Without Smith, the company floundered and due to financial problems and poor sales, WilliWear Limited ceased production in 1990.
[5] In 1965, Smith interned for couturier Arnold Scaasi, and began studying fashion design at Parsons in the fall while taking liberal arts classes at New York University.
[6] Smith continued to design and, in 1976, traveled to Bombay (Mumbai) India with Mallet to produce a small collection of women's separates in natural fibers.
[citation needed] WilliWear was a massive success, providing chic, stylish clothing for the modern woman, and later men, at affordable prices and in natural fabrics.
[12] Following a poorly received Fall 1990 collection and loss of sales at the Fifth Avenue store, Williwear filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and ceased production in 1990.
He designed costumes for choreographer Dianne McIntyre’s productions The Lost Sun (1973), The Deep South Suite (1976), and Take-Off From a Forced Landing (1984).
[16] Smith also designed costumes for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company’s performance Secret Pastures (1984),[17] as well as for Ellen Stewart's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club's production Cotton-Club Gala (1985).
These T-shirts displayed original work by artists including Keith Haring, Christo, SITE, Suzan Pitt, Les Levine, Edwin Schlossberg, Kim Steele, Jose Gracia Severo, Barbara Kruger, Lynn Hershman, Jenny Holzer, Tod Siler, Dan Friedman, and Andrew "Zephyr" Witten.
In 1985, Smith also worked with Max Vadukul to direct the short film Expedition, which was shot in Senegal and showcased ensembles inspired by Senegalese street fashion.
[9] Elements of film were also included in the presentation of the Fall 1983 WilliWear collection "Street Couture", held at the Puck Building, and incorporated video art by Juan Downey, music by Jorge Socarras, and makeup by Linda Mason.
[20] The presentation of the Spring 1983 WilliWear collection "City Island", featured video art, which was created by artist Nam June Paik.
For the WilliWear showroom on 209 W 38th Street in New York City, SITE partnered with Smith and Mallet to design a monochrome streetscape with a sidewalk doubling as a runway and chain-link fencing serving as display racks.
[23][1] Smith also designed the uniforms for the workers on Jeanne-Claude and Christo's 1983 installation Surrounded Islands as well as for Pont Neuf Wrapped (1985) in Paris, France.
Sinai Medical Center in New York City after contracting shigellosis and pneumonia while on a fabric buying trip to India in February 1987.
Willi Smith was one of the first American designers to create clothing inspired by and for everyday people and what they wore on city streets – making his sportswear a bridge to commercial streetwear.
The designer blurred the lines of gendered fashion in American sportswear with garments created for both his WilliWear Men's and Women's collections.
[citation needed] Additionally, many young designers and artists worked at WilliWear before launching their own successful careers and labels, including Antthony Mark Hankins, James Mischka, Jon Coffelt, John Bartlett, and Andre Walker, among many others.
He designed a two-piece wedding ensemble consisting of “a rajah style jacket in cotton satin and velveteen jodhpurs,”[35] which was prominently displayed during the show.
The line of artist T-shirts for WilliWear Productions was first exhibited at the Ronald Feldman Gallery, then during the Artventure fundraiser hosted at AREA by the Public Art Fund in 1984.
[38] The archive serves as a resource for scholars and enthusiasts to gain greater insight and understanding into the life, work, and legacy of the visionary American designer.