Willy Chavarria used The Eagle, New York’s iconic leather bar, as a setting for his spring collection. But he juxtaposed the gritty gay subculture scene by filling the bar with fragrant flowers and parking two pristine Lowrider cars outside the venue.
“I wanted to show two cultures that don’t co-exist,” Chavarria said.
The oversize leather outerwear pieces, baggy pants and caps had a clear Robert Mapplethorpe influence, while striped polos and slouchy cropped khakis had a strong Chollo vibe.
Plays on renowned American logos such as Coors and Marlboro were reinvented as graphic adornments on sweatshirts, shorts and pants. The show pieces were hand-painted by Chavarria’s friend and collaborator, Brian Calvin. The one-of-a-kind-pieces will be sold at galleries as artwork and turned into prints for the commercial collection.
Other graphic slogans included “Silence Still Equals Death,” a play on the AIDS-related mantra from the Eighties. “That now applies to all things in these highly political times,” he said.
See More From the Men’s 2018 Collections:
Perry Ellis Men’s Spring 2018: The company injected performance features into its tailored clothing uniform and then layered on fashion.
Hecho Men’s Spring 2018: The spring collection expanded on singular, identifiable staples in new, still breathable, fabrics.
Boss Men’s Spring 2018: Designer Ingo Wilts used a variety
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