It’s Willi Smith Day

Back in 1988, today was proclaimed Willi Smith day to celebrate NYC designer Willi Smith. I’m not sure how many people know about Smith, but he was both one of the most successful Black American designers, as well as one of the greatest American fashion designers.

Smith was a visionary, from his design aesthetic to his choice of materials to the way he marketed his line. Even his runway shows and interactions with the creative community set him apart from his peers.

I know about Willi Smith because he was one of my favorite designers growing up. His amazingly cool line of clothing called WilliWear, was culturally on-trend for the 80s: It was sporty and casual, with bold graphic prints. I was lucky enough to own one of his pieces (and to have a mother who didn’t hesitate buying it for me): It was a midi-length summer skirt with self-belt and a paper bag waist. I think it was probably in a linen/cotton mix and was the color of butter. I wore this skirt all the time with a pair of sienna brown gladiator sandals. I loved this skirt - I wish I had it now, in fact.

But the reason Smith is such an important industry figure is because much of what he created in fashion is now - 30-years later - the norm. His accessible and affordable clothing in natural fabrics helped to democratize fashion, as did his fusion of casual American sportswear with influences from other cultures and NYC street style. Smith held his fashion shows in unconventional locations for the time, such as the Alvin Ailey Studio and the Puck Building. And his collaborations with other creatives ranged from avant-garde performance artists to film, art and design luminaries, including Christo and Jeanne-Claude, SITE, Keith Haring, and Barbara Kruger. WilliWear was even the first clothing company to create womenswear and menswear under the same label.

In short, during Smith’s 20-year career, he sought to revolutionize American fashion. Smith crafted affordable, chic clothing for both men and women and was known as the pioneer of “street couture” – fashion inspired by real people. His groundbreaking idea of marketing fashion through collaborations with designers and artists from other disciplines was another first for an American fashion designer.

Smith’s career was cut short when he passed away suddenly from an AIDS-related illness in 1987. Just one-year later, New York City’s first Black American Mayor David Dinkins proclaimed February 23rd as Willi Smith Day. If you want to find out more about Willi Smith and his work, read through some of the personal recollections of his peers and collaborators collected in the Willi Smith Archive . -xo

Willi Smith and his sister Toukie, shot by Anthony Barboza