Willi Smith: Street Couture
Back of the Book
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. A rising star from the time he left Parsons, Smith went on to found WilliWear with Laurie Mallet in 1976 and became one of the most successful designers of his era by his untimely death in 1987. Smith broke boundaries with his streetwear, or "street couture," and trailblazed the collaborations between artists, performers, and designers commonplace today in projects with SITE Architects, Nam June Paik, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Spike Lee, Dan Friedman, Bill T. Jones, and Arnie Zane. Essays by leading figures from the worlds of fashion, art, architecture, and cultural studies paired with never before-seen images and ephemera make Willi Smith essential reading for the history of streetwear culture and the evolution of fashion from the 1970s to today.
We Love It Because
A thoughtfully curated celebration of Smith’s history and impact, Willi Smith: Street Couture by Alexandra Cunningham Cameron provides observers with a visually stunning portal overflowing with material, leaving readers continually curious. The structure and design of both the text and images effectively demonstrates the robust history for admires of culture, fashion, and beyond. The item is a gift of education and passion so beautifully fused.
Memorable Passage
Smith and Mallet exploded their startup into a commercial success with the attitude that everyday people deserved to be cultivated as connoisseurs, an equalizing agenda that rejected the unattainable luxury glamorized by the media at the time. “I’m not imposing any fantasy on anyone…What’s the point if you can’t put the clothes anywhere in this world? Clothing should go hand in hand with society.” Smith understood that his empathic relationship to the people who wore his clothes, his equality of concern for affordability, functionality, and expressiveness, required new platforms to disseminate his vision beyond the cabal of editors, investors, and designers that ruled the industry.
About Willi Smith
Willi Smith (1948–1987) was a pioneering American fashion designer whose innovative and inclusive approach to design revolutionized the fashion industry. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Smith co-founded the iconic label WilliWear with Laurie Mallet in 1976. WilliWear became known for its affordable yet chic clothing that defied traditional gender norms, blending casual and formal elements with a focus on comfort and versatility. Smith's designs embraced diversity and reflected the vibrant energy of urban life. His commitment to accessibility in fashion was groundbreaking, making high-quality, stylish clothing accessible to a broader audience. Willi Smith's impact extended beyond the runway; he was one of the first Black designers to achieve mainstream success and recognition. His legacy lives on as a trailblazer who bridged the gap between haute couture and street fashion, democratizing style and paving the way for greater inclusivity in the world of fashion. Willi Smith is worth knowing for his pioneering spirit, his contribution to diversity in design, and his enduring influence on contemporary fashion.
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