Willy Chavarria has asserted himself as one of the most prominent fashion designers of the year.
His Fall/Winter 25 collection for Menswear Paris Fashion Week is the highlight of the season. The show's title is TARANTULA inspired by The Mortal Coil song of the same name.
“It's a song about a soft and beautiful creature doing its own thing on the planet, minding its business, and we villainize it. We make it a monster, but it is quite gentle. Until it is messed with, then it bites," Chavarria tells Forbes.
The show took place at the American Cathedral in Paris—an intentional decision symbolizing the significance of Catholicism in the Latino community and also as a statement against the use of religion to discriminate against marginalized communities, mainly the LGBTQ+ community.
Under this church everyone is welcomed, sinners and saints.
The pachuco culture of the ‘30s influenced many of the designs as seen in the oversized blazers and high-waisted trousers.
Chavarria used beautiful hues of velvet, silk, satin, leather, and cashmere that made some of the piece's pop. There was a combination of checkered and solids that helped tie some of the outfits together.
The palette was predominantly crimson and black with complementary white and hues of blue, purple, yellow, and green.
Though it was meant to showcase menswear, Chavarria also presented women’s fashion with some iconic looks like the Dominican rapper Tokischa who wore a beautiful dark strapless dress and a pearl rosary in hand. There was also Becky-G’s long slit skirt with a “Sad Mama” tank and knee-high tights and Indya Moore with a sharp-cut midi dress.
Chavarria brings back the important discussion of the relationship between art and politics. He doesn’t hide his message.
During the final walk, the sermon of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde from the president's Inaugural Prayer Service played on the loudspeakers.
“I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country that are scared now… our god teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.”
Budde’s speech resonated with many Americans who are concerned for the future of their rights with the new administration. As a queer Mexican-American, Chavarria uses his art to represent the marginalized communities of America.
Chavarria asks us to remember the “beauty of existence, resistance, and persistence.”
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