Willi Smith: The Pioneer of Sportswear
The new must-see documentary The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion on Netflix features April Walker, the creative engineer behind WalkerWear. In the doc, April mentions some of the early inspirations for her transformational work in Hip Hop. At the top of her list is Black fashion designer and the pioneer of streetwear, Willi Smith whose work is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
The Life and Career of Willi Smith
Before Off-White, before Hood By Air, before Supreme, there was WilliWear. 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. Smith was kicked out of Parsons for same-sex dating, but went on to establish WilliWear in 1976 - a brand that would eventually make him one of the most successful designers of his era.
Smith broke boundaries with his streetwear, or "street couture.” He highlighted his love for mixed looks in his collections pulling inspiration from workwear, military uniforms, African and Indian prints, and denim. And he flattened the fashion authority undermining its aspirational reach for luxury and coating the white gaze with a Black aesthetic. Smith spearheaded collaborations between artists, performers, and designers which is commonplace today. In 1988, Smith teamed up with Spike Lee and Oscar-winning Costume Designer Ruth Carter to create the three dresses worn by the Homecoming Court in School Daze. Smith was also the Costume Designer for The Deep South Suite, a dance drama by Dianne McIntrye, that premiered at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater’s Duke Ellington Festival. Ailey dancers graced the runway of the WilliWear Fall collection in 1988. As a teenager, Whitney Houston also walked Willi Smith’s runway.
At the time of his untimely death in 1987, Willi Wear was sold in more than 1,000 stores globally and generated more than $25 million per year in sales. Chances are, if you’re a regular shopper at T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s you may have some of Smith’s clothes in your closet as it is still sold in stores today.
The Legacy of Willi Smith
A virtual exhibit of Willi Smith’s life and work is on display at the CooperHewitt Smithsonian Design Museum coupled with a coffee table book that includes essays by leading figures from the worlds of fashion, art, and architecture, paired with never before-seen pictures and sketches. The book also shares details about Willi Smith Day (February 23), an official holiday in Philadelphia. With his longevity, influence and cultural significance, it should become a more widely-recognized holiday.
