Willy Chavarria Makes Bold Statement About Immigrant Deportees at Paris Fashion Week
Credit: Willy Chavarria YouTube
Art imitates life in Willy Chavarria’s Spring/Summer 2026 runway show in Paris, which referenced not only his migrant hometown roots, but also the political climate that is criminalizing and racially profiling Latine people in the United States.
The runway show began with models entering the runway one by one, wearing all white ensembles and kneeling in a line and forming a circle at the end of the runway as “California Dreamin’ by Jose Feliciano plays. The final shot that appears is a powerful image that references immigrant detention and criminalization, with a visual that eerily resembles the prisoner lineup footage of immigrant detainees in the CECOT prison in El Salvador.
The attendees were also in on the visceral commentary from the get-go. As an invitation to the show, attendees received a “Notice of a Right to Exist” letter, which included a mock Social Security Card with the seat number for attendees. The letter states “This letter serves as a formal acknowledgement that the individual bearing the name below has an incontestable and inalienable right to exist.”
The Huron runway show is named after Willy Chavarria’s hometown, Huron, California. The Migrant Farmworker community where Chavarria was born and raised has inspired past collections, and for the 2026 Spring/Summer runway collection, the show references the current political climate that has instilled fear across the migrant community in Huron and throughout the United States.
Along with a runway show, the designer has released an extended trailer of “Heart of the Valley,” a short film that explores the varied stories of the migrant community in Huron.
You can watch the full runway show on Chavarria’s Youtube channel.