Willy Chavarria Fall/Winter 2026
For Fall/Winter 2026, Willy Chavarria turned his runway into a living city. Titled The World of Willy, the show unfolded like an urban play, complete with a live soundtrack, cameras, and a cast that felt as vast as New York itself. Staged in Paris but rooted firmly in the pulse of Chavarria’s corner apartment back home, the presentation moved from faith to hope to wisdom, charting a story of resilience and love in a fractured world. Chavarria’s words, printed across the show notes, captured his ethos perfectly: “I watch people fall in love. I watch them fall apart.” The clothes, in turn, reflected that gaze — romantic but grounded, sculptural yet soft. Tailored coats with curved shoulders met sweeping skirts and sensual draping, creating silhouettes that felt protective rather than imposing.
As the narrative shifted from introspection to expression, colour and irony took centre stage. The designer’s “Big Willy” workwear line, with its tongue-in-cheek tone and bold accessibility, walked alongside his couture pieces without hierarchy. Oversized bombers, sculpted chinos, and sport-inflected tailoring hinted at community and belonging rather than status. Collaborations with Adidas and queer artists folded personal identity into collective energy, while the slogan “Protection is Love” reappeared as both motif and mission. Chavarria’s New York sensibility — street-level, diverse, and deeply empathetic — coursed through every look, bridging the theatrical and the real.
By the final act, the tone turned contemplative. Eveningwear brought gravitas: tuxedos that glided rather than strutted, and gowns that fused strength with vulnerability. The iconic “sandwich” dress, structured at the front and fluid at the back, captured the designer’s fascination with duality. A muted palette of violets, reds, and uniform blues gave warmth without spectacle, and accessories carried the same integrity — from sculpted Italian bags to reimagined seventies shoes. Chavarria has built a reputation for his politics, but this collection felt like something greater than protest. It was an ode to tenderness as resistance, to fashion that protects rather than provokes. In his world, love is not decoration but design itself.
