A New Luxury Era Defined Through Defiance
Review of Willy Chavarria Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Powerful, sensitive, and expensive – Willy Chavarria
At a time when geo-political tensions are as heightened as they have ever been in recent history, it was left to the two ‘Americans in Paris’ (ASAP Rocky and his AWGE label being the other) to address what was happening in the wider world. Something which had been severely lacking across both Milan and Paris, save for a few empty slogans.
Fashion is, and has always been political, however much we try to dress it up as the opposite, what we wear presents our inner-thoughts and values to the world – conservative/provocative, maximalist/minimalist – it all matters. In only his second runway collection in Paris, there was no possibility that Willy Chavarria wouldn’t use his platform to give a voice to the immigrants back in his homeland being targeted for deportation, in many cases without due process. Every part of today’s show was intentionally planned to highlight these injustices and ask the audience to recognise that we all have the ‘Right to Exist’. A phrase which emblazoned today’s invitation which took the form of a summons letter from the ‘Department of Human Verification’, replicating the social security card document that is an integral part of becoming an American Citizen. A dream that is being threatened daily as ICE raids separate families and force hard-working immigrants to leave – in some cases – the only country they have ever known, a country they call home. And it was home, the designers specifically, which inspired the title of today’s show ‘Huron’, a small city in California that he told The Impression backstage is now experiencing raids of its own:
I named the show after my hometown Huron, my family is here in Paris for the first time seeing a show. It’s an amazing experience, and simultaneously, today, and as of yesterday, ice is attacking the town of Huron. There are tanks rolling through the street, and there are armed militia surrounding homes. So, it’s a state of horror”
The show opened with a performance that aimed to give a voice to the voiceless and the dehumanization of immigrants, as 35 men entered the show in white T-shirts, which were made in partnership with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), as the designer said “the purpose of that opening piece was to contrast against the beauty of the people that are actually being kidnapped and shipped away, broken away from their families, and the chaos that we’re seeing right now.”
The collection was a quiet revolution – never one to shy away from representing all who exist in his community – and a reflection of how the brand is evolving its design ideals. The staging of his shows in Paris is in and of itself a clear example of the “life of resilience and joyful self-expression” he has created, as outlined in today’s show notes. He continued his exploration of elegantly tailored silhouettes, with fabrics sourced exclusively for the brand from Italian mills, as a way to reflect the dignity and pride found in immigrant communities.
This season also saw a clear focus on his womenswear offer “from both a creative perspective and a business perspective” as he said backstage. Women are more often than not the beating heart of these communities, with clothing being just one form of self-expression to assist them in dressing for themselves. Truly representing them involved the intentional hire of a seasoned head of design in the form of Rebecca Mendoza:
[She’s] an exquisite womenswear designer, and I wasn’t going to design womenswear until I had the right woman to design it with, because I don’t want womenswear from a man’s perspective. We’ve already seen that. So, we work very, very closely to really define this beauty that is respectful of the classics, but very modernised in the way the constructions are really built to graze the body, not hug the body. So even though we’re looking at a lot of silhouettes that look form fitting, they’re actually very comfortable.”
There is a welcome defiance in Chavarria’s designs, even down to his use of colour ‘Brights are not just decorative, they’re defiant’ inspired by factory workers, they are subverted to elevate their original symbolism. “The first thought was joy. I knew I wanted to do a joyous collection. I knew I wanted to do a collection that was filled with hope. And the colours were actually derived from factory worker uniforms, globally. So, there’s uniform green, for example, there’s this red that we’d see in some countries, mostly oppressive countries. But ironically, you put all these colours together and they look very preppy and joyful” the designer explained.
The preppy narrative was also on the designers mind for its associations with luxury and privilege via social status, something he considers as an antiquated idea and one of the reasons the luxury market is suffering. In his mind luxury is embodied by bodies who have previously been denied entry into this world. In the Willy Chavarria world of luxury, core silhouettes are represented multiple times in diverse colours to ‘create visual clarity and emotional resonance’. Italian-made suiting reinterprets the ‘Chilango’ soft tailored silhouette with the women’s ‘Nuevo Staple’ working to reflect a different side to the menswear with strong shoulders and cinched waists. Next season there will also be a Charles Jourdan collaboration that will work to revive the brand and update archival style in the collections seasonal colours.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I’m not interested in luxury as a symbol of privilege. I’m interested in luxury as a symbol of truth in ones character…exquisite tailoring and craftsmanship worn to elevate one’s personal intent – that’s power’
Willy Chavarria, creative director, Willy Chavarria
THE WRAP UP
When asked by The Impression about how he feels being too vocal around his activism, he was adamant on its necessity, especially during times of uncertainty:
Well, with regards to activism in politics, I honestly feel that regardless of what we do, we’re being political. We’re not saying something. That’s much louder than saying something. So, for me, I have no choice. We have no choice in this moment, but to try to defend ourselves”
