Cooper Hewitt National Design winner gives Document an inside look at his Spring/Summer 23 presentation
Fifth Avenue is home to an 1854 Romanesque Revival Protestant church with Gothic trim and Tuckahoe marble. The main hall is dimly lit by chandeliers and their glow reflects off a bright pipe organ; whispers fill the air as someone plays it softly. Everything is either gold or burgundy except for the stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Bible. It’s the last day of New York Fashion Week and the Marble Collegiate Church has become the home of Willy Chavarria’s congregation.
Chavarria recently won the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, thanks to his distinctive clothing, larger-than-life silhouettes and luxurious interpretations of classic Chicano style. His Catholic upbringing in a small, semi-rural, immigrant-laden town is at the forefront of everything he does; he only casts people of color, supports equality, and is inspired by the aesthetics of his community.
Last night’s presentation, called Please Rise, it was structured in acts. It opened with Phase 1: The seed is planted, in which perfectly sculpted models carried bouquets at the altar in white T-shirts and Dickies. This ensemble – part of Chavarria’s collaboration with the Pro Club – is the uniform for the cholos and cholas of Los Angeles, already raised and placed in the divine context. It’s a celebration for those within the culture and a wake-up call for others who fail to recognize the style.
Another model, holding a small wooden cross over his heart, began Phase 2: The Flowering, and Phase 3: Judgment. Plaster flowed between the pews of the church and under the altar arch, entering through one door and exiting through another. They wore oversized but structured formal wear, tailored down to the intricate details, simple except for the occasional decorative rosette or pointed collar. Moments before Chavarria took the stage and made the sign of the cross, the electronic soundtrack morphed into gospel, closing out the design sermon.
Ahead of the upcoming designer’s Fashion Week presentation, Chavarria sat down with Document to talk about the inspiration behind his Spring/Summer 2023 collection, the rise of the Latino aesthetic in pop culture, and his place in the Chicano and fashion worlds.
Madison Bullnes: You recently launched the Big Willy Love Club, an exclusive NFT and NSFW membership. How do you see this digital space in relation to your namesake label?
Willy Chavarria: Big Willy Love Club is a new dimension of the Willy Chavarria brand. It’s a door to a more intimate experience with me, as a creator, and with some of the special projects created with my team. It’s a new playground where we can create and publish projects for our global family.
Madison: There has been a rise of the Latina aesthetic in pop culture – things like lip liner, old English tattoos, boleros, visits to Mexico City, turning Catholic. How do you feel about this and how does it affect your creative practice?
Willy: I have thought about this for a long time. I feel partially responsible, along with other high-profile Latinx artists and creators. I was the designer who shared the influence of Chicano culture in fashion in the most elegant and respectful way. Perhaps I have contributed to this trend.
Chicano influence in fashion has become a trend, [and] I hate trends – they minimize the importance of provenance. But, be that as it may – people sometimes take fashion too seriously. I think people should wear whatever they want.
It influences my creative practice, in a really good way. I never wanted to be pigeonholed as a Mexican-American designer who only does Chicano style work. I am a designer who wants to constantly evolve into one [level of] greatness I can never achieve, always developing my vision.
Madison: Your latest promotion for Spring/Summer 2023 had religious aspects – the 3D cross embedded in a khaki maxi skirt, Jesus hanging on the cross, prayer emojis. Will this theme continue to appear in other outfits? What role does this image play?
Willy: [This season], we’re focusing on the battle between good and evil—with good prevailing over all. This will continue throughout the collection. I personally am a bit religious, spiritual. I love the traditions and instructions for the story of Christ [provides]. I believe in good and bad – it is always around us. My next collection is about rising above.
Madison: Is there a narrative, or main source of inspiration, behind this collection?
Willy: While each of my collections may have a story to tell, at the end of the day they are simply the evolution of my craft – – each year approaching its fullest culminating expression. There is a photo by artist Xavier Aguilar captured by Brent Chua that I love. I used as inspiration for this collection. It captures the past, the future, the pain and the beauty amidst the darkness of humanity. It also touches on a spiritual world that is a common thread throughout the collection.
Madison: I’m a huge fan of videographer Moni Haworth and makeup artist Selena Ruiz, who worked on the promotional images for the collection. How was it working with them and creative director Jess Cuevas? And did their approach feel right for this particular line?
Willy: It was a dream. All those people are such great talents and such dark souls. I’m a big believer in freestyle creativity, and these pieces are a great example of creatives coming together and just rolling. I was an only child—I was never a musician and I never played sports, so I never fully learned the skills of fluent association to develop ideas with other people. I learned it later in life, and now I love it. Coming together to create with this crew was magic.
Madison: What was it like deciding to pursue fashion, coming from a small town in Huron? How does your path to enter that world feel different from that of your peers?
Willy: I was a bit of an introvert as a child. My imagination was my best friend. I encouraged it and fantasized about living in a world that was filled with beauty and wonder. Movies and magazines showed me things that I felt connected to. I always knew I would be a designer of some kind. I desperately needed to create great things – it was a call from God. I had no choice. My peers had different ideas about what they wanted for their lives. They wanted security, simplicity and children. I leaned more towards chaos and danger.
Madison: How do you embrace yourself and your work within Chicano culture?
Willy: My style has always revolved around people – everything I’ve brought to the fashion world started within the community. I was constantly inspired by the people in my world growing up: what they wore, what they chose to do. It has always been important to me to include unknown or underrepresented people in my work. My Chicano background has had a strong influence on my vision of refined beauty in fashion. For me, there’s nothing more stylish than a white printed tee with oversize creased khaki chinos. I think this is something that has been done consistently throughout my work. So for Willy Chavarria, as a brand, it’s easy to be too literal with that. These style codes, rooted in the zoot suit era of the 1930s, have evolved and modernized, but still have the same claim to a cultural identity.
Madison: As a minority in the fashion industry, do you think people expect political work from you? Your shows, castings and designs incorporate messages of social justice – do you feel creators have a responsibility to make work that carries that weight?
Willy: We are all affected by politics, whether we like it or not. Our lives are decided by those in power and we are all deeply affected by this. Some designers avoid the subject entirely, simply because we are exhausted by it, but I try to present a vision of power. When it comes to politics between Mexico and the US, I’m in favor of open borders, for sure. The horrors of what the United States has done to families and children are devastating. I never want to be so idealistic that I don’t recognize darkness. I want to empower us to become better.
Madison: How do you imagine your models and your brand will continue to develop?
Willy: I would like my brand to grow to a point where I can hire a design director and continue to work more on film. I think the film is the next stage, as I find it extremely interesting. I love what I do with fashion, but I want to have a huge positive impact on culture and not just reflect it.
