The designer who threads activism into every seam takes on an official role that pushes immigrant and LGBTQIA+ rights to the fore.
Willy Chavarria has long treated the runway as a public forum, framing his capacious tailoring with pointed commentary on migration, racism, and belonging. That social pulse now powers a new appointment: Artist Ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union.
The role places the Mexican American creative alongside Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Padma Lakshmi in the ACLU’s artist program, a network assembled to amplify the organization’s litigation, advocacy, and education initiatives. Chavarria’s focus will center on safeguarding immigrant communities and advancing LGBTQIA+ equality.
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His partnership with the ACLU began in April at the debut of Creatives for Freedom, an initiative linking fashion, film, music, and digital voices to democracy’s pressing battles. The New York kickoff, co-hosted by Chavarria, Lakshmi, and Gabriela Hearst, signaled how cultural figures can drive legal conversations beyond the courtroom.
“I admire the ACLU for holding the line on human dignity,” Chavarria says. “Art, music, and fashion move people, and that movement can change laws. I plan to use every collection, every platform, to keep that momentum.”
Jessica Weitz, the ACLU’s national director of artist engagement, notes that Chavarria’s résumé already reads like an advocacy blueprint. “His creative universe celebrates the full spectrum of humanity,” she says. “Formalizing his involvement only intensifies our reach.”
Expect the designer’s upcoming shows to carry fresh purpose. On the catwalk and off, Chavarria is stitching a wider fabric of rights, one sharply tailored suit at a time.
