1983 was a major year for Willi Smith. The New York City-based designer won the Coty American Fashion Critics Award for Womenswear— only the second Black designer to do so. When he was first nominated in 1967, Smith was the youngest designer ever in the running for the prestigious title. His brand, WilliWear, is credited as the pioneer to the streetwear movement we know today.

 

Willi Smith: Street Couture, a retrospective exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt museum, explores the designer’s impact on the history of fashion. As part of that exhibit, the museum curated the The Willi Smith Digital Community Archive inviting friends, collaborators, and admirers of Smith’s to share their own personal stories about the designer.

 

Featured in the archive is Fern Mallis’ Fashion Icons interview with Bethann Hardison. Hardison not only shares stories of her long-time collaboration with Smith, but also how she helped the Cooper Hewitt to pull together this retrospective on his career.