WilliWear Retail Showroom
New York, New York
Interior Design by SITE Architects, New York, NY
Lighting Design by Mark D. Kruger, MIES
Willi Smith was the first “ready-to-wear” African-American fashion designer. His impact on 70’s and 80’s style and sensibility is still reverberating. Unfortunately, the timing of this project (just before Willi found out he was dying of AIDS) caused enthusiastic backers to withdraw funding. This made keeping the overall project visually cohesive, despite tremendous budget constraints, Mark’s biggest challenge in designing this landmark space.