Willy Chavarria does not see his fashion work as gendered. But, he always had a political side. “To tell you the truth, the Latino thing is kind of incidental, because my brand is truly about inclusion. I like to celebrate those who have been excluded, so I highlight a lot of queer Latino, Black, Asian—people who have not always had a seat at the table,” he once said in a conversation with Tommy Hilfiger. I still own one of his t-shirts from Uncut AW 2022, on which is the American flag, flipped upside down.
Over the past decade, Willy Chavarria has developed a fashion brand that is also a credo. The New York-based designer, 57, is a queer man of Mexican and Irish-American heritage, born in California, and sells not just clothes – a mixture of angular, dramatic tailoring and sexy, provocative sportswear – but a vision of peace, unity and tolerance. It’s an approach that has won him two consecutive CFDA American Menswear Designer of the Year awards, and seduced Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Kendrick Lamar, who collaborated with Chavarria on a special line of merchandise for Lamar’s appearance last month at the Super Bowl. His last cathedral fashion show in Paris was an exhibition of his inclusivist ideals, with a catwalk featuring Colombian pop superstar J Balvin, construction workers from Texas, supermodels, trans activists and UFC fighters. Willy Chavarria’s is a broad church – and he wants you to join it, says Louis Wise, a writer for Financial Times.
Who is Willy Chavarria?
Willy Chavarria’s path to becoming one of New York’s most compelling fashion designers is anything but conventional. Born and raised in Fresno, California, Chavarria’s journey defies the typical narrative of a luxury fashion mogul. His upbringing—shaped by his Mexican father and Irish-descent mother, whose interracial marriage in segregated 1950s California was a quiet act of defiance—deeply influences his work. As a queer brown man with working-class roots, Chavarria’s collections do more than drape bodies; they tell stories of identity, resistance, and the beauty of nonconformity.
In an industry that often encourages assimilation into a white mainstream, Chavarria stands apart. Many queer adolescents from rural areas, burdened by overt prejudice, feel pressured to erase their pasts to succeed. Chavarria, however, leaned into his heritage. He carried his history with him to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he refined his vision before venturing into fashion full-time. His career took him from California’s subcultures to the peak of New York’s fashion scene, ultimately earning him the role of Senior Vice President of Design at Calvin Klein.
Since launching his eponymous brand in 2015, Chavarria has woven his upbringing into the fabric of his collections—literally and figuratively. His designs echo the silhouettes of migrant workers, the boldness of Chicano culture, and the fluidity of queer identities. His ability to merge political commentary with high fashion has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, he was named the American Menswear Designer of the Year, a milestone that punctuates his impact on the industry.
Chavarria’s Aesthetic
Willy Chavarria’s designs are more than clothing—they are declarations of identity, resistance, and the celebration of Chicano and queer culture. Raised in a predominantly Mexican rural community in Fresno, California, Chavarria’s fashion draws deeply from his upbringing in a farmworker family. The self-styled looks of the young men and women around him—bold, functional, and unfiltered—were elevated to art in his hands. His collections are as much acts of cultural preservation as they are rebukes to an industry often obsessed with erasure and conformity.
Chavarria’s pieces range from oversized outerwear emblazoned with provocative slogans to meticulously tailored suits, all infused with a raw authenticity that has garnered a devoted following. They can be found both in high-end boutiques and online, maintaining accessibility without sacrificing meaning. His clothes are a kind of sartorial storytelling, each collection a chapter that explores race, class, and queerness with unflinching honesty.
Nowhere is this more evident than in his acclaimed collection, “Cut Deep,” which earned him the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Award in Fashion Design and his second title as CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year. This collection reimagined the “cholo” aesthetic—typically characterised by large baggy pants cinched at the waist. In Chavarria’s hands, these pants transformed into long, flowing skirts rendered in vibrant piñata colors: rosa mexicano (Mexican pink), sandia red (watermelon red), and the classic khaki, all in subtly shimmering fabrics. Exposed above the waistlines were satin boxers in equally vibrant hues—turquoise blue, walnut beige, lime green—evoking the raspas sold by paleteros in Mexican barrios.
Chavarria’s choice of models amplifies his message. In stark contrast to the industry’s obsession with whiteness and slenderness, his runways feature young men who are typically portrayed as “hard” or even dangerous—shirtless, muscled bodies adorned with tattoos that tell stories of time spent in prison or ties to gangs. Their hair—dark, cropped, sometimes braided—hints at the Indigenous roots of Chicano culture. Short in stature, brown-skinned, and undeniably powerful, these models embody a mestizo aesthetic that defies fashion’s dominant standards.
Critics often highlight themes of “gay masculinities,” “queerness,” and “gender non-specific” aesthetics in Chavarria’s work—labels he embraces with a mix of pride and a sardonic sense of humour. He describes his clothes as non-gender specific and doesn’t shy away from admitting that his aesthetic embraces “raunch” because, as he puts it, “sex sells.” For Chavarria, the idea of transgression is less about provocation and more about authenticity—why not claim all that the industry fears or misunderstands?
At the core of his brand is a commitment to representation. Many of Chavarria’s models come from the very communities his collections celebrate. He partners with alternative agencies that prioritise diverse bodies—those defined by colour, ethnicity, race, class, and sexuality—eschewing the industry’s penchant for whitewashed versions of Latino/x identity. In doing so, Chavarria doesn’t just dress bodies; he reclaims them. His collections are a radical act of visibility—a reminder that fashion can be, at its best, a platform for voices often ignored.
Creating in Community
Willy Chavarria remains dedicated to living the consequences of his fashion choices through his everyday politics, which makes him a feminist queer man. As Chavarria openly declares in his numerous interviews, many men featured in his fashion shows are also part of his aesthetic crew and have become “familia.” Several of these “models” are also part of his team and have creative input—a core group of them appear repeatedly versus being hired on a one-time basis or only for one season. In his interviews, Chavarria clarifies, “There is no Willy Chavarria, the brand, without its community, and there is no Willy Chavarria, the person, without his found family.”
His clothes have openly embraced the Chicano label and highlighted his family’s commitment to Chicano causes like the organiaing efforts of César Chávez and the United Farm Workers.
Moreover, this is a gendered look that poor men of colour have in his country. It is a look of true humanity born out of pain and oppression within the hierarchy of patriarchy. These men are part of a privileged gender hierarchy, but they were (and maybe still are) man/child. They use self-adornment to belong inside the crucible of a particular type of oppression created by exclusion and by the denial of participation in any larger community. These are the kids in middle school who skip class, yet when they go home, they experience violence from those assigned to protect them, and eventually they try to create community with others like them. Out of this struggle, a particular aesthetic is born—one of undeniable beauty, if one has the courage to see it. Willy Chavarria is showcasing this beauty and bringing it into our focus. But of even greater importance to members of that community, he creates clothes for them. There is a sadness, a loneliness, an emotional apartheid that masculinity creates, especially for the young.
“Willy weaves culture, style, identity and activism into great clothes,” says the actor Tracee Ellis Ross, who has worn his pieces for several years (if the designer primarily shows and sells to the menswear market, his designs are often unisex). “He shows us what fashion can be and can do; his garments and his shows create space, and transcend antiquated ideas about humanity. Willy reminds us that beauty and dignity, equity and justice can exist in American ready-to-wear.”
“For me, he represents the voice of immigrants and Latinos, not just in the United States, but globally,” says J Balvin. “He presents a fusion of art and fashion that elevates Latinos in every sense, using a unique and inclusive language that celebrates our aesthetic.”
Chavarria has a knack for partnerships. In Paris, he debuted the launch of a second collaboration with Adidas, and another smaller collaboration with the civil-rights organisation Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the dating app Tinder. The result is a sweatshirt that reads “How We Love Is Who We Are”. As ever, with Chavarria, it’s a direct comment on the anti-LGBTQIA+ policies being put out by his own government. “It’s a big part of the message this season, given how under attack we are.”
The Brand and Business
The brand is still independently owned, and doesn’t disclose its financials, but it reports that its sales have increased between 100 and 150 per cent annually. Willy Chavarria has 110 stockists in 23 countries, with a staff of 10. “I’m at that stage now where I need to invite partners into my business,” says the designer, who hitherto has funded the brand independently. His husband David Ramirez, co-founder of the company since 2015, became COO and CFO in 2023. The couple had previously run a menswear store, Palmer Trading Company, in New York. “He is running the numbers, doing the finance and everything, which is huge,” says Chavarria. “It has positioned us to be in a really good place for investment.”
Chavarria was 47 when he struck out and created his own brand, having spent decades working behind the scenes for other labels and stores (he was senior vice president of design at Calvin Klein from 2021 to 2024). “I thought I was younger when I did it,” he groans. “I can’t believe how old I am.” I tell him he looks great. “It’s The Substance,” interjects his art director, sitting at a nearby table.
The brand speaks to a wide audience. “We have the older over-30s, who are into tailoring and some of the specialty outerwear; and then we have a very large audience, a much younger audience, buying the graphics, the jersey knits, the fleeces.”
“The jersey pieces do very well for us,” says Bosse Myhr, director of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear at Selfridges. “Customers’ favourites are the Latino Fan Club T-shirt [€265], his version of an American football jersey [€530] and the collaboration with Adidas.” Myhr is also looking forward to “his new vision on cuts for trousers and formal jackets, especially with his take on tailoring”.
The tailoring takes pride of place on the racks of clothes shown in Paris. Chavarria lovingly points out the details: the small aperture designed into each shirt where every man (or woman) can hang their glasses; the Chanel-ish tweeds or the spoofs on a Charvet shirt label that, he says “are little kisses to Paris”. The brand has recently moved production of its tailoring from New York to Italy, signalling his desire to keep elevating “into luxury”.
When, in February 2017, he had the resources to do a first catwalk show, he didn’t hold back. The presentation, titled “Harder”, opened with all the models held in a large iron cage. It was a direct allusion to the policy, launched by the Trump administration, of locking up migrants at the Mexican-American border. “It just felt like something I had to do, you know?” he says. In 2025 he is more sad than he was before. He never imagined Trump will be back.
Politics has always been baked into the brand. “It was risky,” he says. “A lot of people and stores and close advisers discouraged me from doing that, because you could lose customers, you could create divisiveness. But I found the opposite to be true. I found that when you communicate on a personal level with people, it’s a much more intimate connection. The clothes are the message.”
“I see myself as a designer who happens to be Latino, not a Latino designer,” he goes on. However, “I undoubtedly recognise the fast-growing Latino market and how it has not really been recognised by any brand. It’s the largest growing demographic right now in the United States, which is the largest market in the world – so it’s nice making that connection.”
Accessories are another sector he is developing, with rosary beads made from Mexican pearls and rubies, as well as tote bags at a more affordable price also going into production. It’s a tricky line, both shifting to a higher level but still speaking to the wider demographic. Chavarria wants to avoid “confusion” for the customer. He and his team have, he says, “put a lot of strategy” into creating product for both high-tier retailers and specific direct-to-consumer drops, available online or via pop-ups, that are more accessible.
That said, much of the brand’s buzz depends on a very naughty, streetwear-based sex appeal. It can be filthy – literally so. Last year, the brand dropped a capsule called Dirty Willy Underwear, selling “stained” and holey jockstraps and boxers from €282 for a destroyed brief. “It was 100 per cent a marketing thing,” he shrugs of the stunt. “It sold much better than I anticipated – Dover Street Market is now selling it.” The plan is to launch more feasible, cleaner underwear at a lower price point, around €70 a pair. “It’s a direction that is part of the brand identity but it’s not the brand identity,” he says of Dirty Willy. “We did pee-stained underwear – and now we’re doing Italian brocades in Paris.”
“You can’t stay in the middle,” he says. “So many of the big companies, the big brands, are having a hard time being interesting because they’re in the middle and they don’t want to offend anybody. That’s why so many of them come to me for advice, for help with the cultural elements.” In addition to his brand, Chavarria also has a creative consultancy, helping brands build “creative relevance”. “To me, it’s like, duh! This is what you do. But people are being very, very timid about what they put out there.”
The Willy Chavarria message is still one of love and unity; for all the strong signalling, this is a man whose career has developed very softly-softly. A few days later, the afterparty for the Paris fashion show was reportedly a riot, but Chavarria himself will only drop in for a minute. “It’s too loud!” he chuckles. “A steak and a Martini. That’s all I need.”
This is a research article. Sources: New York Times, Financial Times, ReVista Harvard.
Photo cover: The Italian singer-songwriter Mahmood in a scene from “Safe From Harm,” Willy Chavarria’s angsty, homoerotic short, shot to accompany his fall 2024 runway show. Credit Willy Chavarria.
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