8 x 12 in., 256 pages. “Willi Smith: Street Couture” will feature key works by this pioneer of streetwear fashion who founded the iconic brand WilliWear with partner Laurie Mallet in 1976 and leveraged innovative partnerships with artists, designers and performers to break down … That year, Smith became the youngest-ever winner of the American Fashion Critics’ Award for Women’s Fashion. WilliWear Fall/Winter 1983, dubbed “Street Couture,” was a key moment for Smith, as it fused his past inspirations with the explosion of hip-hop, showcasing the graphic clothing on breakdancers and B-boys. According to this article written by Iman Sultan, “The first designer to link streetwear with the runway was Willi Smith, a Philadelphia-born gay Black man, whose label Williwear generated $25 million per year and sold off the racks at Macy’s and Bloomingdales in the late 1970s to 80s.” Terms & Conditions Expedition, the short film that Smith shot in Dakar, Senegal, with the photographer Max Vadukul for his autumn/winter 1985 collection, featured local people in patterned tailored trousers and colourful headwraps. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the “it’s not for you, it’s for everyone” ethos of Telfar, the fashion label cum art-project energy of Shayne Oliver’s Hood By Air and Eckhaus Latta, or the celebratory idea of Blackness presented by brands like FUBU could directly be linked to the spirit of Willi Smith. Smith, who died from AIDS-related complications in 1987 at the age of 39, was, in the truest sense of the word, a streetwear designer, long before anyone used the term. At the top of her list is Black fashion designer and the pio Smith and Mallet travelled to India and returned with a collection of four basic garments: a jacket, a shirt, a skirt, and a pair of high-waisted trousers dubbed the “WilliWear pant,” all constructed in the tunic factory from cotton poplin readily available on the Bombay textile market. By adding HYPEBEAST to your ad blocker's whitelist, ads on our sites will show while you continue to browse. The Willi Smith Digital Community Archive invites friends, collaborators and admirers of American designer Willi Smith to share in writing his history. It also serves as a poignant reminder of what could have been. Smith also played a key role in the democratization of fashion by keeping WilliWe… It was revealed after his death that Smith had been HIV-positive, though it is unclear if he knew this himself. It’s all right there.”. His showrooms in both New York and London were thoughtfully designed by architectural studio SITE, chosen after seeing a window display at the Rizzoli bookstore designed by them, and they utilised objects from the streets of Manhattan. In the ‘80s, luxury labels ruled the runways, demonstrated by the reign of Christian Lacroix and Thierry Mugler in Paris. Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. However, a new generation is discovering Smith and his egalitarian creations, bringing well-deserved attention to one of fashion’s pioneering Black creatives. We may never know what Smith could have achieved. When considering the combined impact of streetwear and Black culture upon today’s fashion industry, one must reckon with the legacy of Willi Smith. Privacy Policy. In a 20-year career, designer Willi Smith accomplished what many of his peers spent their lifetimes trying to achieve: he established a sartorial DNA that impacted the fashion industry for good. After dropping out of Parsons, Smith began designing for Digits Sportswear, where he met Laurie Mallet. Few ventures were too far-fetched for Smith, who even created The WilliWear News, a playful zine that Smith and Paper co-founder Kim Hastreiter created to accompany WilliWear collections. He collaborated with top names in art, film, design, and architecture – resulting in a completely new take on American fashion. One of Scaasi’s clients employed Smith’s grandmother as a housekeeper, creating the link that introduced Smith to the sought-after designer who created couture-level designs for the likes of Barbara Streisand, Mamie Eisenhower and Mary Tyler Moore. Smith also blurred the lines in terms of how a fashion label could operate. See more ideas about Willis, Willi smith, How to wear. In the meantime, Rizzoli has published Cooper Hewitt curator Alexandra Cunningham Cameron’s book of the same name. Willi and his sister, model Toukie SmithAnthony Barboza/Getty Images. The exhibition is an ode to one of New York’s unsung Black heroes, a man who was financially successful on his own terms and deeply loved by his community. Opulence and lavishness tied in with the booming economy that benefitted New York’s richest, standing in stark contrast to the ground-level artists living in the city’s downtown. Photograph: Jack Mitchell/Getty Images H e invented streetwear, was the most high-profile black fashion designer of the 80s and influenced a … Aug 1, 2014 - Explore Fyberella's board "willi wear" on Pinterest. It’s striking, when looking over his designs, watching his videos, and absorbing ephemera just how overlooked one of fashion’s finest designers has been in recent decades. Kim Jones discusses the process behind Dior and Jordan Brand’s luxurious collection of Air Jordan 1s and apparel. In 1984 – a seriously productive year – Smith became the first designer to launch T-shirt collections with fine artists, including Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, and Edwin Schlossberg; joined forces with Nam June Pak on a video work that accompanied his Spring 1983 City Island Collection; and made the costumes for Spike Lee’s School Daze. Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. Both of Cameron’s efforts have given pride of place to Smith’s clothing, but the exhibit also highlights sketches, photographs, film, recreations of Smith’s collaborative artwork to paint a more complete picture. At some point in the decade, he had contracted HIV, which he hid from friends either because he wasn’t aware of the illness or the ‘80s HIV-shaming culture. Later, Smith created costumes for Spike Lee’s 1988 dramedy School Daze and Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane’s dance work Secret Pastures. The designer blurred the lines of gendered fashion in American sportswear with garments created for both his WilliWear Men's and Women's collections. In a 20-year career, designer Willi Smith accomplished what many of his peers spent their lifetimes trying to achieve: he established a sartorial DNA that impacted the fashion industry for good. Art and design were always twin passions. African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. His clothing combined directional design and utilitarian function with an affordable price point. In response to his preference for a ‘rough urban feeling,’ this garment district showroom is conceived as a collage of waterfront fragments, unified in monochrome gray to provide a neutral background for the client’s colorful variety of attire. While Covid-19 has sadly curtailed an extensive retrospective at New York’s Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the exhibition has been brought to life by way of a digital experience. One-size-fits-all cargo pants, loose shirts and shin-length coats channeled genderless style — not because it was trendy but because it made it easier for all genders and body types to fit into WilliWear. The brand found instant success, thanks in part to its affordability, and its “come one, come all” approach. Smith also embodied another facet of current-day streetwear: collaboration. “Models pose in clothes. The new must-see documentary The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion on Netflix features April Walker, the creative engineer behind WalkerWear. People live in them.” Smith developed a deep fondness for India’s rich textiles, which were both lavish and affordable; ideal fabrics for Smith’s elevated everyman creations. His incredibly successful clothing line, WilliWear, amassed over $25 million USD in revenue at its peak thanks to its people-first design ethos. As a young, Black, gay man, Smith was a rarity at a time when designers such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren were considered the poster boys for American fashion. This site collects and publishes personal recollections, new scholarship, video, and digital ephemera that contributes to a greater understanding of Smith… Before Off-White, before Hood By … In 1983, African-American fashion designer Willi Smith presented a collection dubbed “Street Couture.” Though a seemingly oxymoronic notion at the time, the collection’s fusion of fashion and streetwear uncannily foreshadowed our current standards of dress. Endlessly resourceful, fearlessly creative, he published the WilliWear News, a fold-out poster zine produced with his friend the Paper magazine cofounder Kim Hastreiter. Representing “the core values of diversity, unity and inclusion.”. Willi Smith in 1984. Smith also sourced natural fabrics from India for WilliWear collections. African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. His works—including one from the University’s collection—will be the focus of a 'Street Couture' show. Willi Smith was one of the first American designers to create clothing inspired by and for everyday people and what they wore on city streets – making his sportswear a bridge to commercial streetwear. Willi Smith: Street Couture is on view at Cooper Hewitt through March 21, 2021. African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work.Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. As a new exhibition opens digitally in New York, the progenitor of haute streetwear is due a reappraisal, says Lynette Nylander. “He was trying to be a real polar opposite of Ralph Lauren,” architect and SITE founder James Wines told W Magazine. (SMITH, WILLI) Edited by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron. By the late ‘80s, WilliWear was generating over $25 million USD in revenue, but, sadly, Willi Smith wasn’t nearly as healthy. “Quite the opposite – I think that the more commercial I become, the more creative I can be because I am reaching more people.” His inclusive approach extended to sizing, too. Center in High-Profile NYC Exhibition The late Willi Smith revolutionized the streetwear-fashion game. Simultaneously, it’s a comprehensive vision of a Black designer undeservingly stripped of his place in history books, a partial physical manifestation of debt that the fashion industry owes to Black creatives it rarely allows to prosper. Smith never pretended he was “in the fashion business”; he was proud to sell real, wearable apparel. By Brian Hickey March 11, 2020 American designer Willi Smith was the streetwear pioneer. Despite attempts to continue the business after his death, his passing halted the label at its infancy and the brand ceased production in 1990. Born in 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Willie Lee Smith, an ironworker, and June Eileen Smith, a homemaker, Smith often joked that his mother kept “more clothes in the house than food.” He spent his formative years sketching on the floor of his childhood home and that of the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. He always had a knack for knowing what people wanted to wear. Cooper Hewitt/Rizzoli Electa, I00200722, 2020. The two created the brand WilliWear after a stalled attempt at an eponymous label spearheaded by his sister Toukie Smith and close friend Harrison Rivera-Terreaux. And made in collaboration with Colombian artisans. 2020 Hypebeast Limited. Smith eventually passed away in 1987 due to AIDS-related immune system complications, worsened by pneumonia and shigella. Yet Smith and his line have been almost entirely forgotten today. Cues from the Harlem Renaissance appeared in the baggy zoot suit-inspired tailoring, while the contemporary taste for comfort informed his slouchy shirts and effortless denim jeans. New/No Jacket - As Issued. Smith’s clothing was designed for the latter group, garments that were meant to have long-term shelf life, rather than be discarded seasonally. After studying at Parsons New School of Design, Smith was hired as a designer at the label Digits Sportswear, where he met Laurie Mallet, a former assistant who became his business partner when Digits ceased trading in 1974. The designer’s streetwear was presented through a wide range of artistic collaborations with forces like Christo and Bill T. Jones. Willi Smith tops in silk or linen feature bold designs as well as beaded embellishments and ruffles. All Rights Reserved. Willi Smith Made Streetwear Before The Word Existed The forgotten legacy of one of fashion’s most successful Black designers. On March 13th, as the coronavirus swept through New York City, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum had to close the retrospective “Willi Smith: Street Couture” at the end of its opening day. An ensemble by Willi Smith, who transformed the idea of streetwear into fashion before streetwear was a fashion category. “Most of these designers who have to run to Paris for color and fabric combinations should go to church on Sunday in Harlem. Finally, a celebration of Willi Smith, the pioneering Black designer of WilliWear, who put streetwear on the catwalk and deeply influenced contemporary fashion collaboration culture. In 1976, Smith launched WilliWear with his friend Laurie Mallet, following a creative burnout after his first creative director position fizzled out. Alongside artist friends and peers that ranged from Christo and Jeanne-Claude to Alvin Ailey to Keith Haring — who created two WilliWear T-shirt graphics — Smith created spaces, installations and performances that celebrated youth culture, creativity and inclusivity. He was only 39 years old. HYPEBEAST® is a registered trademark of Hypebeast Hong Kong Ltd. Gain access to exclusive interviews with industry creatives, think pieces, trend forecasts, guides and more. We appreciate your support in allowing HYPEBEAST ads, where we can share contents from the latest fashion, to those culturally relevant. Before Off-White, before Hood By … Sushant Singh Rajput loss of life: Ankita Lokhande seen shopping for… Willi Smith designs on the catwalk in 1986. The exhibition dedicated to the co-founder of the iconic brand WilliWear illuminates how the streetwear pioneer broke down social, cultural, and economic boundaries. Actor Christopher Walken modeling WilliWear for Willi Smith Day (February 23, 1990)Robin Platzer/Twin Images/The Life Images Collection/Getty Images. Willi Smith created inclusive and liberating fashion: "I don't design clothes for the queen, but the people who wave at her as she goes by," he said. What’s a museum to do when it launches a show about a late genius of streetwear, and no one can walk up the street to see it? African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. As a new exhibition opens digitally in New York, the progenitor of haute streetwear is due a reappraisal, says Lynette Nylander. The latter is a parasitic disease he caught during a fabric buying trip to his beloved India, a country that Smith returned to over and over again during his short-lived career. Long before “collectives”, he exemplified multi-disciplinary design, operating more as a cross-cultural ideas lab, a unique proposition at the time. New York’s Cooper Hewitt museum has plans to launch its Willi Smith: Street Couture exhibition this year but in light of coronavirus closures, it currently offers a digital archive of Smith’s legacy instead. Smith’s WilliWear line issued everything from graphic T-shirts to experimental gowns and bold sportswear, resisting easy categorization. As a pioneer of hip-hop clothing, designer Willi Smith rejected the stylish sheen of conventional fashion houses. Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. In … “Fashion is a people thing and designers should remember that,” he once remarked. Willi Smith: Street Couture Edited by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. Smith preferred the term “street couture” for his accessible, low-key silhouettes, however. Willi believed that everyone was deserving of quality materials and craftsmanship as well as durable and long-lasting garments, and he refreshingly eschewed the aura of exclusivity that shored up the designer labels of the day. The Black, queer origins of streetwear Willi Smith, a Philadelphia-born gay Black man, whose label generated millions in the '70s and '80s, is among … This decade was a turning point for Black fashion designers, wherein they began exerting unmistakable influence on the fashion industry.Specifically, Smith’s best friend, Alvin Bell, Patrick Kelly and Stephen Burrows drew acclaim and ire on Parisian runways while Jax Jaxon became the first Black designer at the head of a couture house (Jean-Louis Scherrer). He was embraced by the art world, participating in a multidisciplinary programme at Project Space One PS 1, (now MoMA PS1), where he filled a schoolroom with white clothes made of plaster laid on the floor and flagged with forensics-style evidence markers. Manhattan’s Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum is hosting an exhibit on Willi Smith, the first solo show for the late fashion designer who … At various points in his career, Smith invited SITE to construct WilliWear’s stark office space, Nam June Paik to produce WilliWear video pieces and various artistic friends to imagine flat white plaster clothes for a MoMA PS1 show. Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. With a star firmly in the ascendant and a business that at its peak, in 1986, grossed $25 million (£19 million) in sales, Smith was well on track to becoming one of fashion’s household names before his untimely death in 1987. Under Scaasi’s guidance, Smith learned to create high-end tailored garments which he later recalled as “the clothes I didn’t want to make.”. Smith’s take on streetwear was an eclectic yet irreverent twist on sportswear that elicited various identities from preppy silhouettes to billowing ensembles … He positioned his clothes to be appealing to large department store retailers, and even made his flat patterns available so that at-home sewing bees might be able to make their own versions at home. Fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. In the doc, April mentions some of the early inspirations for her transformational work in Hip Hop. While many designs display exuberant patterns, there are also more subtle pieces in neutral tones that look equally stunning with a pair of jeans or a dressy Willi Smith skirt. Cotton Willi Smith jackets with a little spandex offer a perfect fit. Forgoing socialites and celebrities, Smith’s design approach was inspired by real people and the way that they lived. When considering the combined impact of streetwear … Sadly, during a buying trip to India, Smith contracted pneumonia and died shortly after, in April of 1987. African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his … Via The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (garments) Widespread appeal was core to the young gay, Black designer’s approach for creating a sort of proto-streetwear; that is, clothing meant to be worn on the street. At Parsons, Smith honed his craft and ingrained himself in the burgeoning downtown New York art scene of the 1970s. He prioritised natural fabrics and produced gender-neutral collections far ahead of his contemporaries. Willi Smith Made Streetwear Before The Word Existed, Actor Christopher Walken modeling WilliWear for Willi Smith Day (February 23, 1990), Robin Platzer/Twin Images/The Life Images Collection/Getty Images, Helmut Lang and Willie Norris Channel the Power of Words in New Collab, HUMAN MADE and adidas Ready New Takes on the Stan Smith and Campus, Gorillaz Announces Collab With The Cure Frontman Robert Smith, Jorja Smith's "By Any Means" Music Video Pays Tribute to the Black Lives Matter Movement, No Two Pairs of the Jaden Smith X New Balance Vision Racer "Surplus" Are Exactly the Same, Will Smith Opens Up the 'The Fresh Prince' Airbnb at $30 USD a Night, teamLab to Hold Immersive Outdoor Exhibition at Mifuneyama Rakuen Park, Louis Vuitton Previews Pre-Spring 2021 Collection, Exclusive Look at the Making of Dior and Jordan Brand's "Air Dior" Capsule, Marni’s New Homeware Collection Is Satisfyingly Crafty, Levi's to Cut Jobs Following 62 Percent Net Revenue Drop in Q2, Erode Your Walls at Home With Daniel Arsham's Calico Wallpaper Collaboration. The denim brand also warns of a tough second half of the year. Encouraging his love of design, Smith’s grandmother, a domestic cleaner, had ties to acquaintances of the Canadian-born fashion designer Arnold Scaasi, a favourite of Elizabeth Taylor and Catherine Deneuve, which she used to procure him an internship. Born in Philadelphia in 1948, Smith enrolled in Parsons School of Design two decades later after he completed an internship with famed couturier Arnold Scaasi. “Being Black has a lot to do with my being a good designer,” he said at the time. But the success was to be cut short. Elsewhere, a young Harlem resident named Daniel Day decided to try his hand at the clothing business. He continually challenged who and what could be classed as American, regardless of economic status, race and sexuality. While he felt comfortable with the label of streetwear, he didn’t put himself into any box. Decades before inclusivity, diversity, visibility and representation became buzzwords du jour, African-American fashion designer and inventor of streetwear Willi Smith (1948-1987) blazed a groundbreaking path to democratise fashion and make it accessible and … Smith utilized a simple mantra to explain WilliWear’s creative direction: “I don’t design clothes for the queen, but the people who wave at her as she goes by.” Notably, Smith’s Black upbringing translated into his designs and the collection’s affordable pricing, ensuring WilliWear an edge unlike any other label of the day. African-American fashion designer Willi Smith, pioneer of streetwear and visionary collaborator, finally gets his due in an exuberant celebration of his life and work. 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