Paraguayan designer Simón Villalba has been honoured in New York, winning Best Custom Fashion Designer at the first Runway 7 Fashion Awards, held at Sony Hall in Manhattan. The ceremony closed the platform’s Spring/Summer 2027 season during New York Fashion Week. According to local media, he is the first Paraguayan to receive the distinction.
The award recognises work Villalba has built over several years in the United States. Much of this work has focused on international beauty pageants. Originally from General Artigas, a small town in the department of Itapúa in southern Paraguay, he has built a career creating elaborate costumes and couture pieces for pageant contestants on some of the world’s biggest stages.
A new awards night at New York Fashion Week
Runway 7 is a production company that stages runway shows during New York Fashion Week. Its 11th season ran at Sony Hall in Manhattan, bringing together 138 designers from 20 countries, more than 27 of them from Latin America.
The awards gala took place on 14 September 2026, with more than 150 nominees across over 30 categories. Honours covered streetwear, ready-to-wear, womenswear, global heritage, haute couture, bridal, swimwear and accessories, among others. Villalba had been listed by the organisers among the notable nominees, alongside designers such as Jesse Lee, Paromita Ghosh, Amna Inam, Karen Chan and Markos Pimentel.
Paraguayan references in the designs
Simón Villalba has repeatedly linked his work to Paraguayan craft traditions. He cites ñandutí, a fine handmade lace with a radial, web-like pattern produced mainly in the town of Itauguá. Traditional embroidery, strong colours and handmade craftsmanship also run through his pieces.
His signature style is built on visual impact. He works with crystals, stones and applied embellishment, and uses feathers for the movement and volume they bring to a garment. It is an aesthetic that comes directly from the carnival workshops where he learned the trade.
From General Artigas to a New York catwalk
Villalba, whose full name is Blas Simón Villalba Rivas, left Paraguay at the age of 23. He has now lived in New York for around seven years. He first studied environmental engineering, then agronomy, then graphic design, in Encarnación, the capital city of Itapúa.
His entry into fashion was accidental. A friend competing for the title of carnival queen asked for help with her costume. Encarnación hosts Paraguay’s largest carnival, a summer season of parades known locally as the corsos, where clubs compete with elaborate feathered costumes.
“It was as if a lamp switched on,” he says of that first night gluing stones onto feathers, in a published first-person account. He began working as an assistant on carnival costumes. Two years later, San Juan, one of the city’s largest carnival clubs, hired him.
A debut in February, an award in September
The September award follows a year of rapid progress. Villalba made his New York Fashion Week debut in February 2026, also with Runway 7, presenting a collection of fantasy costumes inspired by Paraguayan cultural identity. He described the reception as extraordinary, and said more than 200 photographers covered the presentation.
Simón Villalba considers the New York award a turning point in his career. His stated goal now is to keep developing his work and to take Paraguay’s name to further international stages, joining a small circle of Paraguayan designers gaining ground abroad, among them New York-based Gabriela Recalde.
To follow his journey, follow Simón Villalbla on Instagram.
