Willy Chavarria’s Paris Fashion Week Debut Made LGBTQ+ Rights Front and Center

At the finale of the show, Chavarria walked slowly down the runway wearing the crewneck himself. The powerful moment was magnified by the words of Bishop Mariann Edger Budde playing on the loudspeakers over music. Budde led the Inaugural Prayer Service following President Trump’s inauguration on Tuesday and directly addressed him as she asked Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

“There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives,” the sermon sounded as Chavarria made his way through the church.

The symbolic moment tied the entire evening together, proving that no law can silence someone’s true identity. Aside from the crewneck, Chavarria bought billboards and displays throughout Paris to boost the same notion. “[It’s just really the promotion of love and dignity in this really beautiful, elegant, artistic way.”

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Willy Chavarria’s show was one of the hottest seats in town, as models included Paloma Elsesser, Bad Bunny’s brother Bernie Martínez Ocasio, rapper Tokischa, Becky G, and more. J Balvin surprised attendees with a performance amongst the models, and a string quartet played off and on.

This isn’t the first time Chavarria has used his runway shows to make a statement. Last season, the designer’s show, “América” was a celebration of his Mexican-American heritage and a nod to the farm workers of America, with reworked uniforms featuring cargo pockets and long keychains. He also partnered with the ACLU and again walked out during the finale wearing a shirt with the nonprofit logo.

Tinder’s own mission has focused on causes that relate to their company, including LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights. The dating app company has worked with designers in the past to raise awareness for a cause — including partnering with Area to create a “Bans Off Our Bodies” shirt that debuted at New York Fashion Week in September. The collaboration included a large donation to Planned Parenthood and invited several volunteers to watch the runway show. Much like reproductive rights, Tinder’s other focus is on LGBTQ+ rights.

When working with Chavarria, Tinder’s Global Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Hobley told Teen Vogue that the designer was curious about their intentions.

“We had the chance to talk to him about connection and about loneliness and about the LGBTQ community and how important it was to have an experience for them and to take a stand,” Hobley said. “Part of our job at Tinder is to understand the rights that are at stake for the LGBTQ community.”

She continued: “Human Rights Campaign is a leader in that space and we’ve had a long relationship with them and supported a lot of their initiatives… It was a really easy, fun, and creative process with [Willy].”

As for Chavarria, he has always planted one foot firmly in social justice through his work, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. In 2017, the designer made a statement about putting Mexican immigrants in cages at the border, while those close to him tried to warn him against doing so.