TARANTULA: Willy Chavarria’s Paris Fashion Week Debut Fuses Vintage, Politics, and Fashiontainment
- Pampler Editorial Team
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
Willy Chavarria’s Paris Fashion Week debut was anything but subtle. TARANTULA fused archival reworks, bold tailoring, and a mid-show Adidas pivot.
Willy Chavarria may be an emerging name, but he’s no newcomer. With nearly three decades in the industry, his connection to vintage runs deep. Before launching his eponymous label, Chavarria co-ran Palmer Trading Co., a vintage shop in New York, with his husband, David Ramirez. “The brands I worked for were always sourcing vintage,” he tells British Vogue, referencing the early days of his career at Joe Boxer, RLX, and Volver. “I collected so much for myself, we started selling it—first on the street, then in a shop that opened right across from our home. It felt like fate.”
“You have heart and soul attached to the brand,” Tommy Hilfiger told him in a conversation for Interview Magazine, just hours before Chavarria took home the CFDA American Menswear Designer of the Year award. The two American designers went on to discuss the inevitable fusion of fashion and entertainment—what Chavarria calls “fashiontainment.” It’s a concept he leans into unapologetically, merging film, music, and clothing into a singular storytelling vehicle.
It’s also a necessity. “It’s very expensive now to have a brand. And it’s really hard to do on your own. As your brand grows, you have to bring in other partners and people to support you,” he admitted. His Paris Fashion Week debut, TARANTULA, was testament to that reality—a carefully constructed balancing act between artful expression and commercial viability.
Full Circle with eBay x Willy Chavarria
During Paris Fashion Week Men’s AW25, eBay announced an official partnership with the designer, celebrating his decade-long journey in fashion. The collection, blending past and present, featured archival Chavarria pieces sourced from eBay—underscoring both accessibility and circularity in fashion.
SS16 and AW22 runway pieces, sourced from sellers worldwide, were reimagined and reintegrated into this season’s lineup, proving that fashion’s past can shape its future. The standout? A reworked “Chuco Suit,” a nod to Chavarria’s California roots, available exclusively on eBay until February 2. Proceeds from the sale support wildfire recovery efforts through the California Community Foundation—a rare instance of a fashion collaboration extending beyond commerce into real-world impact.
Willy Chavarria: An American in Paris
Americans have their own special way of visiting Paris: whether they mean to or not, they make their presence known. Chavarria’s debut on the French stage was no quiet affair. From a dramatic spoken-word closer to an Adidas collab embedded mid-show, TARANTULA was nothing if not ambitious.
The show opened with a red velvet suit—boxy, oversized, commanding. The silhouette for men was exaggerated, baggy yet intentional, with brand logos stitched onto sleeves in an almost couture-like nod to craftsmanship. Accessories played their part in dramatizing the looks: pearl rosaries, gold jewelry, dangling keychains, gloves, and rose pins punctuated the collection’s softer, romantic elements. The garments spanned from sharply tailored suits to flowing dresses, tracksuits, and band-merch-style T-shirts—Chavarria proving once again that he designs across gender with equal fluency.
Then came the shift. Suddenly, models emerged in pieces from the Adidas collaboration, splitting the presentation into two acts. What began as an artful study in contrasts pivoted into something more commercial—branded joggers, elastic-waistband streetwear, the language of global sportswear giants. The transition was jarring—perhaps deliberately so.
But it was the final act that truly sealed Chavarria’s message. As the models made their last walk, spoken word echoed through the space, reflecting on fear, identity, and marginalization in America. A political statement played out on a Parisian runway, a move that—love it or question it—felt distinctly American.
And yet, even with the theatrics, the collection itself stood strong. The womenswear, in particular, felt like a revelation—sleek, sharp, femme fatale energy woven into every silhouette. Chavarria may be known for menswear, but his womenswear offerings hint at something truly special. A future expansion, perhaps? One can only hope.
Ultimately, TARANTULA was a study in contrasts—sincerity and commerciality, theatre and statement, past and present. If this is what Chavarria looks like on a global stage, Paris might just have to make room.
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