Willy Chavarria is the Mexican-American fashion designer bringing his Chicano perspective to the New York fashion calendar via his eponymous label, WILLY CHAVARRIA. Pioneering inclusivity within the fashion scene, his collections weave lived, personal experiences into designs that reflect Chavarria’s perspective on race, religion, sexuality, politics, and life as a second generation immigrant in the US today.
This season, Willy Chavarria welcomed the likes of Tracee Ellis Ross, Ciara, and Michael Kors into his SS25 show space with an arrival offering of tequila, the vibrant sounds of a mariachi band, and copies of the United States Constitution on every seat. His latest collection, titled “América” paid tribute in the show notes to the “labour in the fields, bringing food to our tables, building our cities, making our music, and weaving stories into the fabric of this land.”
The first half of the collection was an ode to the aesthetics of Chavarria's Latin and American heritage, blending, stirring, and contrasting to two. What we saw on the runway, worn by the likes of model Paloma Elsesser and Olympian Noah Lyles, was an emphasis on workwear, seen in trucker hats, bandanas, and wide leg chinos. This segment of the show ended with a brief intermission, before we entered a second surprise offering: the second half of the show was dedicated entirely to Willy Chavarria’s adidas collaboration.
Swapping workwear for athleisure, the show’s second half brought us jerseys decorated with the word “Chicano,” ruffled tracksuits, knee-high socks, and striped running shorts. Enlisting the German sportswear brand as a collaborator was further evidence that American fashion, culture, and style is born from all over the world, by all kinds of people, mixing all types of heritage. The entire show was an ode to “América” if we’ve ever seen one.
Featured image via @kevinalexanderphoto ©
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