"I don't design clothes for the Queen, but for the people who wave at her as she goes by," said one of the most successful designers in fashion history, Willi Smith. He was a successful African American designer who after training at the prestigious Parsons School of Design started his own company WilliWear in 1976, which consisted of easy and comfortable clothing in drapey silhouettes in a rainbow of colors and prints. The Philadelphia native introduced the world to a more loose fitting style of casual jeans which became an 80's staple. He had an unique eye for mixing prints and hues when it came to styling and dressing. Willi's "street couture" aesthetic made him a fan favorite and style maven for aspiring fashion designers.
During the late 1980s WilliWear was racking in $25 million and was a great accomplishment for him. He won prestigious accolades including a Coty American Fashion Critic Award for women's fashion in 1983 and a Cutty Sark Menswear Award in 1985. Director Spike Lee asked Willi to be the designer for his new movie "School Daze" and Edwin A. Schlossberg also recruited him to design a navy blue linen suit for his wedding to Caroline Kennedy in 1987. Even after Willi Smith's untimely passing his creative and influential approach to design has made an irreplaceable mark on fashion and style. We will be forever missed and remembered for all he has done for the world of fashion.
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