With NYFW in full swing and Hispanic Heritage Month kicking off, it feels like the perfect moment for Dwarmis Concepción to step into our spotlight.
Dwarmis’s latest collection, for her namesake brand DWARMIS, called CUERPO, showed her talent for designing equal parts laid-back and luxe. The entire production came to life at the Colombian-owned Cristina Grajales Gallery with an entirely Latinx team, from hair and makeup to the stylist and photographer.
Known for her sophisticated point of view and effortlessly refined collections, this season marks Dwarmis’s NYFW debut under her own name. But with past experiences with designers including Tory Burch, Ulla Johnson, and Rachel Comey, she’s no newcomer to the fashion week scene.
Looking back at those early experiences, Dwarmis told The Newsette that “working for those brands was amazing.” Having started working with Tory Burch very early in her career, she added that it felt as though she had “literally adopted” her.
“It was very inspiring to see how this woman was running this business, and she's huge, and she's amazing,” said Dwarmis. “It’s how she pays attention to details and how she wants to make a difference. She influenced my career. It was a huge blessing to work for her, not only in her design but also in how she runs her business. The way she works and how she really wants to make a difference, especially by supporting women, is very inspiring.”
Designing was something that Dwarmis said became a goal very early in her life. She used to love to draw when she was a child, even using her dad’s art collection as inspiration.
“And then I started drawing dolls with clothes,” said Dwarmis. “I used to love drawing clothes, and my mom would say, ‘Oh, you're gonna be a fashion designer, she's gonna be a fashion designer!’ I was like, six or four, I don't know. But since then, I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer, so I started studying very early. I prepared myself even before starting [college] because I wanted to be good at it.”
As tastemakers filled the gallery to see the collection, Dwarmis said that she is “still processing” the major milestone. “It's very emotional, but I'm very happy,” she said. “I think I'm ready for people to see what I do. I've been growing little by little, but I think I've gotten to the point where I see every woman here in New York City around the world wearing my clothes.”
CUERPO, her Spring/Summer 2026 collection, is “about how the clothes belong to the body when you put it on.” Throughout the collection, Dwarmis said that she “plays a lot with the pattern and the construction, like where the lines hit, simulating the spine and the hips and the waist. So it's like this language of [putting] something on, and it belongs to you and the way you move. Cuerpo means body, and it's the idea of an easy piece, and it’s part of you.”
At the core of her brand, Dwarmis makes it a point to work with the Latin community in New York City. “There's so many Latinos here from everywhere,” she said. Her factory in New York City, for example, is Latino-run.
“I go [to the factory] and speak Spanish, and it's like a family,” said Dwarmis. “I seriously go and I tell them, ‘I love you.’ It's your people in there, my people. I'm building this little community of Latinos trying to make a difference in New York City. It’s hard when everything is happening. [But I’ve] said, ‘No, these are my people. I want to support them.’ And when I give them jobs, they want to support me. And it’s been beautiful.”
