Trust Ben Chan to spot talent, even if it’s 8,496.07 miles (13,673.10 kilometers) away.
In 2019, two years before his surprise appointment as senior vice president of design at Calvin Klein, Latino designer Willy Chavarria, who had, decades before then, been making waves in American mass-market fashion and the indie scene, was invited to collaborate with Philippine homegrown superbrand Bench.
This first collaboration was launched during Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2019 in the same season as the collaboration with avant-garde Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro and his namesake brand Miharayasuhiro.
“It was a 20-piece collection called BWLC (Big Willy Love Club), with the playful code 5683, which seemed like random numbers at a glance, but spelled out L-O-V-E when typed on your keypad,” says Ben. “Willy flew in with his New York team to supervise casting, styling, music, and direction together with our local team.”
Willy Chavarria is much bigger now or as big as he has always been, but now the world is seeing more of him. In November, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named him the 2023 American Menswear Designer of the Year, but as soon as he snagged the post at Calvin Klein, he was described by the New York Times as “a queer man of mixed race, a son of working-class folk, [who] may be the most highly placed Latino currently at work on the creative end of the American fashion industry.”
To Ben, Willy’s outsize gifts and phenomenal career are all on account of him being “a designer who designs from his heart and soul.”
“[Willy] is always inspired by his culture and champions it,” explains Ben. “A quick glance at his social media or runway show or campaigns already gives you an idea of his purpose—inclusivity, representation, social justice.”
Also in November last year, as CFDA gave the Fresno-born, New York-based designer-of-the-moment its nod, Bench launched its current collaboration with Willy, exploring new silhouettes and the boundaries of everyday wear, featuring oversize shirts, mesh muscle tees, and wide-legged pants. Check out the collection at Bench stores. It is believed to have been expanding Bench’s market as well.
I ask Ben what it was about Willy Chavarria that caught his attention. “Willy is, first and foremost, a great designer,” he says. “His eponymous brand, Willy Chavarria, is always ‘the moment,’ in modern-speak. His extensive experience in working internationally, including his current post at a major global brand, makes him a design powerhouse at the forefront of trends.”
Ben and Willy met through Filipino photographer and casting director Brent Chua, who has constantly collaborated with Willy. “We have worked with Brent on several projects, including the first Bench x Willy Chavarria campaign, featuring top model Alexis Chaparro. For this campaign, we also street-casted a Filipino who had never modeled before,” says Ben.
The Philippines is no stranger to Willy. “On his first trip to Manila, Willy brought a team that included his Filipino stylist and called on his former collaborators, who happened to have moved back to the Philippines,” adds Ben. “I guess Willy’s universe is rich with Filipino representation and thus his first visit to Manila was meaningfully laden with personal histories shared to him.”
But there’s more to Willy than being at the forefront of trends. His work is a social commentary, a gesture toward his vision of better world, a more equitable future for all, and a big statement that who we are—as well as accepting who we are and being accepted for who we are—is key to the global pursuit of peace.
At the core of everything Willy does as a design visionary is what he calls his social identities. “I do not think it is possible for me to be a real artist or a real designer without knowing who I am in my heart, my mind, and my soul,” he said in his acceptance speech at the CFDA Awards, during which he also intimated that when he “first started in fashion, I always wanted to be an outsider. I never wanted to be in the fashion scene.”
As it turns out, the global fashion scene has become the most powerful platform for the noblest of Willy’s aspirations. “He walks the talk,” observes Ben. “One of the highlights of his Manila visit for Bench was meeting and feeding 100 homeless children by the railroad tracks of Muntinlupa City. His empathy is infectious. I think it resonates not only with Bench and its audience, but to most people.”
How does Ben judge the result of his collaborations with Willy and how does it appeal to Bench’s market, the Filipino youth? “It’s always an exciting undertaking for us as it pushes us beyond our comfort zone,” says Ben. “Willy’s designs capture the zeitgeist. I think this is important to the Filipino youth, who are globally connected and informed, knowledgeable in design and yet conscious of their roots.”
Watch how Willy changes fashion. Already the New York Times is referring to him as the “founding father of a new American style.” It seems such a big deal that, through Bench, we Filipinos have a direct connection—thanks to collections, such as BWLC 2019 and the current one still available in stores now, done specifically with us in mind—to this revolution that’s about to blow up.