Willy Chavarría, Karoline Vitto, and Luar’s Raúl López Take Home Top Honors at the Latin American Fashion Awards

November 6, 2023

Willy Chavarría took home Designer of the Year at the Latin American Fashion Awards.

This weekend marked the first-ever Latin American Fashion Awards, held in the iconic Altos de Chavón amphitheater in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Founded by Constanza Etro and Silvia Arguëllo, the event gathered fashion creatives from 23 Latin American countries as well as an impressive international jury led by Haider Ackermann that included Karla Martinez de Salas, head of content of Vogue Mexico and Latin America; Nina Garcia, editor in chief of Elle; the Italian fashion editor Anna Dello Russo; and i-D’s global fashion director Carlos Nazario, among others. An electric performance by the Colombian artist J Balvin, who was also honored with the inaugural Latin American Style Icon Award, closed out the celebrations with a high energy performance.

A total of 14 awards were doled out on Saturday evening, but it was the spirit of community that took center stage. Something that was especially meaningful to Willy Chavarría, who took home the Designer of the Year Award: “So much of what I do is to honor the great richness and vast differences within our Latinidad,” he explained. “To be on the stage with 5,000 Latin American faces celebrating my work was the warmest feeling in the world.”

At the Latin American Fashion Awards, Luar’s Raúl López took home Brand of the Year.

Photo: Shane Drummond/BFA.com

Karoline Vitto accepting her award for Emerging Designer of the Year.

The actress Leslie Grace, who co-hosted the event with Iván Pineda, declared the evening to be deeply emotional. “There were so many moving parts of the show, it is hard to choose [highlight]. It made me damn proud to watch Lineisy Montero come up to the stage with her mother to receive her award for Estrella Local De Republica Dominicana; and it brought tears to my eyes to hear Raúl López share how the work ethic of his grandmother, whom he watched work tirelessly in a factory, is in all of his own work.” López’s Luar received the award for Brand of the Year, while Karoline Vitto, fresh off her Milanese runway takeover in collaboration with Dolce Gabbana, accepted the award for Emerging Designer of the Year. “It’s been such an amazing experience to have the chance to meet all these incredibly talented artists, designers, creators, and communicators from this wonderful continent that I am so proud to be a part of,” Vitto said on her Instagram account.

Read through for a full list of the winners and honorees at the Latin American Fashion Awards.