The runway tells one story. Backstage tells another. At Dojo de Paris today, photographer Justin Shin captured the raw, unfiltered energy behind Willy Chavarria’s Fall Winter 2026 show, documenting the hours of preparation before models stepped into the cinematic production that would unfold across three acts of love, desire, and human connection.
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The Environment
Backstage at a Willy Chavarria show operates differently than most. The designer’s ethos of community and care extends behind the scenes, where the atmosphere mirrors the emotional honesty he builds into every collection. At Dojo de Paris, the energy was focused but unhurried, intimate despite the scale of the production that Bureau Betak had constructed in the space.
The venue, transformed into a New York cityscape scented by Byredo, extended its sensory environment backstage. Models moved between hair and makeup stations, stylists made final adjustments to the cropped suits and sateen skirts, and the casting team led by Brent Chua coordinated the roster that would walk through three distinct acts.
Shin’s images capture this pre-show state: the tension between stillness and anticipation, the quiet before the live performances from Mon Laferte, Mahmood, Feid, and the rest of the musical lineup would fill the space with sound.
Hair: Paul Hanlon
Paul Hanlon, the session stylist whose credits span decades of major campaigns and runway shows, led the hair team for Fall Winter 2026. His approach for Chavarria balanced the collection’s range, creating looks that could move from the sharp tailoring of Act I through the BIG WILLY workwear of Act II into the red carpet drama of Act III.
Backstage, Hanlon’s team worked methodically through the cast, adapting techniques to individual faces while maintaining cohesion across the show. The hair needed to read across Bureau Betak’s cinematic staging, under Benoît Debie’s cinematography, and in Gaspar Lindberg’s runway photography. Shin captured these moments of transformation: models in chairs, stylists with tools in hand, the incremental construction of a runway-ready look.
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The aesthetic honored Chavarria’s references to the 1970s, the era that informs his graphic jersey assortment and Cuban-heel footwear, while remaining contemporary. Hair was styled to complement the collection’s movement, designed to hold through the choreography that Damien Jalet staged across the three-act structure.
Makeup: Yadim for Byredo
Makeup artist Yadim, working with Byredo as official makeup partner, created the faces that would carry Chavarria’s emotional narrative. The collaboration between Yadim and Byredo brought the fragrance and beauty house’s aesthetic sensibility to the backstage environment, their products integrated into looks designed for the collection’s palette of dim mint, soft pink, and warm orange-red.
Shin’s backstage images document Yadim’s process: the application of product, the assessment of light, the small adjustments that distinguish runway makeup from editorial or commercial work. The looks needed to function in the immersive environment Chavarria constructed, where models would move through a New York streetscape installation titled “The Avenue of Truth” while Grindr conversations played on screen.
The makeup balanced visibility with subtlety, enhancing features without overwhelming the clothes. Chavarria’s designs demand attention, from the textural richness of distressed leathers and leopard-printed shearling to the rose motifs across cloqué surfaces. Yadim’s work ensured faces complemented rather than competed with the garments.
Skincare: The Ordinary
The Ordinary served as skincare stylist for the show, their ingredient-first philosophy aligning with Chavarria’s commitment to accessibility and transparency. Backstage, the brand’s products prepared skin for Yadim’s makeup application, the stripped-back approach meeting the bold storytelling of the collection.
The partnership extended beyond backstage utility. The Ordinary was integrated into the runway installation itself, their presence part of the cinematic New York streetscape. The collaboration positioned skincare as self-respect and care rather than luxury, values that echo Chavarria’s mission to uplift the underrepresented through design.
The Clothes in Waiting
Shin’s frames captured the collection in its pre-runway state: garments hanging, accessories arranged, the full scope of Chavarria’s vision visible before it was activated by movement. The cropped suits with loose hips, the relaxed tuxedos, the “sandwich gown” combining cloqué hourglass front with trailing champagne silk back, all waited for their moment.
The color story read clearly in the backstage environment. Violeta, oro, uniform brown, uniform blue, and Willy red appeared across suiting and skirts. Navy pinstripes and double-breasted suits hung alongside the BIG WILLY workwear: khaki and black chinos, bomber jackets, Sutton coach jackets finished with the new logo.
Accessories populated the space: the Bronca Bag with its loose “W” belt details, the Willy Bad Boy Sunglasses, footwear from the APICCAPS partnership including the Salon Loafer and Antonio Boot. The adidas collaboration pieces, including World Cup merchandise accredited by the Mexican Football Federation, sat ready for Act II.
The Atmosphere
What Shin’s images ultimately capture is atmosphere: the specific energy of a Willy Chavarria backstage, where the designer’s values of community, care, and emotional honesty manifest in how people treat each other and occupy space together.
Chavarria’s collection notes describe watching strangers come together to help a woman who collapsed in a crosswalk. “We waited together for the ambulance,” he writes. This ethos of connection extended backstage, where models, stylists, hair and makeup teams, and crew prepared together for a show dedicated to the power of love.
The production would soon begin, Bureau Betak’s staging would activate, Damien Jalet’s choreography would set bodies in motion, and the live performances would fill Dojo de Paris with sound. But in Shin’s backstage images, the moment before holds its own power: the anticipation, the preparation, the care taken before stepping into the light.
Backstage Credits
Backstage Photography: Justin Shin Creative Director: Willy Chavarria Stylist: Carlos Nazario Casting: Brent Chua Hair: Paul Hanlon Makeup Artist: Yadim Official Makeup Partner: Byredo Skincare Stylist: The Ordinary Direction, Design, and Production: Bureau Betak Staged and Choreographed: Damien Jalet
Backstage Credits
Backstage Photography: Justin Shin Creative Director: Willy Chavarria Stylist: Carlos Nazario Casting: Brent Chua Hair: Paul Hanlon Makeup Artist: Yadim Official Makeup Partner: Byredo Skincare Stylist: The Ordinary
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Discover more of the collection on DSCENE Magazine.
