Dive Brief:
- EBay and designer Willy Chavarria partnered to bring some of his archival pieces back to the runway during Paris Men’s Fashion Week last week, per a company press release.
- Chavarria merged new designs with vintage items from his label, which were sourced through the resale platform for his autumn-winter menswear show. EBay said it was “a powerful endorsement of accessibility and circularity in fashion,” per the release.
- One of Chavarria’s runway-exclusive “Chuco” suits was also sold via auction on eBay, with the proceeds going toward the California Community Foundation and its Wildfire Recovery Fund.
Dive Insight:
Chavarria, who was named Menswear Designer of the Year in 2023 and 2024 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, used his Paris show to mark the 10th anniversary of his namesake label. The show featured pieces from his 2016 and 2022, which the designer sourced from eBay sellers around the world, per the release.
“Scouring eBay for vintage designer fashion and collectibles has been a key part of my creative process,” Chavarria said in the release. “For this collection, I revisited past seasons to spark a conversation about how ‘new’ looks can be created out of existing pieces.”
The designer's all-gender show on Jan. 24 also featured performances from musicians J Balvin and Dorian Wood, and ended with Chavarria walking down the runway wearing a T-shirt that read “How we love is who we are.”
The show follows two eBay first Pre-Loved Fashion Week events last year, in New York and London, both of which featured live shoppable runway shows.
“We have partnered with top tastemakers and brands — from Elton John to Balenciaga — to redefine pre-loved fashion and meet our audiences where they are to drive real impact,” Kirsty Keoghan, general manager of global fashion at eBay, said in an email. “From showing up in a disruptive way at Fashion Week with the first pre-loved focus 'Endless Runway' to our partnership in the UK with Love Island, we want to show the world that choosing pre-loved doesn’t mean compromising on style or quality.”
In December, eBay partnered with designer Margherita Maccapani Missoni, who auctioned off 35 vintage and pre-owned items from her personal collection on the website. And last September, Missoni dipped into her eBay archives to offer a limited series of accessories that originally launched in 2023 under the Maccapani fashion label.
Chavarria has also partnered with multiple companies in the past, with an eye toward raising awareness of various causes close to the designer’s heart.
In 2023, Chavarria and Pacsun collaborated on a collection of unisex graphic tees and hoodies, with some of the proceeds being donated to support a California nonprofit organization helping young people impacted by gangs. He also partnered with Dickies that year on a fashion workwear capsule collection that he said was inspired by the brand he grew up wearing.
