Angelo Beato and Yamil Arbaje, the designers and co-founders of LEBLANCSTUDIOS, met in Santo Domingo. Arbaje was 14 at the time, sketching T-shirt designs in his notebooks. His sister noticed and introduced him to a then-17-year-old Beato, who lived just five minutes away. Beato had been collecting Raf Simons shirts – something that immediately impressed Arbaje, who didn’t know anyone else in the city who shared his level of obsession with fashion. “I remember seeing Dominican guys in clubs or bars wearing nice T-shirts from American or European brands, but we never had a Dominican brand that people would wear,” says Arbaje. LEBLANCSTUDIOS was born from that exact premise: bringing Dominican culture not only to the Caribbean, but to the world.

As teenagers, Beato and Arbaje were both fashion nerds who found each other – within a mile radius, no less – at exactly the right time. It was an instant connection: they began designing together “right away” after meeting and haven’t stopped since. After school, they would visit local factories and sit in the waiting areas, still in their uniforms, determined to learn everything they could about fabrics, needles and garment construction. Today, Beato remains based in the Dominican Republic, while Arbaje is in New York. The brand operates between the two cities, with much of the design process unfolding over WhatsApp chats.

As a nod to their dorky, teenage roots, on February 16, LEBLANCSTUDIOS showcased their AW26 collection, Nada Es Inocente (which translates to “nothing is innocent”), at New York Fashion Week. The show explored themes of wealth, luxury and uncertainty. On the runway, silhouettes moved between formalwear and sportswear, united by an intentional sense of “dorkiness”. The styling, complete with unexpected material combinations, hair brooches and metallic elements resembling bronze pearls, left familiar pieces appearing slightly off-centre, awkward and human. It was, in the brand’s own words, a “declaration against conformity”.

There have been plenty of hair-worn-as-accessories moments in recent seasons – Dilara Findikoglu’s SS26 show and Showpony’s AW26 recent show, to name a few – but the hair brooches at LEBLANCSTUDIOS felt rooted in something deeper: identity, memory and power. By transforming hair into a brooch, the designers sought to reposition something sacred, creating a dialogue between adornment and intimacy. In much the same way, LEBLANCSTUDIOS is reframing the beloved home country of Beato and Arbaje – placing the Dominican Republic in conversation with New York’s fashion scene, and beyond.

LEBLANCSTUDIOS is a love letter to Santo Domingo. Ahead of their latest show, we spoke to the duo about designing over WhatsApp, spotlighting the Caribbean, and staying true to their founding mission: creating clothes by and for Dominicans.

What’s your earliest fashion memory?

Angelo Beato: My grandma talked about socks, about informal wear. You should always have an interesting sock with a colour that pop outs. I remember that a lot.

Yamil Arbaje: Buying a blue neon Express shirt, and my friends laughing because it was horrible. 

Do you remember the first thing that you made together?

Yamil Arbaje: Of course! It was a pair of polka dot trousers. 

Angelo Beato: And an animal print sweater. 

How would you describe the aesthetic of your brand now?

Yamil Arbaje: We want to spotlight overlooked qualities of our culture, the subtle satire and storytelling, and represent the diversity that the Caribbean has always had. People don’t know about Latin America and the Caribbean, so in this way, we awaken interest in our culture through fashion. It’s ironic and playful. 

What are some of those overlooked elements?

Yamil Arbaje: The way people use colours. The music we have, and the way Bacteros, Merenguero and Salceros musicians dress. But also our daily life. 

Angelo Beato: And the artisans! We’re very attached to the graphics in the streets. 

People don’t know about Latin America and the Caribbean, so in this way, we awaken interest in our culture through fashion. It’s ironic and playful

How has the brand changed over the years?

Angelo Beato: The language of the brand, and the pieces themself, have become much more mature. We have more control over bringing our thoughts and ideas into execution and results. Most of the time, we’re getting there.  The brand is growing with us side by side.

What does your design process look like?

Yamil Arbaje: First, we share stuff on WhatsApp in a group with one other person, who designs with us. We take a few months of sharing photos, photos and more photos. Then we sketch, we write, we collect images over WhatsApp. In the Dominican Republic, once we are together, we rip apart clothing, doing Frankenstein stuff to take elements of garments and combine them with another garment. 

What’s the name of your group WhatsApp chat?

Yamil Arbaje: Just LBS Ops. It’s very boring. But we have one for sounds only. Everything is on WhatsApp. 

What do you listen to when making clothes?

Yamil Arbaje: I’ve been listening to Dominican music for all of this year. Traditional music like Ramon Cordero. 

Angelo Beato: I’m either listening to electronic music, jazz or tons of cinematic sounds. 

When I see someone looking unique and interesting, but something is maybe off about them, I get goosebumps

Who is the latest collection of LEBLANCSTUDIOS for?

Yamil Arbaje: The collection is our honest view of how people should look in the streets. It’s a little dorky, but somehow works. When I see someone looking unique and interesting, but something is maybe off on them, I get goosebumps. I admire those people because I would love to be like that. In every collection, we hope the looks feel like characters, so that’s part of the design process as well.

What characters or people are you inspired by then?

Angelo Beato: Tarkovsky is always an inspiration of mine. Also, Alfred Hitchcock and Lucrecia Martel make very nice movies with good colours that we reference a lot. 

What’s your favourite corner-store snack?

Yamil Arbaje: A protein bar. 

Angelo Beato: We don’t have the same corner stores in the Dominican Republic. But an empanada. 

How do you think being from the Dominican Republic has shaped your approach to fashion? 

Yamil Arbaje: I think if I were from another country, I don’t know if I’d be in fashion because I don’t know if I’d have anything to say. What makes us unique is that we are from the Dominican Republic. What we say and what voices we are celebrating are very attached to that. 

Angelo Beato: We don’t look like a classic fashion designer, and it’s important to bring fresh faces to the table.

What’s it been like to break into America’s fashion industry?

Yamil Arbaje: What I’ve noticed is that people don’t care about what we did at home. A lot of people have told us that we’ve had many years with the brand, but it really started when we came here. That what matters right now is just the work we are doing here. I understand that, even though it’s sad, it’s a reality. 

If money were no object, where would you be staging your next catwalk show? 

Angelo Beato: Hong Kong. I've always wanted to do a fashion show there.

Yamil Arbaje: I would bring everyone to the Dominican Republic.

Angelo Beato: We could do it in the sugar cane camps.