Despite the fact that Chavarria is becoming more of a household name, he isn’t dressing everyone who comes knocking on his door. With so much of his work imbued with his Chicano roots, the designer is cautious about bringing Chicano aesthetics into mainstream fashion. “It’s something I’m sensitive about and I’m very careful to do it in a way that is most of all respectful of my culture. So I don’t really work with just anybody to tell you the truth,” he says.
“Someone like Kendrick, who has so much thought and intelligence behind his work and his wardrobe, is so considered. He’s someone who understands the impact of what he’s doing, and his messaging is all very, very politically minded, and it comes from a place of sincerity and goodness,” Chavarria says. “He’s also very LA, and it makes sense for him to wear highly Chicano-influenced stuff. I dressed him for his last tour, and the entire wardrobe for that tour was intentionally LA Chicano: white socks, Nike Cortez, and we just did it in really bold colors.”
So what is the criteria for joining the ranks of his celebrity clientele—Billie Eilish, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Lamar among them? Money isn’t enough. “The meaning of their work is very genuine and on the right side of humanity,” he says. “With all the negativity that we’ve got going on, that’s something very encouraging and very empowering, to see those people with those voices.”
