I cannot summarize Chavarria’s significance to New York’s fashion community any more succinctly than he does himself when I ask him to introduce himself in his own words: “My name is Willy Chavarria, I design clothes, and I tell stories that make people feel good about each other.”
How do you like to set the mood when you're working?
I think the mood of the room varies. It can go from, like, loud, pumping, sweaty house music, or it could be some strings, or it could be silence. It all just depends on what we've got going on and how intense our ideas are.
Today we had some house music because we were doing photoshoots and having some fun. Tomorrow we'll probably be listening to some Mozart.
Do you have a favorite garment that you’ve designed?
Oh man, that is hard because I love so many of the styles that we've created.
It's really hard to choose one, but sometimes we'll make something and then somebody we love will wear it and bring the garment to life, and then the garment takes on a new meaning.
Kendrick [Lamar] recently wore the white tracksuit, and suddenly we've been calling it the Kendrick tracksuit because he made such a statement wearing that in his most recent video [for “Not Like Us.”]
The garments are all beautiful and we love them, but it's not until they're worn, whether it's on the runway or in an editorial or fit in-house, that they come to life.
WILLY wears MA-1 HERITAGE BOMBER JACKET by ALPHA INDUSTRIES, SHIRT, PANTS, SHOES and JEWELRY are TALENT’s OWN
What's your go-to deli order?
My go-to deli order is cheese popcorn, sparkling water, and possibly some sort of nut, like maybe a peanut or another type of nut that isn’t a walnut or an almond.
Do you have any rituals?
We have a lot of rituals at the studio. We burn white sage and Palo Santo and Mexican Copal on a daily basis. We make sure that we bless the studio when it needs a good blessing — like, probably after the office crew leaves. [Laughs] When people arrive, we try to give everyone a nice blessing, especially around the busy times, like when it's showtime and there's a lot of different energies coming in and going out. We like to keep the space clean of bacteria and of bad spirits.
If you weren't a fashion designer right now, what would you be doing?
If I wasn't a fashion designer, right now I would probably be doing something with the ACLU, or I would be working in film and making movies.
What kind of work would you want to do with the ACLU?
Currently the brand’s motive is to lift people up and to promote human dignity, and we do that through the platform of fashion and through our marketing and through our storytelling. If I was to work with the ACLU, I would be working on their mission to protect civil liberties and human rights.
And as a matter of fact, we are working with the ACLU to do some really cool things. In September, we will be launching a panel discussion with the ACLU to get people thinking more about American democracy and about voting in the presidential election in November, because shit's on the line and we really need to take it seriously.
So hopefully we will activate people to think about the future of our country and take some action.
What's your favorite place in New York?
My favorite place in New York is my home. My home is very special to me. My husband is there and my dog is there, and it's a sacred place. We keep it very clean and full of peaceful vibes.
We don't have a lot of company. We don't entertain. So it's really like a refuge. I also like to go walking or bicycle-riding on the West Side Highway or along the promenade because it's so beautiful there during the summer.
What is the most recent search in your browser history?
The most recent search was edging, which is a form of delaying the orgasm to enjoy the wait.
What makes you hopeful or optimistic about the state of fashion?
What makes me very hopeful and optimistic about the state of fashion today is that it's in a very serious period of evolution. I think that it's a ripe moment for change, and we all want this change. We're tired of kind of seeing the same old thing in fashion.
The door is open for opportunity, and for new ways of thinking and new ways of doing business, new ways of messaging, for new brands to create new ideas. I think we're all just very much wanting that, so now's a great time for us to do it.
Who do you trust the most?
I think I trust myself the most out of all the people I know besides my husband. I've come to a point in my life where I trust myself more than anyone else. I know that I want to protect myself and be good to myself and do the best for myself and my family and those around me.
I think maybe ten years ago, I couldn't have said that. But now I really trust myself, and I am very happy about that fact.
