“I think it’s safe to say fashion is predominantly very boring” is a bold statement for CFDA’s designer of the year to say in a room full of art students. But he then explained that what he meant was that brands become boring when there’s no point of view. That’s what makes Willy Chavarria the designer he is – someone who knows why he created his brand and stands for what he believes in regardless if it goes against the norms of the industry. On March 27th, Willy Chavarria was welcomed by Parsons Board Member Julie Gilhart to discuss his approach to fashion at Parsons School of Design.

Willy Chavarria is exponentially growing, and so is his brand. The brand which he waited 47 years to develop his skills, craft, aesthetics, and message before releasing. Chavarria has remained kind and down-to-earth regardless of his success. During the talk, “Pushing Fashion Forward”, Chavarria kept coming to his main crucial point – the power of love, all kinds of love. He stressed the importance of living in a world that is supported by love, which brings us back to his campaign “how we love is who we are”.

Chavarria created his brand to integrate what he didn’t see in the magazines growing up, his Mexican heritage and black, brown, queer, or trans people. He found a gap in the market as he couldn’t find himself correctly represented. At the talk, he emphasized the importance of identity and self-expression. The fact that identity is so precious right now and all the change that’s happening that is oppressive aims to strip us of our identities. The work done by his brand is to reinforce people’s identity.

For his fashion shows, Chavarria is known for doing street casting. His reasoning? To “share all the real beauty that exists so we can see ourselves as truly beautiful we are”. Willy Chavarria is a designer who cares about the customer, he isn’t in fashion solely to profit but to also push forward his message. If a great part of the fashion industry profits from humans hating themselves and preying on insecurities, Chavarria is doing the complete opposite. He wants his clients to love themselves, others, and how they feel in their bodies. Chavarria built his brand from a place of love for his culture, his heritage, and everyone who is underrepresented by the fashion industry. That’s why his message is so important. It brings fashion to a higher stake, to a conversation about identity, self-expression, and acceptance.

The auditorium at Parsons was packed with people who came to thank the designer for helping them accept themselves for who they are, their bodies, tattoos, clothing, and heritage.