Few things excite us as much as Willy Chavarria—and we’re not just talking about the Willy boys, the series of hunks who serve as his muses. So when it was announced that the designer would show his Fall/Winter 2025 collection in Paris instead of his home turf, New York, patience was hard to maintain. When the day finally arrived and our expectations were sky-high, Chavarria still managed to exceed them.
Set in the American Cathedral in Paris, the designer took Paris to church. Named Tarantula—an allusion to the way minority communities are vilified for their reactions—the collection leaned into religious themes. The first models walked out with rosaries in hand. Chavarria’s signature experiments with workwear and tailoring continued, with a stronger emphasis on the latter. Oversized suits were standouts, as were their tighter fits—always featuring exaggerated shirt collars popping out of the jackets, of course.
But if the show started on a holy note, it soon inched toward something a lot more playful. The devil was literally spelled out in a red set. The final sinful nail in the coffin came toward the end of the collection when the lights turned red, unveiling the designer’s latest collaboration with Adidas. Worn by the Willy boys, the newest iteration of this ongoing project embodied the sin of lust.
Spirituality wasn’t merely a set piece or prop—it’s woven into Chavarria’s DNA. When Chavarria came out for his final bow, his head was lowered for a deeper reason. Bishop Reverend Mariann Budde’s prayer reverberated through the Revival Gothic building. Originally delivered just two days prior during Donald Trump’s inauguration sermon, the message was one of acceptance as a form of defiance in times of hardship. Chavarria is evolving, but his mission remains unchanged.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos