Mexican American fashion designer Willy Chavarria, 57, has made a name for himself in the world of New York fashion . Last year, he received the yearly award for American Menswear Designer from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), the foremost fashion organization in North America. “It’s a recognition that tells me a lot about the future.
Though I have the honor of being the first Latino to receive it, there will be many more to come,” he said on a videocall from his studio in Brooklyn. He wears a black shirt and pants, his fingers covered in rings, his neck covered in necklaces, his arms covered in tattoos; in true Mexican style, his hair is slicked back. Chavarria launched his brand nine years ago and was the senior vice president of design at Calvin Klein since 2021 and until the beginning of 2024, when he left the position to focus on his own line.
“Calvin is one of the great U.S. designers, so when they sought me out it was ‘wow.
’ I always felt very identified with the brand. I make clothes so that people feel better about themselves ,” he says. Influenced by creators like Claude Montana and Yves Saint Laurent, Chavarria’s resume includes past posts in the design departments of Joe Boxer, Ralph Lauren and American Eagle.
He has drawn from the style of groups like the pachucos and the cholos , who have been harshly marginalized, to honor his roots and present a new kind of product. “What could be more elegant than a white shirt, ironed and.