In the case of Willy Chavarria , that expression has been changed to: when in Paris , do as the Parisians do. While the aesthetic remains the same β many of the pieces sport his signature oversize or lowrider silhouettes β the fabrics and the production clearly reflect a more luxury message. You May Also Like. Last year was a breakout one for the Mexican American designer, 57, who spent decades working behind the scenes at top fashion brands including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, American Eagle Outfitters, Yeezy, Dickies Construct and others.
I had a hint, because the truth is, you have to be invited. But before you get invited, you have to plant a lot of seeds. Over the past few years, Chavarria has worked to build a more mature business. This has included adding his husband, David Ramirez, who had worked in Copenhagen for the Pandora jewelry brand for eight years, as chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
The result is that sales have more than doubled every year. As a private company, he would not disclose volume numbers. As a result of that success, Chavarria said he was able to add a few key executives to his team, including lead designer Rebeca Mendoza, whose background includes Calvin Klein and Mark Cross. In addition, he hired Thomas Poli as head of product development.
Having more internal support is important, he said, as the business continues to grow. Many people on the team are Latino, like Chavarria. I was looking at a lot of Caravaggio paintings, which really started to bring in the velvet and the satins into the collection. Chavarria is launching accessories this season, including small leather goods such as wallets and belts as well as bags and totes. But not everything is dressy.
Every Mexican American kid was wearing this jacket. I even have some vintage ones, but we redesigned it in a nicer fabric. Chavarria stressed that although he will be showing in Paris this season, he still considers himself an American designer and plans to have a presence of some sort during New York Fashion Week.
