Moses Sumney Redefines Head-to-Toe Black with Willy Chavarria at the CFDA Awards
Moses Sumney, Willy Chavarria, and photographer Laura Fuchs were in the middle of a three-way photoshoot yesterday as I walked into their room at The Standard hotel on the Highline. Sumney was posing on the bed, while taking shots of Chavarria photographing him on his knees, as Fuchs did her best to capture the moment while staying clear of the other two’s shots. They were there to get ready for the CFDA Awards; Chavarria was nominated for American Menswear Designer of the Year, and Sumney—the disarmingly stylish Ghanian-American artist—was the designer’s date for the ceremony. This was Chavarria’s first CFDA Award nomination, and it felt equal parts timely and overdue.
“It was surprising in a way because I ve always seen myself doing something a little bit on the outside of fashion,” he tells me. “Last year is when I started to realize what impact the brand is having.” He adds modestly that, even if he does not feel responsible for it, “there is now an enormous trend in the influence of Latino culture in fashion.” This has gained traction in the past two years, though Chavarria has been contributing to the reimagining of what Latino fashion is past outdated clichés since launching his label in 2015. “I think that I was able to help facilitate that into being,” he says. “Even though my brand is not strictly a Latino brand, it s just that I ve always been self expressive and I ve always believed that Latino culture had something beautiful and strong to offer that wasn t the clichés that we had seen before.”
Chavarria’s most recent work has permeated into pop culture, with recurrent appearances both in editorials and on the red carpet. Mahmood, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin have all worn his “ball-gown chinos” from his spring 2022 collection; Bella Hadid wore them as well for her May Vogue cover story. His knack for reimagining workwear and distinct eye for reworking the proportions of traditionally masculine wardrobe staples have quietly influenced menswear over the years. Chavarria’s clothes make an impression, and that’s what is on his mind while he thinks of the awards. “This is the way I always think about designers: Having an impact on culture, on the way people dress. That s what I ve tried to do with this brand.”
Influence is something he has in common with Sumney, whose idiosyncrasy and distinct work have left a mark of their own. A rising fashion star, Sumney recently graced the Vogue World runway and walked for Riccardo Tisci’s fall 2022 collection at Burberry. Sumney only wears head-to-toe black, and he gravitates towards tailored and draped silhouettes with unconventional cuts or fabrics. He also loves to show a little skin. “Moses reminds me a little bit of myself actually, because I feel like he is a great talent who has intentionally not really subscribed to the industry s moldings,” Chavarria says. “He has the potential to be whatever he wants to be, as big as he wants to be, and I feel the same about myself.”
Sumney likes to challenge prescriptive masculinity with his style, often teetering on the edge between traditional definitions of men’s and womenswear. Most recently he’s worn an oversized Peter Do coat with a draped shirt and platform boots, and a sheer Thom Browne button down paired with a pleated skirt. “My relationship with fashion is such that I want to embody the fantasy that I see in my mind in a very everyday way, and I think that I want to feel boundless and unrestrained,” Sumney tells me as we look out into the Hudson river. “I think the problem with men s fashion in particular is that it is so restrained. It s so structured and stiff—which is maybe its own allegory for masculinity itself.” Poetic as it sounds, it’s true that menswear is often restricted by anachronistic ideals of masculinity, but Chavarria happens to be one of the designers challenging these notions. Sumney tells me he’s loved Chavarria’s work for a couple of years now, though he didn’t think the designer knew who he was. “I didn t really know until he sent me a little Instagram message,” Sumney says. Yes, Chavarria slid into Sumney’s DM’s to invite him to the CFDA Awards. Stars, they’re just like us!
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