Willy Chavarria Wins American Menswear Designer of the Year
Willy Chavarria at the 2024 CFDA Fashion Awards held at the American Museum of Natural History on October 28, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images)
Last night (October 28), the 2024 CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Fashion Awards ceremony honored the exceptional talent of American designers. And for a second year in a row, Mexican-American fashion designer, Willy Chavarria secured the title of American Menswear Designer of the Year.
Public support of Chavarria’s designs was palpable at the awards ceremony, where several Latine attendees were proudly dripped out in Willy Chavarria designs, such as Omar Apollo in an oversized, yellow-ochre suit, J Balvin and Valentina Ferrer in a velvety blue gown and navy suit, and Danny Ramirez in an oversized black suit.
Willy Chavarria has become a household name in the fashion industry, with collections that bridge bold and ambitious design with socio-political commentary. For his Spring 2025 collection titled América, Chavarria reinterpreted workwear uniforms with billowing trousers, hyper-broad shoulder button downs, and micro mini denim with keychain accessories, playing up the labor-coded uniform.
Other Latino designers were also awarded prestigious awards for their contributions in fashion. Dominican designer, Raul Lopez won the American Accessory Designer of the Year Award, an award he also received back in 2022.
Cuban-American designer, Isabel Toledo was also posthumously awarded with the “Isabel Toledo Board of Directors award,” a namesake award that was renamed to honor the late designer.
Known as the “Oscars” of fashion, the CFDA Awards was created by the Council of Fashion Designers of America to honor the “best and brightest” in American design.