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The door to Willy Chavarria’s studio is plastered with a greeting: “GOOD MORNING”, reads a sticker slapped to the big, grey door that opens up to the industrial Greenpoint, Brooklyn studio. The red and black sticker is accompanied by other adhesives: a logo and a branded photograph of one of Chavarria’s models. On Wednesday, there was another more timely notice: “WILLY CHAVARRIA / SS2025 / CASTING”, an A4 sheet of paper read.

It was two days before the brand’s New York Fashion Week show, held on Wall Street on Friday night. Inside, a team of around 10 flits about the studio, clad in vintage tees and well-worn jeans. It’s abuzz with energy but not hectic. A fitting is wrapping up, and the team is sewing garments on the communal table to the left. People squeeze past, grabbing different pieces off the crowded racks. “It’s a lunch break,” says Chavarria’s friend and art director of seven seasons, Jess Cuevas, referring to the relative lack of chaos. Nobody’s eating lunch — they’re too busy sewing, steaming and refining.

But the studio is quiet enough for a chat. Chavarria walks us to his makeshift ‘office’, which totals three chairs in a circle, sectioned off by clothing racks and mood boards. “One day we’ll have an office like yours,” he says with a smile, referencing Condé Nast’s One World Trade Center HQ, where Chavarria recorded an episode of Vogue’s ‘The Run-Through’ podcast just days earlier. “Everyone knew my name,” he marvels, referencing his lap around the office post-recording.

Of course they did. Over the last few seasons, Chavarria’s shows have risen to the most coveted of NYFW ranks — a Chavarria invite is a golden ticket in 2024. After working at American powerhouses like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, Chavarria’s own brand has come to represent what a modern American fashion label can be: elevated sportswear, imbued with Chavarria’s Chicano roots. The shows bring an energy missing from so many others. And Friday’s was no exception.

After drinks and bites (very good chicken tacos — a welcome addition at a 7pm show), guests shuffled to their seats, a massive American flag hanging overhead. Booklets containing the US Constitution were placed at each seating. The show began with a parade of Chavarria’s signature tailoring, before the lyrical music stopped and the lights went down, then went red. The music shifted and part two began: the Adidas debut. The finale, led by Chavarria himself with models in tow, was met with cheers. After the show, attendees lingered out the front. Last show or not, you wanted to hang around the buzz.