Trendwatchers have been writing about it for a while now; the influence from the south in the world of design is growing and can’t be ignored anymore. Where in the past Paris and Italy where the places to go for high quality handmade goods, we now can find well made products all over the world. Blind spots were though ‘the South’ as in being Africa and Latin America. Not anymore; African fashion is taking over the catwalks with its colorful patterns and now the attention slowly moves towards the southern parts of the America’s…
Dutch ànd Latin American Design
With our founder Janaika’s roots being for 50% in Peru, it was just a matter of time before we started to divide our attention between Dutch (design) and that as well… Time for us to start doing what we were intend to do for a while; adding that Latin American flair to our collection!
Yes, we’re good at curating industrial and natural, clean and fresh Dutch design.
But now we would like to show our other, more colourful side with new Peruvian design brands. On the April 2018 Peru Moda trade fair in Lima, together with Ana Berenc from PROM Peru (Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism) we went on an exploration tour, and boy did we discover!
When we started curating Peruvian brands that are close to our believes, we discovered that the most interesting ones had some things in common;
Boho chique
Let’s call it ‘boho chique’; Peruvian brands are not afraid to use colour, patterns and fine details and nearly all produce their products by hand without losing quality. Actually, that ‘handmade’ part is an assurance for quality; ancient techniques that have proven its worth throughout the ages are used and give us a great extra story.
Local Stories 
These stories, for most brands, go further than just showing off great handwork skills: it is more about being proud of heritage and preservation of culture. Local approaches of techniques differ, which results in a rich variety of styles to choose from, all with its own background.
The other attractive story that is told by these brands: they nearly all create opportunities for locals that are skilled in handcrafting, but might need some help with the more commercial side. In this way corporate social responsibility is part of most Peruvian brand values, and is highly controlled and regulated to find the most honest win-win situation for vendors, artists and customers.
Alpaca craze 
Last but not least an influence that spread over the world thanks to the Internet the last year; alpaca’s cuddle worthiness seems to take over the limelight from the good old internet-dominating cat.
All thanks to their fleece.
With 80% of alpaca fleece being produced in Peru, it being ‘the gold of the Andes’ and worn by Incan royalty for over decades, it is a beautiful heritage story in its own.
Set aside the quality advantages of this fleece: hypoallergenic, lightweight, breathable and super-soft. And; the alpaca-fleece-industry works with sincere respect for the animals.
Today we launch two new brands that have all of the above; they are ‘boho chique’, have attractive and honest local stories and have at least a few alpaca products in their collection: Threads of Peru and Sumaq Qara.
Find their products in our webshop and read more about them in our ‘our designers’ section!