Fresh Prince's Tatyana Ali Recalls Will Smith's Generous Gift in Show's Final Season (Exclusive)

• Tatyana Ali played Ashley Banks The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996
• The actress, now 45, recalls the special dynamic between her co-stars and what she took away from the experience
• The mom of two is working to raise money and awareness to fight the black maternal health crisis with her quilt brand, Baby Yams

Tatjana Ali looks at her The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air costars as a family.

Speaking to PEOPLE about her brand Baby Yams — a limited-edition line of handmade, heirloom-quality baby quilts that donates 100% of proceeds to black and indigenous midwives and doulas — the actress, 45, says those are her best memories of her time on the kit sitcoms are about laughing with colleagues.

“Our last season of the show, Will [Smith] he opened up his dressing room and knocked down a wall to make one big, beautiful dressing room out of two,” recalls Ali, who played Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom from 1990 to 1996.

“We all saw it when we came in at the beginning of that year. We thought it was so beautiful. He watches all of this. As a gift to everyone in our last season, he introduced us to his designer and said, ‘He designed this. Work with him and design your own wardrobe.’ ”

“It included furniture and everything and I have to tell you, I’m sitting in my living room and I’m sitting on the couch,” she reveals.

“And I’m looking at two chairs from that wardrobe! I’ve since reupholstered that sofa, but it’s still my furniture today.”

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The cast of the new Prince of Bel-Air reunited in 2020.

HBO Max / Saeed Adyani

Tatyana Ali “relaxed” after filming with the actress in the role The Fresh Prince Character: ‘Heart Exploded’ (Exclusive)

“It’s kind of indicative of memories. They weren’t things, but feelings,” she adds.

“We just had a lot of fun. It was a great place to grow up. And I know, especially now, that’s not everybody’s story, certainly not every child actor’s story. But it was a really supportive environment, and they’re my family, I love them.”

The 1990s were an exciting time for Ali. Not only did she enjoy the success The Fresh Princebut she was also busy working on her music career. The singer says that amid the current ’90s revival, she “hopes the music” of that era will make a comeback.

“I miss that ’90s music. It was so happy. There was so much joy,” she says. “Just recently I was listening to Arrested Development and that feel-good music — songs about love, songs about going out with friends and dancing. I wish that kind of music would come back a little stronger.”

The cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank Tatyana Ali Eats On Tour With *NSYNC And The Backstreet Boys In The ’90s — And Names Her Favorite (Exclusive)

These days, Ali balances her time in her professional endeavors with her passion for improving the landscape around Black maternal and family health.

For Ali, reviving the Baby Yams quilt is an exciting new chapter.

“It’s a real dream come true, to see quilts in the world, not just in your head,” she tells PEOPLE of the designs she created.

“I’ve been working as a black maternal health advocate for almost five years now. I started doing that work around the time I had my youngest child. Before that I was always supporting and working with organizations that empower black girls. When I had the experience I had with with the birth of my first son, I knew I wanted to help.”

Tatyana Ali with her Baby Yams quilts.

Tricon

Ali also collaborated with She’s Good [For Real]an online health space for black women.

“Part of this journey is where we get our information. Because our health care system is a bit shaky, we get our health information any way we can. We find our communities—at the park, on social media, or through others—to find the answers that are right for us. necessary,” says the actress.

“What Group Black decided to do was create a space that really suited our needs. I thought that was very powerful. There’s also an element of giving back and giving resources to those groups that are already on the ground doing the work. So that was simple for me.”

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Source: HIS Education