Object: Man's ensemble
Brand:
WilliWear
(American, 1976 - 1990)
Date: Spring 1985
Medium: Cotton and ramie / cotton knit
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of WilliWear, Ltd.
Object number: 85.71.1
DescriptionLong sleeve shirt and walking shorts in white cotton printed with purple, yellow / green, red, brown and black pattern resembling paint stripes and graffiti, coordinating yellow / green ramie / cotton knit sleeveless V-neck top
Label Text:Willi Smith expanded into menswear in 1982, bringing his signature “street-smart, witty” styles to a new demographic. His whimsical sense of color and pattern is shown in this ensemble. Smith intended to be a painter, but his family’s love of fashion and a summer job as a teenager on Seventh Avenue redirected him to design.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Seventh Avenue: Fashion Walk of Fame
- Black Fashion Designers
- Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA
- Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style