Speaker 1: Hey, what's up people?
Speaker 2: This is Questlove and an honor of Black History Month,
Speaker 2: when Fridays we'll be releasing episodes of Historical Records my
Speaker 2: podcast with the story Pirates. It's an explosive fusion of
Speaker 2: hip hop and history, tailor made for music loving kids
Speaker 2: and families. That's right, you heard right, something the entire
Speaker 2: family can sit back, listen to, and enjoy together. So
Speaker 2: in this episode, host Nemony learns how street guiture fashion
Speaker 2: came to be with a brand new hip hop track
Speaker 2: about fashion pioneer Willie Smith, featuring an interview between fashion
Speaker 2: designer Humberto Leon and an eight year old fashion lover
Speaker 2: from New York named Olivia. Get your kids, Sit back
Speaker 2: and enjoy Historical Records, the show that proves that in
Speaker 2: order to make history, you have to make some noise.
Speaker 3: Hi listeners, Neminy here in the ballroom of the Secret Bunker,
Speaker 3: reporting to you live Fashion's biggest night of the year.
Speaker 3: In just a moment, Tina and the other raccoons are
Speaker 3: gonna try on all my clothes and hit the runway.
Speaker 3: We're expecting a lot of different looks out of my
Speaker 3: closet tonight, and we're hopeful that will find at least
Speaker 3: one outfit that I am still willing to wear. I've
Speaker 3: just received word from Tina that the show is starting. Oh,
Speaker 3: and here comes the first model down the runway. It's
Speaker 3: Tina standing on top of four other raccoons, so they're
Speaker 3: the same height as me. And look at this. They're
Speaker 3: wearing my favorite simple black dress. Now, this dress is
Speaker 3: very special to me. I got it during my junior
Speaker 3: year of college. I wear it to eighty percent of
Speaker 3: the nice events I have to attend, and it's honestly
Speaker 3: starting to get a little scratching in the shoulders. It
Speaker 3: is pretty, but it's also pretty tired and should probably
Speaker 3: be cut up and repurposed into kitchen rags. Sorry, Tina,
Speaker 3: that one is not happening. But don't worry, listeners. We've
Speaker 3: got two more, hopefully passable options to see, and here
Speaker 3: they come again. Wow. This next piece coming down the
Speaker 3: runway is a real stutter, also being worn by five
Speaker 3: raccoons standing on top of each other. This one is
Speaker 3: a floral pant suit, and it looks like the raccoons
Speaker 3: are having some fun up there.
Speaker 1: We love to see.
Speaker 3: It, but does this dress still work for me? I'm
Speaker 3: not so sure it does, Tina. This is an outfit
Speaker 3: that I wore once for my cousin's wedding and then
Speaker 3: never wore again. Did it look good at the time, Absolutely?
Speaker 3: Can I bring myself to wear it again? Absolutely not.
Speaker 3: No one said fashion was easy. Side note. Is there
Speaker 3: anything more adorable than the sound of a crowd of
Speaker 3: raccoons being bummed out? I think not now. This last
Speaker 3: outfit coming down the runway once again, being worn by
Speaker 3: five raccoons standing on top of one another, is a
Speaker 3: vampire tape. Vampire tape and a vampire wig. It's my
Speaker 3: Halloween costume from last year. I was a vampire. Stop
Speaker 3: the music, Tina, None of these options work. I have
Speaker 3: a confession to make Scientists. International magazine is doing a
Speaker 3: big feature on scientists who live in top secret underground bunkers,
Speaker 3: and they're sending a photographer here today to howurd top
Speaker 3: secret underground bunker to take a picture of me. I agree.
Speaker 3: The reason I ask you and the other raccoons to
Speaker 3: do this fashion show is because I have absolutely nothing
Speaker 3: glamorous to wear.
Speaker 4: Its historical records.
Speaker 5: You are now listening to historical.
Speaker 3: To make history, you got to have struggles. To make history,
Speaker 3: you got to show poys cannot be quiet loud that
Speaker 3: so rye. To make history, you gotta make some noise.
Speaker 3: Welcome back to Historical Records, where we conduct highly experimental
Speaker 3: experiments combining history and hip hop. Today's episode is about
Speaker 3: the pioneering fashion designer Willie Smith. But we'll get to
Speaker 3: Willy in a minute. Right now, I'm in the middle
Speaker 3: of my own fashion disasser. I agree the vampire costume
Speaker 3: is funny, but I need to impress my fellow scientists,
Speaker 3: not make them laugh. My boring black dress, my floral
Speaker 3: pants suit, my vampire Halloween costume. None of these outfits
Speaker 3: feel like they're really gonna wow anyone. I want to
Speaker 3: wow people. What do you mean you have just the thing? Dana?
Speaker 3: Where are you calling? Oh? Okay, the spotlight on the
Speaker 3: runway is back. Uh. Our next model is about to
Speaker 3: come down the runway, where what she assures me is
Speaker 3: the greatest outfit of all time. Yes, there she is
Speaker 3: Tina the Raccoon, and it appears that she is wearing
Speaker 3: a dress made entirely of garbage. Okay, no raccoons, Thanks
Speaker 3: for your help, but I can't wear a dress made
Speaker 3: of trash for my big photo shoot. This is Scientist's
Speaker 3: international magazine we're talking about. It's like the biggest publication
Speaker 3: amongst scientists who are international and who also read magazines.
Speaker 3: Thanks Tina, I knew you'd understand. Let's look in my
Speaker 3: closet one more time in case I missed something. Hello,
Speaker 3: cute and fancy clothes, where are you? Hmm Nope, No
Speaker 3: fancy impressive clothes in here, Just a bunch of useless junk.
Speaker 3: Wait a minute, how have I never noticed this hit
Speaker 3: door before? Just as I suspected, this door leads to
Speaker 3: a gigantic closet. Closet clu Oh no, this is a library.
Speaker 3: That tiny door just led to the library. Wait a second,
Speaker 3: Maybe one of the historians can help me find something
Speaker 3: to wear, Gabe, lay anyone in here. I need a
Speaker 3: historian who also has the fashion seens, if possible. What
Speaker 3: was that? And where is all this smoke coming from?
Speaker 1: Oh high, niminy, Gabe? What was that huge kaboom sound?
Speaker 1: Sorry about that.
Speaker 6: I've just been testing out the latest design for my
Speaker 6: history simulator. Want to give it a try? Well I
Speaker 6: kind of need Come on, it'll just take a second. Here,
Speaker 6: put on this helmet.
Speaker 3: M okay, I guess this helmet is kind of cute.
Speaker 6: Now climb up here and slide down this tube a
Speaker 6: new love a slide, and get ready to get blasted
Speaker 6: off in this gigantic old timey cannon like the kind
Speaker 6: they have at the Sir, I guess I thought.
Speaker 3: You said this was a history simulator.
Speaker 1: It is.
Speaker 6: It just so happens to be shaped like a gigantic
Speaker 6: old timey cannon, like.
Speaker 1: The kind they have at the Circus.
Speaker 6: But instead of launching this space, it launches you through time.
Speaker 3: Gabe. You and I both know I love traveling through history,
Speaker 3: but I don't know that I want to be launched
Speaker 3: through history.
Speaker 1: Don't worry about it. I'll do it with you.
Speaker 5: Mmm.
Speaker 7: Got it.
Speaker 6: Let's sit in here, an astute observation and an improvement
Speaker 6: I'll make in version two point zero.
Speaker 3: Wait, this is only the first draft of your time cannon.
Speaker 6: I prefer history simulator shape like a gigantic Old timey cannon,
Speaker 6: like the kind they have.
Speaker 1: At the Circus. But yes, this is the first draft.
Speaker 1: Now let's simulate history.
Speaker 3: This is safe, right, Gabe.
Speaker 6: Honestly I'm still working out the kinks.
Speaker 3: Wait what see, what's.
Speaker 1: Look beneath us.
Speaker 6: That's all of human history, and it's flying right by us.
Speaker 3: Kind of feels like we're flying right by next.
Speaker 1: Now you're getting it.
Speaker 6: Remember to tuck and roll when you lando tucking roll
Speaker 6: when you boo, I was saying, never mind you, Okay, Gabe,
Speaker 6: can I.
Speaker 3: Give you some constructive feedback on your history? Simulator shape
Speaker 3: like a gigantic old timey cannon, like the kind they
Speaker 3: have at the circus.
Speaker 1: It's a long name. I know, I'm working on it.
Speaker 3: That's not what I was gonna say. Look over there,
Speaker 3: is that a fashion show?
Speaker 1: Let's take a look.
Speaker 3: Oh wait a minute, where are we This doesn't look
Speaker 3: like a normal fashion show.
Speaker 6: You're right, it's the early nineteen eighties and we're at
Speaker 6: the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.
Speaker 3: A dance studio.
Speaker 5: Yep.
Speaker 6: Alvin Ailey was a famous choreographer who fused ballet, jazz, theater,
Speaker 6: and modern dance with narratives about black life.
Speaker 3: Well, Alvin Ailey sounds cool, But if we're doing a
Speaker 3: fashion show in a dance studio, the designer probably isn't
Speaker 3: that good.
Speaker 6: Are you sure about that? Take a closer look at
Speaker 6: the crowd.
Speaker 3: Wait a minute, is that Spike Lee, the famous film director?
Speaker 3: M h and keep herring. Oh, he's one of my
Speaker 3: favorite artists.
Speaker 6: And sitting right next to him is Andrew Whitten aka Zephyr,
Speaker 6: a legend in the graffiti world.
Speaker 3: Is everyone in this audience somewhat interesting?
Speaker 1: Yep?
Speaker 6: Each of them is a luminary in their field, most
Speaker 6: from the New York fashion scene.
Speaker 3: So whose fashion show is this?
Speaker 1: The lights are going down, let's watch and find out together.
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, these models are all so beautiful and unique.
Speaker 3: Some of them are tall, some of them are shorts,
Speaker 3: some are bigger, some are smaller. I see different shades
Speaker 3: of skin men and women. Is this what every fashion
Speaker 3: show was like in the nineteen eighties?
Speaker 6: Not at all for the nineteen eighties. This is incredibly diverse.
Speaker 3: And these clothes, shapes and colors and fabrics. I love
Speaker 3: everything I'm seeing. I have to know who the designer is.
Speaker 1: Well, here he comes.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 6: His name is Willie Smith and we're at a show
Speaker 6: for his popular fashion brand, Willie Ware.
Speaker 3: So that's Willie Smith. He's such a talented designer. Uh okay, Gabe,
Speaker 3: do you hear that sizzling sound like someone lit a
Speaker 3: long wick and it's slowly burning its way towards something gigantic.
Speaker 1: I do.
Speaker 6: That means it's time to head back into the Ji
Speaker 6: sor can hissulator. Huh uh, the gigantic circus canon history simulator.
Speaker 1: I'm workshopping the name. Remember that when you wear?
Speaker 3: Where are we now? And what's that delicious smell?
Speaker 6: I believe you're smelling fresh doses because we're in.
Speaker 1: Mumbai, India.
Speaker 3: What are we doing here?
Speaker 6: This is one of the places where Willy Smith got
Speaker 6: his inspiration while traveling the world in search of the
Speaker 6: right fabrics for his clothing. Willie didn't look to Paris
Speaker 6: or Milan, but that's where all the.
Speaker 3: Fashion designers find the fabrics with all the fun colors
Speaker 3: and patterns.
Speaker 1: Right, not exactly.
Speaker 6: Willy was looking for colors and patterns, sure, but he
Speaker 6: was also looking for durable fabrics that could give his
Speaker 6: clothes a flowing feel in looser shapes.
Speaker 3: Wooh, look at the price tag on this fabric. It's lavish,
Speaker 3: but it's also affordable. That's exactly what brought Willy to India.
Speaker 6: He wanted fabrics that weren't just pretty look at, but
Speaker 6: that you could actually live and work in, and it
Speaker 6: helped him make sure that everyone could afford his pieces.
Speaker 3: So he didn't want to look in all the same
Speaker 3: place as all the other designers were looking exactly smart.
Speaker 3: Oh man, that dosa looks tasty. Maybe I'll just snag
Speaker 3: a bite.
Speaker 6: No time, there's more history to simulate to the historical
Speaker 6: circus blaster three thousand.
Speaker 3: Em that's not it either. Hey, can we go slower
Speaker 3: this time? Sorry?
Speaker 6: Gigantic old timey cannon like the kind they have at
Speaker 6: the circus, only has one speed.
Speaker 3: Here we go, Man, I keep landing wrong, and now
Speaker 3: I'm hungry. I really wanted that Noza niminy.
Speaker 1: It was a simulated dosa.
Speaker 3: Well it made me simulated hungry. Where are we now?
Speaker 1: We're in Harlem, New York City.
Speaker 6: There's the Abyssinian Baptist Church, and there's the Apollo Theater,
Speaker 6: and over there is one hundred and twenty fifth Street,
Speaker 6: lined with vendors selling everything from T shirts to community
Speaker 6: newspapers to incense.
Speaker 3: And let me guess that's stylish. Young man over there
Speaker 3: with the loose fitting dressed clothes, looking at all the
Speaker 3: people and sketching in his notebook is a young Willie
Speaker 3: Smith Bingo.
Speaker 6: Before he started Willywere Willy Smith would walk the streets
Speaker 6: of New York, strolling past black churches on Sundays, taking
Speaker 6: inspiration from the women wearing their Sunday best. While other
Speaker 6: fashion designers were trying to dress celebrities and the ultra rich,
Speaker 6: Willie was inspired by the style of everyday working class people.
Speaker 3: Hey, look at that park. Those breakdancers have some pretty
Speaker 3: funky moves.
Speaker 6: This is the kind of park where Willie would watch
Speaker 6: office workers in their old, stuffy business suits walking past
Speaker 6: those breakdancers in their hip streetwear, and wonder, how can
Speaker 6: I bring these two worlds together.
Speaker 3: So streetwear hasn't always been a part of high.
Speaker 6: Fashion, Willie was one of the first fashion designers to
Speaker 6: bring influence from the streets, the clubs, and black culture
Speaker 6: in general into high fashion. Without him, a lot of
Speaker 6: today's streetwear brands probably wouldn't be what they are.
Speaker 3: So before Willie Smith's high fashion was only for the rich,
Speaker 3: and his work helped make fashion more accessible for everybody.
Speaker 5: Yes.
Speaker 6: In fact, one of his most famous quotes is, I
Speaker 6: don't design clothes for the queen, but for the people
Speaker 6: who wave at her as she goes by that.
Speaker 3: But so far we're just talking about businessmen and bee boys.
Speaker 3: Did Willy Smith design any clothing for women?
Speaker 6: Actually, Willie Smith wasn't interested in designing solely for men
Speaker 6: or for women. His brand Williware was one of the
Speaker 6: first major fashion brands to design both and even include
Speaker 6: plenty of gender neutral designs.
Speaker 3: Sounds like Willie Smith was really ahead of his time.
Speaker 3: Is this the neighborhood where he grew up?
Speaker 1: Not at all, He grew up in Philadelphia. Want to see?
Speaker 3: Oh no, not more time blasting.
Speaker 1: Time blasting. That's pretty good. Let's keep spitballing off that.
Speaker 1: Look I can do a backflip.
Speaker 6: Who we're flying?
Speaker 3: Oh, we're in a house. Maybe I can find some
Speaker 3: cool clothes in one of these closets.
Speaker 6: Wait, wait, wait, first, look around this bedroom we're in.
Speaker 3: Hmm, there are a lot of drawings on the walls,
Speaker 3: like a lot of drawings. Is this WILLI myths room?
Speaker 6: Yes, it's his childhood bedroom in Philadelphia in the early
Speaker 6: nineteen sixties.
Speaker 3: Look at this notebook. These drawings have so much imagination
Speaker 3: in them. Oh, look at all these people wearing elegant costumes.
Speaker 6: Even from a young age. Willie loved to draw in
Speaker 6: design clothes. His mother even told him that she knew
Speaker 6: he was born to be an artist or a designer.
Speaker 3: Is Willy here right now?
Speaker 1: He's not home.
Speaker 6: His mom and grandma have taken him to the Philadelphia
Speaker 6: Museum of Art, something they did frequently.
Speaker 3: Oh, I love that museum.
Speaker 1: So did Willy's family.
Speaker 6: They encouraged his love of drawing clothing and took.
Speaker 1: Him to the museum to sketch.
Speaker 6: They didn't have a lot of money, but they did
Speaker 6: have style, and after his parents divorced, Willy's grandma encouraged
Speaker 6: him to continue pursuing his dreams of working in fashion design.
Speaker 3: Sounds like his upbringing was a really big influence on him.
Speaker 6: Indeed, Willie's friend, former neighbor and fashion editor Kim Hastrider
Speaker 6: once said what would make Willy proud was not when
Speaker 6: a movie star wore his clothes.
Speaker 1: He would burst with pride.
Speaker 6: When he'd see black kids on the street running around
Speaker 6: in his stuff, or those black ladies at the bank
Speaker 6: wearing it to work.
Speaker 3: How sweet? Okay, now about those closets.
Speaker 6: Nimity, they're simulated closets full of simulated clothes.
Speaker 3: Well, I can still try them on can't. I.
Speaker 6: But there's so much more to see to the super big,
Speaker 6: super old circuits reminiscent history simulating blasting machine.
Speaker 3: That's an even worse and longer name than before. Wait,
Speaker 3: why are we in a comic book shop?
Speaker 6: Well, I wanted to talk about Willy Smith's legacy. Sadly,
Speaker 6: as his company was making record profits, Willy's success in
Speaker 6: the fashion world was cut short when he passed away
Speaker 6: in nineteen eighty seven at the age of thirty nine,
Speaker 6: due to complications from AIDS.
Speaker 3: That's so young.
Speaker 6: Unfortunately, Yes, the AIDS epidemic of the nineteen eighties took
Speaker 6: away man any of our best artists and leaders, especially
Speaker 6: those in the LGBTQ community, But Willy's influence can still
Speaker 6: be felt everywhere. His designs were worn by famous dancers
Speaker 6: in Spike Lee movies like School Days, and even in
Speaker 6: the pages of this comic book Spider Man Yep. In
Speaker 6: the issue where Peter Parker and Mary Jane finally get married,
Speaker 6: Mary Jane's wedding grace was designed by none other than
Speaker 6: Willie Smith. Now follow me outside this bronze plaque right
Speaker 6: here on the seventh Avenue Fashion Walk of Fame in
Speaker 6: New York City commemorates Willie Smith and his contribution to fashion.
Speaker 6: In nineteen eighty eight, one year after his death, New
Speaker 6: York City's first black Mayor, David Dinkins proclaimed February twenty
Speaker 6: third as Willie Smith Day in New York City.
Speaker 3: February twenty third.
Speaker 6: That's today, Well it is here in the simulation. Oh boy,
Speaker 6: speaking of look at the time space. We really should
Speaker 6: be heading back home. Un Hey, nice landing.
Speaker 3: Thanks. I've had lots of practice with the gigantic old
Speaker 3: timey cannon, like the kind they have at the circus.
Speaker 1: I believe you mean the time cannon.
Speaker 3: That's the official name you're going with.
Speaker 1: Yep.
Speaker 3: Isn't that what I called it the very first time
Speaker 3: I got in?
Speaker 1: Yep?
Speaker 3: And didn't you tell me you prefer gigantic old timey cannon,
Speaker 3: like the kind they have at the circus.
Speaker 1: I've grown and I've changed fair anyway. That was fun.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I had a blast, literally, But also I learned
Speaker 3: how to look at fashion in a totally different way.
Speaker 3: Maybe I was thinking about my photo shoot all wrong.
Speaker 3: I wonder what Willie would suggest I wear something practical
Speaker 3: and yet somehow still cool.
Speaker 1: Don't you have a song to record.
Speaker 3: Oh you're right, I nearly forgot to the recording studio.
Speaker 3: Bye Gabe. Wow, All right, listeners, check out this brand
Speaker 3: new song all about Willie Smith.
Speaker 8: When people even nain't Willie Smith, I want them to
Speaker 8: think that this is a person who cares enough about
Speaker 8: them that he's taking the time to design and create
Speaker 8: and think for them, like all Lellens of America.
Speaker 7: I could tell you what sale how I was supposed
Speaker 7: to fail, but then I ended up sailing with all
Speaker 7: the boats and whales. Before I was selling clothes, I
Speaker 7: had hope for sale, and even at a discount. It
Speaker 7: was so for real. Grew up in Hilladelkh had a
Speaker 7: little help, Nope, a lot of help. My mother and
Speaker 7: my father told me to go for self. Got it
Speaker 7: to yourself, do your best, get it gone and you
Speaker 7: can get coins. But true freedom is the wealth. Willie,
Speaker 7: that's my name came into game. We'll get into all
Speaker 7: of that, but for now I'm saying I'm conveying my
Speaker 7: joy struggle. My joy not different from so many other
Speaker 7: black boys. And I knew there was a world that
Speaker 7: was almost had a reason. But I had to learn
Speaker 7: lessons that nobody could see tablets full of design and fabric.
Speaker 9: Because it's your fashion.
Speaker 7: It is one thing. The style is another, my choice.
Speaker 7: I'm afreedom to love imagine.
Speaker 1: Brand new, but it's still classic.
Speaker 7: Yes, I made clothes. Yes, I love to sew. I
Speaker 7: possessed the fashion that I ain't even know. I knew
Speaker 7: I had to grow. And you know I love Philly,
Speaker 7: but New York City, Yeah, I knew I had to go.
Speaker 7: My best decision him lines crafted with so much precision.
Speaker 1: You could see the fishing.
Speaker 9: A few people.
Speaker 7: Mentioned that it wasn't up to snuff, but eventually everybody
Speaker 7: was loving my stuff. My mind went to another place
Speaker 7: to create something live. The colors more vibrant, my own
Speaker 7: little island where I could spend time on the shore,
Speaker 7: getting close to the source.
Speaker 1: And I'm smiling.
Speaker 7: Now got a new clothing line. Yeah, it's finally out, Willie.
Speaker 10: Where hit it in?
Speaker 7: Get it there everywhere?
Speaker 5: I swear.
Speaker 7: I think back to the famous line, clothes don't make
Speaker 7: the man unless you wear. In mind my joy, the
Speaker 7: scene is overdone. It's supposed to be fun, but how
Speaker 7: they want to say? So, let's go on and give
Speaker 7: them so. I walked the line from the Harle of
Speaker 7: Renaissance to de boys are richer now for the culture.
Speaker 7: No decoys, street bustle and loud.
Speaker 1: Crowns, sweet noise.
Speaker 7: These are the things I mean when I speak joy
Speaker 7: in twenty five mail offt designs.
Speaker 1: I chose so you can chill or if you.
Speaker 9: Want to profile and pose.
Speaker 7: And I don't make clothes for the queen. I'm making
Speaker 7: for the people on the street who wave at the limousine.
Speaker 7: I did it for us, those kids on the front,
Speaker 7: stupid beautiful ladies who need a cute new suits. You
Speaker 7: don't have to be safe to have taste. Make it oversize,
Speaker 7: plus neon, green and ad lace whatever. I lived my
Speaker 7: life with no regrets. Being true to my self meant
Speaker 7: more than my success. I never claimed to be the
Speaker 7: greatest of the best. I just wanted you to be
Speaker 7: well dressed, and it's my pleasure.
Speaker 9: Joy stretch your arms out as far as you can,
Speaker 9: your hands right there.
Speaker 1: Where you stand.
Speaker 3: We'll be right back after a few words. For the
Speaker 3: grown ups. What a song the intercom buzzing, Well, I
Speaker 3: guess that means the photographers here don't worry, Tina. I
Speaker 3: figured it all out for my big photo shoot to
Speaker 3: be featured in Scientists International magazine. I've decided that I'm
Speaker 3: just going to wear my normal, everyday lab coat. Yep.
Speaker 3: High fashion doesn't always mean the most expensive or exclusive thing.
Speaker 3: Fashion is about expression, and my lab coat is the
Speaker 3: truest expression of me. It's comfy, it's functional, and a
Speaker 3: nice uniform reminds me of what I do and why
Speaker 3: I love it. Of course, I want to impress my colleagues,
Speaker 3: and I think this lab coat might do the trick.
Speaker 3: And I don't need to spend a bunch of money
Speaker 3: on something over the top to do that. No, you go, girl,
Speaker 3: to answer the door. I need you to answer the
Speaker 3: door and tell them I'll be just a minute. I
Speaker 3: have an interview. Thanks Tina. All right, yeah, this helmet
Speaker 3: hair probably isn't it for a photoshoot or an interview
Speaker 3: for that matter. Today we're joined by fashion designer Umberto
Speaker 3: Leon and an amazing kid named Olivia. Can you too
Speaker 3: introduce yourselves?
Speaker 4: Hi?
Speaker 10: I'm Olivia, I'm eight years old and I live in
Speaker 10: New York.
Speaker 4: I'm Umberto Leon and I'm co founder of Opening Ceremony
Speaker 4: and was the former creative director of Kenzo and I
Speaker 4: live in California.
Speaker 10: Umberto. Did you know I'm half Chinese too?
Speaker 4: You know what, I have daughters that are nine years
Speaker 4: old and they look a little bit like you. So
Speaker 4: I was going to ask you if you are half Chinese?
Speaker 5: Do you speak it?
Speaker 3: I know a bit.
Speaker 5: Yeah. What dialect does your family speak?
Speaker 10: I think we speak Cantonese.
Speaker 5: Whoa, that's what I speak actually.
Speaker 3: So, Olivia, what's your first question for Umberto?
Speaker 10: Why'd you become a fashion designer?
Speaker 5: That's a great question.
Speaker 4: When I was younger, I didn't know that being a
Speaker 4: fashion designer was a job, you know. I I just
Speaker 4: went to the mall and I saw clothing. I didn't
Speaker 4: really think anything about that. And so I got my
Speaker 4: first job working at a store. Have you ever heard
Speaker 4: of the store called the Gap?
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I started selling clothes and then my manager said, you
Speaker 4: look like you would really like dressing the mannequins. So
Speaker 4: then I started dressing the mannequins, and then I started
Speaker 4: to do other stores mannequins and windows, and through that
Speaker 4: experience it led me to eventually becoming a fashion designer.
Speaker 10: Did you ever make clothes for your own parents?
Speaker 4: So, growing up, my mom had three kids and the
Speaker 4: only job she could take was to sew clothing for
Speaker 4: a factory at home so that she could watch the kids.
Speaker 4: And so she actually made clothes for me growing up
Speaker 4: because I would see all these clothing in magazines and
Speaker 4: I really loved it, but I couldn't afford it at
Speaker 4: the time. So my mom decided to make all this
Speaker 4: clothing for me. And so as I got to be
Speaker 4: an adult, I wanted to repay that by doing things
Speaker 4: for her. So I started to design clothing for her,
Speaker 4: which was really really fun.
Speaker 5: Wow, that's so cool.
Speaker 3: How did you become interested in fashion? Olivia?
Speaker 10: And my family's related to fashion a lot too, because
Speaker 10: my great grandmother she was a seamstress, and my grandmother
Speaker 10: she makes me dresses, and my mom used to work
Speaker 10: for Vera Wang before I was born.
Speaker 4: Did your mom save a lot of her clothing that
Speaker 4: she got from your grandmother or that she made.
Speaker 5: Did she save a lot of it for you?
Speaker 10: Yeah? And my mom told me a long time ago
Speaker 10: that Vera Wang made Mommy her wedding dress and she's
Speaker 10: going to pass it on to me for my wedding.
Speaker 5: That is so so special.
Speaker 4: And Vera Wang is such a special designer because she's
Speaker 4: one of the first Asian women to really make it
Speaker 4: in the fashion.
Speaker 3: World, Olivia, do you have any questions for Umberto about
Speaker 3: Willie Smith?
Speaker 10: So when you were younger, did Willie Smith any influence
Speaker 10: on your work?
Speaker 4: You know, I grew up loving Willie Smith's work so much.
Speaker 4: Willy was really inspired by what people wore on the streets,
Speaker 4: and you know, at the time, I think a lot
Speaker 4: of people were looking towards what they called high fashion,
Speaker 4: and high fashion was interesting and it was cool, but
Speaker 4: it was exclusive.
Speaker 5: Do you know what that word exclusive means?
Speaker 4: I don't think so not really, okay, So exclusive means
Speaker 4: like it's only for a really small group of people
Speaker 4: who could afford it or who could find it. So
Speaker 4: Willie went out to create fashion and clothing for everybody.
Speaker 4: One of the things that is super super big that
Speaker 4: he did is he created clothing that was genderless. And
Speaker 4: I think that type of thinking when he was doing
Speaker 4: this in the seventies and eighties was really really big
Speaker 4: because at this time people were making clothes specifically like
Speaker 4: girls had to wear this and boys had to wear this.
Speaker 4: So he was really breaking the boundaries in terms of
Speaker 4: what clothing means. I mean, I'll should a t shirt
Speaker 4: be for boys or for girls?
Speaker 10: Like, what do you think I think they should be
Speaker 10: for both?
Speaker 4: I totally agree with you. Why can't boys wear dresses?
Speaker 4: Or why is pinka color for girls? I think that
Speaker 4: a lot of the world has kind of put things
Speaker 4: into buckets that don't need to exist. Everybody should be
Speaker 4: able to wear anything they want to wear, and I
Speaker 4: think that was Willy's idea. Willie Smith really changed what
Speaker 4: fashion is and how people could participate in fashion.
Speaker 3: Olivia, is there anything else you'd like to ask Comberto
Speaker 3: before we say goodbye?
Speaker 10: What's your favorite part of being a fashion designer.
Speaker 4: One of my favorite things that I get to do
Speaker 4: is I get to create something from nothing.
Speaker 5: I also love clothing from all around the world.
Speaker 4: I feel like there's so many amazing kind of clothing
Speaker 4: that you see people wear for function.
Speaker 5: So I love to think about function.
Speaker 4: You know, where are you going to put your pockets,
Speaker 4: what are you going to be carrying when you're wearing
Speaker 4: those pants, or what are you going to be carrying
Speaker 4: when you going on that hike. So it's almost like
Speaker 4: a puzzle piece where you're designing, what you're thinking about
Speaker 4: all these things that you want to make sure it does.
Speaker 10: I think fashion takes like a lot of work. Like
Speaker 10: for me, I sit down and fashion clocks and two
Speaker 10: minutes later, my hands are covered in glue and I'm
Speaker 10: sweating and there's fabric all over the place. And if
Speaker 10: I ever made clothes, what style of advice did you
Speaker 10: have for me other kids my age?
Speaker 4: It's okay when you're designing to think a little bit
Speaker 4: more wild and crazy, like don't hold back. And I
Speaker 4: think that's the best advice.
Speaker 5: I could give to you.
Speaker 10: Well, you and your career sounds so awesome, and thank
Speaker 10: you for talking with me.
Speaker 5: Thank you.
Speaker 4: I honestly loved all these questions you asked. You seem
Speaker 4: like you're so well informed, and I hope to one
Speaker 4: day meet you and maybe help you with your fashion ideas.
Speaker 5: It sounds like you have a lot.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I love that, and I think that anything that
Speaker 4: you could take away from this conversation that inspires you means.
Speaker 5: A lot to me.
Speaker 10: Thank you, Emberte, goodbye.
Speaker 5: Thank you so much, see you later.
Speaker 3: What a great interview. I can't wait to see the
Speaker 3: designs that Olivia comes up with someday, and I already
Speaker 3: love Humberto Leone's designs, so I really loved getting to
Speaker 3: hear more about where he gets his inspiration. Thanks Tina,
Speaker 3: Tell the photographer, I'll be there in a minute. Let
Speaker 3: me just put on my trusty lab coat and say
Speaker 3: thank you to the listeners for learning all about Willie
Speaker 3: Smith with me today and the nextra special thank you
Speaker 3: to today's guests Humberto and Olivia. Remember our parents and teachers.
Speaker 3: You can download a free activity related to today's episode
Speaker 3: by visiting story pirates dot com slash Historical Records. We'll
Speaker 3: be back next week with another historical record. Now, if
Speaker 3: you'll excuse me, I've got a photoshoot to do. Oh
Speaker 3: and one last thing. Remember to make history, you've got
Speaker 3: to make some noise.
Speaker 11: Find Historical Records is produced in partnership with story Pirate Studios,
Speaker 11: Questlove's two one five Entertainment, John Glickman and iHeart Podcasts
Speaker 11: Executive produced by Emir Questlove Thompson, John Glickman, Lee Overtree,
Speaker 11: and Benjamin Salga. Executive produced for iHeart Podcasts by Noel Brown.
Speaker 11: Producers for story Pirate Studios are Isabella Ricchio, Sam Bear,
Speaker 11: Eric Gerson, Andrew Miller, Lee Overtree, Peter McNerney Denisa Whartonby
Speaker 11: and niminy Ware. Producers for two one five are Sewn G,
Speaker 11: Britney Benjamin and Sarah Zolman. Hosted by niminy Ware. Our
Speaker 11: head writer is Duke Doyle. Our historians are Gabe Pacheco
Speaker 11: and Lee Polus. Music supervision for two one five by
Speaker 11: Stroe Elliott. Scoring and music supervision for Story Pirate Studios
Speaker 11: by Eric Gerson. Sound signed and mixing by Sam Bear
Speaker 11: at the Relic Room in New York City. Song mastering
Speaker 11: by Josh Hahn. Theme song by Dan Foster and Eric Gerson,
Speaker 11: and produced by Eric Gerson. Production coordination by Isabelle Riccio.
Speaker 11: Production management by Maggie Lee. The line producer for Story
Speaker 11: Pirate Studios is Glennis Brault. Pr for Story Pirate Studios
Speaker 11: is provided by Naomi Shaw. Episode artwork by Camilla Franklin.
Speaker 11: This episode was written by Mike Cavalon. The song Willie
Speaker 11: Smith was written and produced by Micah James. Special guests
Speaker 11: Umbert to Leone and kid interviewer Olivia.
Speaker 1: This episode features.
Speaker 11: Performances by Micah James, Peter McNerney, Lee Overtree, and Gabe Pacheco.
Speaker 11: Special thanks to J T. Sue and Dan foster