This story originally appears in i-D 374, The Unknown Issue. Get your copy now.
photography CARLOS JARAMILLO
styling WILLY CHAVARRIA
text STEFF YOTKA
To know Willy Chavarria is to love Willy Chavarria. The man not only cuts the most sensual blazer, he stands up for his ideals and uses fashion to celebrate Latinx cultures in the United States. With the help of Adidas Originals, he’s bringing that message global with a series of collaborations and a brand-new pointy-toed sneaker.
The spirit of the collaboration is . . . about empowerment of self, of identity, and the perseverance and endurance that is required to maintain that identity. Whether we are women, gay, people of colour, anyone—everyone should have that security that it’s okay to be who you are.
“Paisa Heaven” is . . . his imaginary space where all the good paisas go to live unaffected by the hate and oppression and financial challenges that we face in reality. Paisa is a slang form of “my buddy, my friend.” If we’re paisas, we kind of grew up in the same situation.
My favourite piece in the collection is . . . he blue tracksuit. I love it because it’s based on the original Pantone of the Adidas blue, a really vibrant, almost teal blue. I just love the fit of it, the wide-leg pant, and the details. I think it’s super hot.
I wanted to partner with Adidas Originals because . . . they’ve played such an important role in so many different kinds of youth subcultures and cultures. I’ve seen mods to punks to very Eurocentric vibes celebrated, but I hadn’t yet seen a real American take on those three stripes. I really wanted to do something that was truly Adidas, but had my influence.
My earliest memories of Adidas are . . . hearing my father’s Adidas sneakers. He had suede green ones and suede blue ones with white stripes. They were just so cool. As I researched the brand, I started seeing it pop up all throughout LA culture, skate culture, and all of these really fundamental forefathers of street style.
The guys in this shoot were . . . past that day from the street. They were kids that were looking in the windows to see what was going on, and we were just like, “Hey, come in here. Do you want to be in a shoot?” We wanted to show guys in a really glamourous way.
The sexiest way for someone to style their Willy Chavarria x Adidas collab is . . . woven shirt tucked into a track pant with our pointy-toe sneakers—I love their little pointy toes and how they peep right out of the wide leg on the trouser. It creates such a cool silhouette.
hair and makeup CARLA PEREZ
casting director BRENT CHUA
photography assistant EDDIE SALINAS
styling assistant IRIS SALAZAR
lighting assistant GAREY QUINN
PAISA HEAVEN
poem AIDA HURTADO
As I drive on California’s coastal highway 1
From Santa Cruz to Santa Barbara
I see the brown bodies of the young ones
picking strawberries, artichokes, broccoli
that will feed the hungry of all colors
I see them and then I see them again
envisioned by artists
brown angels dropped into a white world that denies their existence.
These young brown bodies, only seen in the picking fields, are re-En-visioned
disturbing whiteness
disturbing purity
disturbing our notions of humanity
These brown bodies are the descendants of intellectual royalty.
Their ancestors
build pyramids,
created understandings of the universe through their astronomy,
gave us the mathematical concept of zero.
Someday they will take civilization back and give us a
different understanding of royalty—based on humanity
and knowledge.
For now, we rely on artists to see the future.
hair and makeup CARLA PEREZ
casting director BRENT CHUA
photography assistant EDDIE SALINAS
styling assistant IRIS SALAZAR
lighting assistant GAREY QUINN