Willy Chavarria is no stranger to intertwining politics and fashion. Last year, the Mexican-American designer opened his SS26 show by paying tribute to immigrants detained by ICE. The year before, Chavarria’s SS25 show featured the American flag as the backdrop, and was followed by a collection that drew inspiration from the uniforms of working-class labourers. Off the runway, Chavarria is just as unequivocal about using his sartorial talents to make political commentary. The latest example is Willy Chavarria X The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), a capsule collection designed in response to the latest attacks on trans rights in America. 

The collection is a part of the ACLU’s More Than A Game campaign, a public awareness campaign created in support of transgender youth. Shot by Collier Schorr, the campaign features athletes like Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, and Briana Turner, along with other familiar faces like Naomi Watts and Elliot Page. The campaign made its debut on January 12, just a day before the Supreme Court heard two landmark cases challenging state laws that ban transgender girls from participating in school sports. Both cases, West Virginia v BPJ and Little v Hecox, have the potential to impact broader LGBTQ rights and mark the first time the Supreme Court heard a case about women’s sports. 

As one of the ACLU’s Artist Ambassadors, Chavarria was a natural fit for the campaign. “Willy is such an important artistic leader in this moment that demands disruption rather than complacency,” said Chase Strangio, who argued each case before the Court. “He has long centred the experiences of trans people in his work and was a dream partner for this collaboration.”

Though the collection was a part of Willy’s bespoke collection for the campaign’s participants, other More Than a Game gear will be coming to the ACLU store in the coming weeks. As the cases await their decisions in June, and the fight for trans rights in America continues, More Than A Game serves as a necessary act of resistance. “This campaign is a beautiful and defiant reminder that we rise and fall together, and that each of our freedoms is wrapped up in each other’s freedom,” said Strangio.