi and Afritina browse Davis’s immaculate collection of finely tailored button-downs, sweaters, denim, jewelry, and impressive array of Negro League baseball ephemera. Temi points out that Black collectors and store owners are frequently underrepresented in the vintage and resale space, which makes D for Dapper all the more special to the Dallas fashion community.
“I think it’s important to see Black-owned vintage stores because a lot of the ones that I’ve been to cater to a white audience,” Temi says. “Derandon’s stuff is very specific. It is really fun to see that. It’s important for us to see people like us in different spaces and be able to celebrate each other.”
As for scale, bigger is not always preferable in Texas. Regarding the future of his store, Davis says, “It’s very necessary not to overthink our process and to stay consistent with what we are doing right now as we grow our vision for D For Dapper.”
Meanwhile, Temi and Afritina are slowly revving up their own designs, with limited clothing releases that incorporate the bold shapes and Nigerian inspiration that makes Temi’s work such a favorite for people and brands around the world. Many of the Coker Studio pieces celebrate the power and beauty of the Black family, with “Good Fathers” and “MUVA” varsity jackets in electric greens, yellows, blues, and reds.
While Temi might be the one driving the Nautilus® hybrid (this time…), it is abundantly clear that he and Afritina are true collaborators, both in art and in life.
“I want Afritina to get the visibility and recognition that she deserves,” Temi gushes, which is why, on the next episode of Mark the Spot, he and Lincoln Nautilus® have a very special surprise for her.
