Willy Chavarria Stands Strong in His Heritage for Fall/Winter 2025
The Mexican-American fashion designer made his Paris Men’s Fashion Week debut with blood red clothes, sincerity, and passion. Bishop Mariann Budde's plea to Trump played during the outro.
Amid the stained-glass windows and gothic revival architecture of the American Cathedral in Paris, each model made their way down the Willy Chavarria runway as sounds of Mexico reverberated. It was a fitting setting for the designer, who usually shows during New York Fashion Week but made a break for Paris this Fall/Winter 2025 season. The show, titled “Tarantula,” had a dark, yet poignant ambience. Each piece of utilitarian workwear and sophisticated tailored attire was strongly rooted in Willy Chavarria’s Chicano heritage, and the pieces invoke a conversation at the nexus of identity and the idea of America.
For the label's Men’s Fall/Winter 2025 debut at Paris Fashion Week, the fashion designer boldly showcased narratives celebrating the vital contributions immigrants have made to build the fabric of the United States. In today’s climate, particularly following the presidential inauguration of Trump and his violent sentiments against immigrants, this stance is both courageous and deeply impactful. What did this practically look like? Dramatic hues of blood red, black, and white dominated the runway—acting as a bridge between romance and ruggedness. Cowboy hats, adorned with red flowers perched delicately on the side, added a touch of Western charm to ensembles on the runway. Casting further underscored the clothes’ fluidity, with models like Paloma Elsesser embodying Chavarria’s vision. J Balvin performed at the show in Paris.
Chavarria’s collections are always a pursuit to push the norms of contemporary fashion, especially menswear. His latest runway carried the baton, imbuing the clothes with a profound sense of humanity and a reflection of the times. The Fall/Winter 2025 collection also includes pieces from Chavarria’s newest collaboration with Adidas, namely athleisure-inspired pieces and sleek tracksuits, expertly marrying sporty aesthetics with high-fashion sensibilities. In partnership with eBay, Chavarria used archival pieces and incorporated ready-to-wear garments from Spring/Summer 2016 and Fall/Winter 2022 into the new collection. (One standout piece, the “Chuco Suit,” is available for purchase on eBay until February 2nd, with all proceeds benefiting the California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund to support fire recovery efforts in Los Angeles.)
The show concluded with Chavarria and the models making their way back down the runway as a now-viral audio played in the background of Bishop Mariann Budde passionately concluding her sermon with a plea to President Trump and his constituents for compassion toward LGBTQ+ individuals and immigrants.
Keep scrolling to see every runway look from Willy Chavarria Men’s Fall/Winter 2025 show in Paris.
