Since Willy Chavarria crash-landed at Paris Fashion Week two seasons ago, his shows have always been events. His AW25 debut took over the American Church in Paris for an all-star catwalk, while SS26’s Huron show featured a chilling tribute to the victims of Donald Trump’s ICE. This season, however, Chavarria has topped his previous efforts and then some, staging an explosive blockbuster of a show for AW26. Titled Eterno and described by Chavarria as a “living film”, the half-hour, three-act spectacle was like a live telenovela meeting a Broadway musical, with a fashion show thrown in the mix for good measure. For those of you who missed it, here’s everything that happened at the biggest Willy show yet.

400 YOUNG FANS SCORED TICKETS TO THE SHOW

This season, fashion commentator Lyas continued his La Watchparty series, bringing his followers together to watch livestreams for the Dsquared2, Dior and Ami shows. When it came to Willy, though, there was one big difference. After 400 people arrived at the deconsecrated Chapelle Reille, Lyas let them all know they wouldn’t be watching the livestream – Chavarria had actually invited them all to the show. With the move, the designer made it clear that he’s all about bringing the next generation of fashion fans into the fold.

THE WORLD’S TOP MUSICIANS GATHERED ON THE FROW

With 400 of Lyas’ followers to compete with, the guest list this season came in hot. Fresh from his front row appearance at Louis Vuitton at the start of the week, Usher returned for this season’s Willy show, alongside fellow musicians Thundercat and Davido. Elsewhere, British musicians Pa Salieu and Arlo Parks joined them on the front row, as well as designer Jerry Lorenzo and sound designer Michel Gaubert.

THE STAGE WAS SET LIKE A BROADWAY PLAY

Staged at the Dojo de Paris in the city’s 18th arrondissement, the set was a stripped-back reworking of a space usually used for combat sports and training, with its concrete floors and tiered seating left mostly untouched. Chavarria turned it into a space that was a concert set, theatre stage and runway all at once; keeping the room dark and letting the theatrics do most of the work. White lines and crosswalks across the floor demarcated the stage as a New York intersection, while telephone booths, cars and bedrooms were set up across the stage to signal the different spaces within the world.

“I live in New York City, street level, corner apartment, big windows. There’s barely any separation between the city outside and the world inside my home,” Chavarria said about the inspiration for the set. I think there. I watch people. I think there. “I watch people fall in love. I watch them fall apart. All of us under the same sun, under the same moon, sharing the same universe, breathing the same oxygen.”

LATIN STARS BEGAN WITH A CONCERT

Titled FAITH, act one began with Chilean superstar Mon Laferte singing her 2025 hit “Femme Fatale” from a pink satin bedspread, throwing off her leopard fur to reveal a blood red gown underneath. As she sang, the Puerto Rican pop star Lunay hopped off his own bed across the arena, dropping to the floor for some press-ups, then dressing himself in a striped shirt and longline trench. Laferte then sat at her dressing table and dialled a number into her pink rotary phone. Lunay’s phone rang, but he looked at the screen and then threw it to the side.

Soon after, Laferte walked from her bedroom to purchase a newspaper, and the vendor happened to be Italian musician Mahmood, looking slick in a chocolate brown bomber jacket. Laferte and Lunay then knocked into each other in the street, exchanged hostile looks, before Lunay broke out into a performance of the new track “Ojalá” (which only came out yesterday). After that, the catwalk began.

THE COLLECTION WAS SLICK AND REFINED

The show began with some classic Willy zoot suits, but slightly slimmer than we’ve come to expect, maybe a sign that Chavarria is refining and revising his silhouettes. After that, sharp tailoring with pops of colour dominated the runway as models filled the vast stage, crossing each other’s paths as if they were on a busy street. Particular standouts came in the form of burgundy leather jackets, leopard faux fur and a fleshed-out womenswear offering, which included rectangular shifts, elegant evening gowns and A-line leather skirts.

ROMEO BECKHAM, GOLDIE AND JULIA FOX WALKED

Beyond Willy's usual lineup, the show featured a carefully curated mix of familiar faces and unexpected guests. Julia Fox walked out in shades as her best rich Italian aunt persona, wearing a patent leather maxi skirt and a patterned turtleneck shirt. Elsewhere, Paloma Elsesser, a longtime friend and muse of Chavarria, was again spotted on his runway. The eclectic cast also featured figures such as Goldie, Omahyra Mota, Romeo Beckham, Alek Wek, Maggie Maurer, Erin O’Connor and Farida Khelfa.

WILLY’S GRINDR HOOKUP CRASHED THE CATWALK

You can call Willy Chavarria a lot of things, but a prude definitely isn’t one of them. In the past, he’s collabed with Latino Fan Club, made his own X-rated zine, and even dropped a line of piss-stained underwear. This season’s sexual expression came in the form of a Grindr collab, with the hookup app’s infamous blue-and-yellow chat bubbles appearing on a big screen to open the show. “Row three, left aisle, Willy ready,” said one of the messages.

On the runway, Chavarria teased the coming collab with a pair of mesh underwear. “The show is rooted in love, desire, and human connection on every level,” said Chavarria in a statement, “with Grindr positioned as a catalyst, where intimate conversations begin and evolve into love stories, lust, and meaningful bonds that fuel the emotional core of Eterno.”

EVEN MORE PERFORMANCES CLOSED OUT THE SHOW

While Italian singer Mahmood closed out Act One with his own performance, ACT II: HOPE began with members of Foos Gone Wild entering the stage on lowrider bikes. They’re wearing BIG WILLY, Chavarria’s new seasonless line of workwear, which includes bomber jackets, chinos and shirts at “an attractive price point for a wider audience”. Following that, boyband Santos Bravos entered the stage in Chavarria’s fourth adidas collection to perform their song “0%”, while ACT II: WISDOM included performances from Colombian singer Feid, Mexican band Latin Mafia, and a blockbuster climax where Mon Laferte pulls a gun on Mahmood and Lunay, ending the blockbuster show with her arrest.

Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page for all the backstage portraits from the show