On the Podcast: Opening New York Fashion Week With—Willy Chavarria!

Designer Willy Chavarria joins José Criales-Unzueta on The Run-Through this week for an intimate conversation ahead of his show during New York Fashion Week.

Whether it’s his tías, his religious upbringing, New York City, or even gay cruising culture, Chavarria’s work—beloved by celebrities including Bad Bunny and Serena Williams—is infused with the spirit of the communities he surrounds himself with. His spring 2025 show, titled “América,” is no different; as the next presidential election looms, Chavarria has found himself in a state of deep reflection. “I want us to see ourselves as people with power who can make things happen,” he says. The civil rights and farm labor movements—Chavarria’s own grandfather was a farm laborer—helped to inform this new collection.

But Chavarria’s vision of inclusion, and elevating the everyday, has been consistent throughout his career. For previous shows, he has eschewed modeling agencies, opting to street cast his shows instead. “The crooked teeth, or the lazy eye, or the bad skin, or the whatever…That’s the hotness,” he remarks. “That is really the guts of what I like to create.”

Also in this week’s episode, Chloe and Chioma kick things off with all the fashion news you can use—from the newly named creative head at Tom Ford, Haider Ackermann, to the best looks from the Venice Film Festival.