A Magazine Curated by Willy Chavarria
A MAGAZINE CURATED BY WILLY CHAVARRIA
A Magazine Curated By is pleased to announce that our 28th issue has been curated by the American designer WILLY CHAVARRIA, founder and creative director of his eponymous label, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Growing up in a Mexican-American home in Huron, Willy’s eye was born out of the relationship between the visual language of urban and rural working class Chicano communities in California’s Central Valley. His aesthetic continues the codes within his Latin-American heritage, while forging a bold, cross-cultural dialogue that transcends fashion and enters the realm of activism and storytelling. The issue explores the urgent and intimate themes closest to his heart – identity, human dignity and the power of community.
Articulated through raw conversations, personal testimonies and striking imagery, the issue opens with a vivid photographic study by Carlos Jaramillo of Huron, the small migrant farm town where Willy spent much of his youth — offering a lens into the cultural and emotional landscape that shapes his vision. Latino voices resonate throughout the issue, from tributes to legendary illustrator Antonio Lopez and the vibrant street signage of contemporary artist Alfonso Gonzalez Jr, to a powerful conversation with activists from the ACT UP Latino Caucus and an unfiltered interview with journalist Paola Ramos.
Drawing on Willy’s inspirations, the issue is anchored by a fashion story that serves as a modern retelling of the movie Eyes of Laura Mars combined with Guy Bourdin’s surreal and provocative imagery — a cinematic mix of suspense, sex and psychological tension. Styled by Patti Wilson and photographed by John Yuyi in a striking and sensual setting reminiscent of a pulp novel, the editorial stars Willy Chavarria as the crime’s enigmatic victim, alongside the brand’s longtime muses.
Queerness, a central pillar of Willy’s identity, is rather unexpectedly depicted in a documentary-style editorial capturing an intimate gathering of queer mothers, fathers and their chosen families. With casting by Geraldine Baron and styling by Julie Ragolia, the story draws from Baron’s own experiences with motherhood. Photographer Stefan Ruiz presents another compelling series of portraits, here with testimonies from rehabilitated individuals, navigating the emotional terrain of renewal.
Academic and critical reflections punctuate the publication, including an essay on streetwear and authenticity by Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, and a deeply personal annotation of James Baldwin’s 1961 essay The New Lost Generation by Ricardo Bracho. Moments of intimacy are scattered throughout: screenshots between Willy and his longtime creative collaborator Jess Cuevas, a handwritten letter from his muse Lineisy Montero, and a still life of personal objects photographed by Asato Iida reimagined as nostalgic ads.
The issue is bookended by a visual study of the Virgin Mary as represented across Mexican and Irish traditions, imagery that often reoccurs within Willy’s spiritual and aesthetic vocabulary. Continuing this dialogue on faith and meaning, Bishop Mariann Budde, whose words soundtracked Willy’s most recent runway show, is interviewed by the designer in a moving exchange on compassion and love. Their conversation underscores the essence of this issue and its title: Love Commandments.