Designer Willy Chavarria debuted a T-shirt featuring portrait of Congresswoman Maxine Waters emblazoned with the word “Fighter” during Men’s New York Fashion Week show on Sunday.
The homage is defintiely warranted. Despite the increasing amount of death threats Waters continues to receive, she will not back down from the fight for justice. The recent threats made against Waters due to her political stance, specifically on the Trump administration’s immigration policy, provoked her to tell the world that she’s up for the battle.
Willy Chavarria’s label of Waters as a fighter is telling of the impact the Congresswoman has on even the fashion industry. “[Maxine Waters] inspires me not to take shit from people,” the Mexican-American designer told WWD,
Fashion designers like Chavarria — Kerby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss and Taofeek Abijako of Head of State+ — are just a few of the desginers using their platforms to make political and social statements with their creations. These designers are broadening the consumers’ ability to express their own beliefs through their style.