Paris, France: the home, as of AW25, of Willy Chavarria. ICYMI, the American designer decamped to the French capital earlier this year, joining the Paris Fashion Week schedule for the very first time with his namesake brand. Far from a radical reinvention, though, the show saw Chavarria double down on his style codes and cultural interests. Staged at the American Church in the 7th arrondissement, it came complete with a performance by J Balvin and a slew of stars on the catwalk, including Indya Moore, Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Honey Dijon, Alva Claire and Paloma Elsesser.

For the latest episode of In the Studio With... Dazed went behind the scenes ahead of the show, to talk inspirations, street casting in Paris (where everyone, including your Uber Eats delivery guy, “know[s] how to walk”), and the importance of surrounding yourself with friends and allies in these bleak times.

In the studio itself, we’re introduced to the Willy Boys, Chavarria’s friends and models. In turn, they show off a number of looks from the collection: a show-stopping red velvet suit, a lowkey cashmere jacket, a tracksuit paired with brocade trousers, and a suit spun from recycled sea plastics. The designer’s Californian roots always follow close behind, wherever he goes, so it’s no surprise to see that sunglasses, tattoos, and crucifixes abound, including an array of rosaries with a tiny spoon on the end: “For... your... cereal.”

The Willy Boys also act as the perfect segue into Chavarria’s deeper design philosophy. “When people wear Willy Chavarria, we really want them to feel empowered and strong, like these guys look,” he explains. And when it comes to womenswear: “We want the woman to feel like the woman that all the gays love,” he laughs, “and all the heterosexual, cis men are intimidated by.”

Influences from the new collection range from chiaroscuro techniques in the Renaissance paintings of Caravaggio – Saint Sebastian being an obvious favourite – to the more playful challenge of broadcasting “sexy” while not showing a lot of skin. “The mystery of fashion in general is very compelling,” he says. ‘Vintage’ shopping also played a pivotal role in this season’s design process, with Chavarria diving deep into eBay to revisit pieces from past collections – a fitting tribute to mark ten years since the brand’s inception, and a way to measure how far it’s come. “You can really see how the brand has evolved but hasn’t drastically changed.”

Chavarria explains the title of the latest collection, Tarantula, is taken from the name of a song by This Mortal Coil. Listening to the designer speak about finding strength in numbers, and watching his defiant collection unfold, it’s clear that the track gets to the heart of what the brand is all about. “It’s a song about the tarantula being this creature that is actually quite beautiful and gentle,” he explains. “But when you mess with it, it bites.”

Watch our In The Studio With Willy Chavarria above