At New York Fashion Week last month, Keith Herron of Advisry, Lorena Pipenco of Pipenco, and Yamil Arbaje and Angelo Beato of Leblanc Studios offered a novel take on the “emerging” moniker. Get to know them.

Advisry

Keith Herron of Advisry’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection titled Four Moral Tales was inspired by Éric Rohmer’s film series Six Moral Tales, a body of work that continues to shape cinema today. Herron built his collection like a narrative unfolding over time layered with depth, internal contradictions, and the subtle gestures that often reveal more than words.

Pipenco

Lorena Pipenco of Pipenco’s show Lalele – “A Naive Hero’s Journey”- was inspired by the 1965 Romanian film De-a Fi Harap Alb. Pipenco reminded us that fashion need not abandon playfulness.

The garments fused armor with tenderness: hand-felted stripes, enlarged maramè structures, and yarn-knotted cascades evoke folkloric weight. A stunning floor-length gown constructed from over 900 lemon peels embodied both whimsical and edgy elements, whilea red-and-white backless dress paired with an enlarged cream mushroom-like hat, balanced femininity and sex appeal.

The runway balanced wearable ready-to-wear with avant-garde artistry. She resisted the urge to compromise vision for sales; instead, she reminded us that storytelling and whimsy remain vital as consumers are looking for designers to take risks.

Leblanc Studios

Yamil Arbaje and Angelo Beato of Leblanc Studios showed their “Museum of Common Oddities” collection at Chinatown’s Bench Community Center.

Their fashion is both a vessel for narrating and a site of refuge, an escape from the troubles the world faces. The duo approached the collection as if writing a film or novel, processing uncertain political landscapes and inherited social burdens through clothes.

The casting reflected a multiplicity of staples, stories, and oddities spanning from the Dominican Republic to New York City.

Arbaje and Beato created a space that was tranquil yet charged; forgotten voices, tycoons, and Caribbean and Latin American voices merged and reflected a tension.