He would sit behind his desk, and Mark would say, “It’s about to happen; the clothes are about to come out!” Then I’d walk out from behind the dressing screen wearing whatever Willi had made for me, whether it was a pair of big, baggy pants with the perfect pair of Oxford shoes or an off-the-shoulder top with fabulous sleeves. Willi would just light up. I remember wearing his clothes and feeling at ease and at home, but also being aware that he created a fantasy that wasn’t about conforming; it was about authenticity.

Even when I think about the Expedition film, it was a radical idea at the time for a Black designer. True, by 1985 we had gone through Black Is Beautiful and had Afrika Bambaattaa and the Universal Zulu Nation, but we hadn’t had a genuine moment in fashion where we owned Africanism. Now, when Black designers use Africa as a reference, it becomes more about race instead of design. Willi was the first person that I felt broke the visual mode of how fashion was perceived. His success for such a broad audience symbolized that we in our community can move beyond race, be designers too, and make it.