Willy Chavarría took us to Wall street for his spring 2025 runway show. “It makes sense,” you might think, seeing that he had titled his collection América… but look closer, see that accent on the e? This show wasn’t about that America, but rather our América.
Inside the cavernous show space hung the American flag, dramatically lit by spotlights. Out came the Urban Sierreño musical group Yahritza y Su Esencia, led by Yahritza Martinez, a teenager who first found acclaim on TikTok. Accompanied by a trio of mariachis, she began singing “Querida,” an iconic heartbreak anthem by one of Mexico and Latin America’s most beloved singers Juan Gabriel. In the song, he wishes for a lover to return—“Every moment of my life / I think of you more each day / Look at my loneliness / It doesn’t suit me well at all.” Within the context of the show it seemed like a plea for América to be more like the promised land everyone imagines it to be.
The models walked out, in a single file, at breakneck speed, like they all had somewhere to be. What came across was a voluminous yet exact silhouette that was a callback to the uniforms of the American working class—hotel workers, concierges, construction people, foremen. And so there were balloon sleeves on classic zip-up jackets, tonal shirt and tie combos, crisp white short sleeve button-down shirts, cotton duck work fabric turned into tailored Victorian jackets with princess sleeves or baggy cargo skirts, and really good denim pieces in both classic blue and a wonderful distressed shade of mustard-y brown. Many of the looks were accessorized with a set of keys—and a little crucifix—dangling from a belt loop.
“The inspiration was coming from movements like the United Farm Workers Movement, and thinking of those things along with the fact that we’re in a presidential election period,” Chavarría said. It was an especially powerful moment in the show when a group of models came out with accessories that nodded to the uniforms of farm laborers—wide brim straw hats, bandanas wrapped around their faces—flanked by the American flag in the background.
In the last three seasons Chavarría has focused on showing his take on capital-M menswear, with formal collections full of exquisite tailoring, but this season’s showcase of quotidian style was no less regal and elevated. He simply has the range.
After the last model walked, the music changed. Surprise! Chavarría is collaborating with Adidas on a collection of ready-to-wear and sneakers inspired by the “Jabbar” style, created for Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1978—the first sneaker ever created with an athlete—which is being re-released next year. Chavarría transformed the Jabbar into a pointy-toe style that is sure to be thee fashion sneaker of the season, and the athlete’s name also featured on a number of garments, though there was also a jersey in red, green, black, and white, emblazoned with the word CHICANO across the chest. Other standouts included ruffled track jackets in the same Victorian silhouette as the ones presented in his main collection, worn with matching shorts in acid neon shades. Noah Lyles, the American track star who won both gold and bronze medals at the most recent Olympics closed the show in a pair of tiny track shorts and a big dose of attitude. “This [season] is all about power to the people,” Chavarría said. “It’s this country through the voice of the immigrants, and the people who make this motherfucker run.”