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Community Archive



The Willi Smith Digital Community Archive invites friends, collaborators and admirers of American designer Willi Smith to share in writing his history. This site collects and publishes personal recollections, new scholarship, video, and digital ephemera that contributes to a greater understanding of Smith’s life, work, and times.


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Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg exit Church of Our Lady of Victory after wedding ceremony, July 19, 1986, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts Edwin Schlossberg's wedding ushers in suits designed by Willi Smith, 1986

Edwin Schlossberg


Willi Smith was an astonishing person—he was really tuned in to both the people around him and the environments around the people. He always seemed comfortable as he moved around a room, concentrating on whoever was in front of him, not through his expressions but more through his eyes.

He composed clothes that drifted onto people rather than ones that were connected to them. He made bodies seem as if they were moving even when they were still. There was a gracefulness to the clothes and an edge that made you notice them.

It was a very happy day when I wore the suit he designed for my wedding to Caroline, and he made me feel great wearing it. I was so lucky that Laurie Mallet and Mark Bozek introduced me to him.
This website was designed by and created in collaboration with Cargo, as part of its ongoing initiative to support arts, design and culture.

This website was designed by and created in collaboration with Cargo, as part of its ongoing initiative to support arts, design and culture.