Screening at Ziegfeld Theatre, New York, photograph, 1985
Digital print on paper
Photographed by Mark Bozek
Courtesy of Mark Bozek

Willi Smith Street Couture

The Willi Smith: Street Couture Virtual Exhibition illuminates how American designer Willi Smith (1948-1987) and his collaborators broke down social, cultural and economic boundaries by marrying affordable, adaptable “street couture” with avant-garde performance, film and design.

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Your journey so far

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All pages

Your journey so far

Alvin Bell

Community, Fashion, Person

Artist T-Shirt by Dondi White

Artventure

Fashion, Image Story

Attitudes

Fashion, Image Story

Audrey Smaltz

Community, Fashion, Person

Beginnings and Career

Fashion, Timeline

Bethann Hardison

Community, Fashion, Person

Bethann Hardison Oral History

Bonnie Brownfield

Community, Fashion, Person

Brian Howard

Community, Fashion, Person

Cesar Moreno

Community, Fashion, Person

Christa D’Souza

Community, Fashion, Person

Christine Rucci

Community, Fashion, Person

City Island

Elyn Rosenthal

Community, Fashion, Person

Jeff Tweedy

Community, Fashion, Person

Jeffrey Banks

Community, Fashion, Person

Jon Haggins

Community, Fashion, Person

Joseph Delate

Community, Fashion, Person

Juan-Manuel Alonso

Fashion, Image Story

Kelvin Garvanne

Community, Fashion, Person

Knowledge through the Hand

Laurie Mallet

Community, Fashion, Person

Laurie Mallet Oral History

Map Print Skirt

Fashion, Object

Mark Bozek

Community, Fashion, Person

Martha Nutt

Community, Fashion, Person

Menswear Illustrations

Fashion, Object Group

Mindy Grossman

Community, Fashion, Person

Miralda’s Dressing Tables

Fashion, Detail

Pat Cleveland

Community, Fashion, Person

Patterns for You

Fashion, Image Story

Peter Goldfarb

Community, Fashion, Person

Prudence Harvey

Community, Fashion, Person

Reba Ford-Sams

Community, Fashion, Person

Shailah Edmonds

Community, Fashion, Person

Sightseeing

Spring 1979 WilliWear Presentation

Stephen Burrows

Community, Fashion, Person

Stuart Lazar

Community, Fashion, Person

Style over Status

The Greatest Showman

Fashion, Image Story

To Be American

Tsia Carson

Community, Fashion, Person

Uniform Shirt and Pants, The Pont Neuf Wrapped

Fashion, Object

Veronica Jones

Community, Fashion, Person

Vijay Agarwal

Community, Fashion, Person

Wedding Dress for the Black Fashion Museum

Williwear to Streetwear

Southern Voice—February 15, 1990

Community, Image Story

About Willi Smith

Community, Essay

Alvin Bell

Community, Fashion, Person

Anthony Barboza

Community, Person

Artist T-Shirts and Prints

Community, Object Group

Audrey Smaltz

Community, Fashion, Person

Bethann Hardison

Community, Fashion, Person

Bill T. Jones Oral History

Community, Performance, Video

Bonnie Brownfield

Community, Fashion, Person

Brian Howard

Community, Fashion, Person

Carla Moore

Community, Person

Cesar Moreno

Community, Fashion, Person

Cheryl Braunstein

Community, Person

Christa D’Souza

Community, Fashion, Person

Christine Rucci

Community, Fashion, Person

Christopher Andrews

Community, Person

Cynthia Stubbs-Hill

Community, Person

Diane Meier

Community, Performance, Person

Edwin Schlossberg

Community, Person

Elyn Rosenthal

Community, Fashion, Person

Fern Mallis

Community, Design, Person

Forest Young

Community, Person

Groom’s Suit

Community, Object

Ian Hylton

Community, Person

Iris Simpson

Community, Person

Jack Travis

Community, Design, Person

Jackie Sanchez

Community, Person

Janette Beckman

Community, Person

Jeff Tweedy

Community, Fashion, Person

Jeffrey Banks

Community, Fashion, Person

Jon Haggins

Community, Fashion, Person

Jorge Socarras

Community, Performance, Person

Joseph Delate

Community, Fashion, Person

Just (Some) Friends

Community, Detail

Kelvin Garvanne

Community, Fashion, Person

Kim Hastreiter

Community, Design, Person

Kim Steele

Community, Person

Laurie Mallet

Community, Fashion, Person

Les Levine

Community, Film, Person

Linda Mason

Community, Performance, Person

Loren Harrison

Community, Person

Lynne Tillman

Community, Image

Mark Bozek

Community, Fashion, Person

Martha Nutt

Community, Fashion, Person

Mary Jane Marcasiano

Community, Person

Max Vadukul

Community, Film, Person

Mindy Grossman

Community, Fashion, Person

Om Batheja

Community, Person

Pat Cleveland

Community, Fashion, Person

Patrick Patterson

Community, Image Story

Paul Tschinkel

Community, Film, Person

Penny Payne

Community, Film, Person

Peter Goldfarb

Community, Fashion, Person

Peter Gordon

Community, Performance, Person

Peter McQuaid

Community, Person

Prudence Harvey

Community, Fashion, Person

Reba Ford-Sams

Community, Fashion, Person

Sabrina Lahiri

Community, Person

Sarah Khan

Community, Person

Shailah Edmonds

Community, Fashion, Person

Stacey Appel

Community, Person

Stephen Burrows

Community, Fashion, Person

Stuart Lazar

Community, Fashion, Person

Sylvia Waters

Community, Person

Todd Siler

Community, Image Story

Tom Healy

Community, Person

Tsia Carson

Community, Fashion, Person

Vernaculars of Black and Queer Remembering

Community, Essay

Veronica Jones

Community, Fashion, Person

Veronica Webb

Community, Person

Vicente Wolf

Community, Design, Person

Vijay Agarwal

Community, Fashion, Person

Wendy Goodman

Community, Person

Willi Smith and Friends Poolside, 1976

Community, Image

Willi Smith: On the Record

Community, Video

Willi Smith: Swervin’ in the Kingdom of Dreams

Community, Essay

Willi Smith’s Glasses

Community, Object

X Baczewska

Community, Person

Secret Pastures

Performance, Video

Secret Pastures Collaborator Portrait

Performance, Detail

Take-Off from a Forced Landing

Performance, Video

A Closer Look at Secret Pastures

Performance, Image Story

Bill T. Jones on Secret Pastures

Performance, Essay

Bill T. Jones Oral History

Community, Performance, Video

Costume Illustration for Cotton Club Gala

Performance, Object

Costumes for Take-Off from a Forced Landing

Performance, Object Group

Diane Meier

Community, Performance, Person

Feast or Fashion

Performance, Essay

Illustrations and Costumes for Deep South Suite

Performance, Object Group

Jorge Socarras

Community, Performance, Person

Linda Mason

Community, Performance, Person

Peter Gordon

Community, Performance, Person

Publicity Photograph of Bernadine Jennings and Leon Von Brown

Performance, Image

Real Clothes for Real Dance

Performance, Essay

Expedition

Expedition Detail Image

Expedition Film Screening Ticket

Expedition Press Kit and Invitation

Film, Object Group

Expedition Screening at Ziegfeld Theatre

Future Crossings

Les Levine

Community, Film, Person

Max Vadukul

Community, Film, Person

On Set of Expedition

Film, Image Story

Paul Tschinkel

Community, Film, Person

Penny Payne

Community, Film, Person

Ruth E. Carter on School Daze

WilliView Maquette

Bill Bonnell for WilliWear

Design, Object Group

Dan Friedman for WilliWear

Design, Object Group

Design for Willi Smith

Fern Mallis

Community, Design, Person

Jack Travis

Community, Design, Person

Kim Hastreiter

Community, Design, Person

Loft on Lispenard Street

Polydisciplinary Magnetism

Poster, WilliWear Fifth Avenue Store

Rebellion in Design: Developing a Blueprint for the Future

SITE Drawings

Design, Image Story

SITE’s Iconic Ghost Cityscape

Vicente Wolf

Community, Design, Person

Willi Smith In Pieces

WilliWear Map Print

WilliWear New Wave Graphics

WilliWear Showroom