Willy Chavarria’s Grounded Approach Extends to More Than Just Fashion

As the American fashion industry continues to evolve, Willy Chavarria is among those helping to reshape the landscape with his distinctive vision and dedication to empowerment and equality. 

The Mexican American designer, who grew up in the small city of Huron in California’s San Joaquin Valley, has always had the Mexican working class spirit ingrained in his ethos thanks to his parents, who originate from both Mexican and Irish descent.

“Everyone’s identity definitely influences who they are and how they operate, no matter what they are,” Chavarria said.

“Growing up mixed race in a Mexican American environment, mostly Mexicans, it was immigrants who were living in the town that I grew up in, and given the fact that my parents had met after desegregation, I was always very aware of the politics behind race. So when I started my own label — and just living my life — I felt it was very important to share that awareness with others, and I’ve incorporated the need for equality and the need for recognition of Latino empowerment in all my work,” the designer said.

These days the trajectory of a fashion designer feels increasingly fast paced with the multiple social platforms at their disposal. But this hasn’t been the case for Chavarria, 57, and it’s precisely his slow-yet-steady growth imbued with his experiences in life and the industry that have shaped him as a captivating and important voice in American fashion.

Although his namesake label launched in 2015, Chavarria has been a staple in the industry for decades, notably working with Joe Boxer, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and consulting on Yeezy Gap, and collaborating with Hummel, K-Swiss, Dickies, Allen Edmonds and, most recently, Adidas within his collections.

After his stint at Ralph Lauren working on the company’s RLX line, Chavarria moved to American Eagle Outfitters as design director. His jobs often involved collecting vintage apparel — uniforms and workwear have long been a fascination of Chavarria’s, which later inspired him to open his own store, called Palmer Trading Company, in New York’s SoHo that focused on American-made menswear, furniture and accessories.

In 2021, Chavarria was hired by Calvin Klein as senior vice president of design in hopes of creating more cultural relevance and personal connection.

Chavarria is known for oversize garments and lowrider-inspired silhouettes, as well as details that range from dropped shoulders to ruching, wide legs and cropped cuts. He became known for his distinct interpretation of men’s fashion, mixing race, politics and sexuality into “elegant” apparel. He was one of the first New York designers to cast only models of color, often cast from the streets, which fed into the notion of him using his shows for political expression. He also has used his platform as a designer to celebrate Latino influence in fashion.

“One of the reasons I decided to accept the honor of being someone who represents other Latino people is because I love the idea of being able to share the expanded voice and vision of Latinidad, letting people see and know that there is so much more to us beyond the cliches,” the designer said.

“I do think for sure, my work ethic is 100 percent Mexican, because I believe that I’m a true believer in hard work paying off,” he added. “I really believe in that, I’ve never tried to skip ahead or never tried to cheat my way in. And I feel like I’m on the older side, compared to many other designers in my world, and I’m really grateful for the path that I took, because I feel like it’s 100 percent real. I feel confident.”

In 2019, Chavarria was announced as a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize, and in 2022 he was honored with the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award in Fashion Design. Last year he won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year, but not before scooping up Designer of the Year at the Latin American awards just days before.

“It’s a time for Latino people to be seen, and it’s a time for us to recognize the impact that we have on the world and on art, on fashion and music. I think that it’s an important time for the industry and the consumer to realize the impact we have on what people wear, eat and listen to,” Chavarria said.

“Since 2020, there has been a lot of opportunity that has emerged for Latino designers, and I think that things are changing, but they really have a ways to go, especially at the top of corporations. I think there needs to be more doors opened up for Latino designers for sure, and there needs to be more opportunities created for communities, usually Black and brown, that don’t always have the access to education or don’t always have the path to the successes that can happen in the fashion world,” he stated.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, WWD chose 10 Latino designers who are shaping the world of fashion today to photograph and profile. The images from this series will be featured in a national billboard campaign run by Outfront.