Willi Smith

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Willie Lee Smith, an iron worker, and June Eileen Smith, a homemaker, both of whom were extremely clothes-conscious. Smith's grandmother was the housekeeper for a family that was close with designer Arnold Scaasi, and she helped her grandson get an internship with Scaasi. Smith helped with the design of clothing for Elizabeth Taylor. As a boy, Smith spent hours sketching on the floor of his home and at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. When reflecting on his childhood, Smith once stated, "I loved to draw and design clothes, and my mother told me I was born to be an artist or designer." After his parents divorced, his grandmother, Gladys Bush, nurtured and motivated Smith to pursue his dreams in design. == Education ==

Smith studied commercial art at Mastbaum Technical High School and attended Philadelphia Museum College of Art, taking a course in fashion illustration. He then moved to New York City to go to Parsons The New School for Design, the art and design college of The New School. He received two scholarships to fund his studies at Parsons. In 1965, Smith interned for couturier Arnold Scaasi, and began studying fashion design at Parsons in the fall while taking liberal arts classes at New York University. Designer Arthur McGee had served as Smith's mentor. == Career ==

In 1967, Smith left Parsons and pursued a career designing on his own. He first sought design inspiration from what people wore on the streets of New York. He befriended model Bethann Hardison in 1967 after striking up a conversation about her style on the street. Hardison became the fit model for Smith's designs and a close friend. From 1969 to 1973, Smith worked as lead designer for the junior sportswear label Digits. Smith met future business partner and lifelong friend Laurie Mallet in 1970 while Mallet was in New York for a holiday break and hired her as his design assistant at Digits in 1971. The following year, 1972, Smith was nominated for the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award for his work as lead designer at Digits. In 1973, Smith was nominated for the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Winnie Award for the second time, and began designing patterns for the commercial pattern company Butterick. Smith resigned from Digits later that same year and Digits went bankrupt shortly after. In 1974, Smith partnered with his sister Toukie Smith and close friend Harrison Rivera-Terreaux to form his own label Willi Smith Designs, Inc. The collection was a success, and soon after, Smith and Mallet formed the label WilliWear Ltd., with Mallet as President of the company and Willi Smith as Vice President and lead designer. The first Williwear fashion show was held at the Holly Solomon Gallery in the Spring of 1978 and showcased a collection of garments “influenced by nautical uniforms and Southeast Asian dress.” WilliWear produced several hallmark collections from 1982 to 1986, and in 1986 the company reached $25 million in sales. Smith and Mallet further enriched the reputation of the brand through artist collaborations. After Smith's death, on April 17, 1987, Mallet continued to run WilliWear. In 1989, Mallet hired designer Andre Walker to revive the brand. Following a poorly received Fall 1990 collection and loss of sales at the Fifth Avenue store, Williwear filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and ceased production in 1990. == Collaborations ==

Willi Smith was an avid patron of the arts and collaborated with an extensive group of artists from 1973 up until his death in 1987. He designed costumes for choreographer Dianne McIntyre’s productions The Lost Sun (1973), The Deep South Suite (1976), and Take-Off From a Forced Landing (1984). Smith also designed costumes for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s performance Secret Pastures (1984), as well as for Ellen Stewart's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club's production Cotton-Club Gala (1985). Made in New York, directed by Les Levine, was the first short film project that WilliWear commissioned to present Smith's clothes in motion on the street and to combine the disciplines of art, fashion, and film in one form. In 1985, Smith also worked with Max Vadukul to direct the short film Expedition, which was shot in Senegal and showcased ensembles inspired by Senegalese street fashion. The presentation of the Spring 1983 WilliWear collection "City Island", featured video art, which was created by artist Nam June Paik. Additionally, Smith designed the suits for Edwin Schlossberg and his groomsmen when he married Caroline Kennedy, in 1986, and designed the wedding dress worn by Mary Jane Watson when she married Peter Parker in a live performance based on The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 comic in 1987. == Death ==

On April 16, 1987, Smith was admitted to Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City after contracting shigellosis and pneumonia while on a fabric buying trip to India in February 1987. He died of pneumonia complicated by shigellosis the following day at the age of 39. Mallet later said that while the designer was always "fragile" and often too sick to work, she did not feel that he was seriously ill. When asked if Smith had any idea that he had AIDS, Mallet said that Smith never confided this to her, but she felt "maybe he had some idea, some feeling." Smith, who was openly gay, has a panel in the original NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Smith is also lamented in a poem "Speak: A Poem for the Millennium March", by Keith Boykin, read by its author for the Millennium March on Washington for Equality on April 29, 2000. ==Legacy==

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. He sought not to target an exclusive clientele with his work, but instead to ensure that his clothing could be worn by people from varied backgrounds. Smith's label WilliWear set the stage for later streetwear brands such as FUBU and WalkerWear. Upon its debut in April, the line was panned by critics. To save money, Mallet closed the WilliWear stores and tried to generate revenue by convincing chain stores to carry the line. Mallet's efforts failed and, in 1990, the women's division of WilliWear ceased production. Shortly thereafter, the men's division also ceased production. == Exhibitions ==

In 1981, Willi Smith participated in the Black Fashion Museum’s Bridal Gowns of Black Designers exhibition. He designed a two-piece wedding ensemble consisting of “a rajah style jacket in cotton satin and velveteen jodhpurs,” which was prominently displayed during the show. The following year, Smith participated in the Project Space One (MoMA PS1) exhibition Art As Damaged Goods. Smith and Mallet also collaborated with local art galleries, which hosted early WilliWear and WilliWear Productions fashion shows. The line of artist T-shirts for WilliWear Productions was first exhibited at the Ronald Feldman Gallery, then during the Artventure fundraiser hosted at AREA by the Public Art Fund in 1984. The collaborative and accessible nature of Willi Smith's work was highlighted through the exhibition and will be incorporated to a greater extent through the Willi Smith Digital Community Archive, which the public can contribute to. The archive serves as a resource for scholars and enthusiasts to gain greater insight and understanding into the life, work, and legacy of the visionary American designer. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the exhibit was closed at the end of its opening day. == Awards ==

• Smith earned two scholarships to attend Parsons School of Design in 1965. • In September 1983, Smith won an American Fashion Critics' Coty Award for women's fashion. He was the second African American designer to win the award, the first being Stephen Burrows. • In 1985, Smith won a Cutty Sark Men's Fashion Award. • In 1988, then New York City mayor David Dinkins proclaimed February 23 "Willi Smith Day" in honor of the designer's achievements. • In 2002, Smith was honored with a bronze plaque for Fashion Walk of Fame along Seventh Avenue. == References ==