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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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Loren Harrison


This is my WilliWear scarf that I purchased in New York City, circa 1983, at Bloomingdale’s. It has always held meaning for me as it relates to that tumultuous decade, having freshly graduated from nursing school and taking care of so many young men dying from a disease that there was no name for, only a cluster of symptoms. I have cherished wearing it all these years as it has allowed me to ultimately inform people about that devastating time and one of the great designers who succumbed to AIDS.

Loren Harrison wearing WilliWear scarf, 2020 WilliWear scarf, Fall 1983 Street Couture collection

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.