Peruvian Fashion: A Round Up of Faves
FYI, the alpaca sweaters sold in tourist markets are NOT authentic
When I left Peru in 2002, I also left the tyranny of Ripley and Saga Falabella, two chain department stores that my entire generation flocked to for clothes. There was nothing wrong with them per se, in the same way there is nothing wrong with a Macy’s in your decaying hometown mall. If you ever needed a pair of jeans, ballerina flats and maybe a couple of going-out tops, you could find it all trapped within the seven floors of their immaculate buildings. As long as your fashion sensibilities aligned with the kind of conformist trendiness of a suburban Missouri teen that had somehow found herself in Lima, you were gold.
For a lot of Limeñas, that was exactly the look they wanted to pull off. If all their friends wore the exact same thing, even better. Lest you believe I’m being hyperbolic, the two snobbiest girls in my high school class attended every social event wearing a hot pink spaghetti strap tank top with either a black knee-length skirt or tight black pants. They never wavered and they were always matching. This is what my social bubble called fashion. When I was fifteen, a guy at a party once asked me where I was from. When I answered, confused, “here?” he was surprised. I was dressed so differently from every other girl in the soirée, he assumed I was foreign.
Thankfully, the fashion landscape underwent a massive transformation during my twenty years abroad, at least at the retail level. An array of locals brands have popped up, taking advantage of grown-in-our-backyard resources like high-quality pima and tinga cotton and, yes, alpaca. We come from a longstanding tradition of weavers and textile designers that appeared before the Incas, before the Spanish, before Peru became this teetering democracy in late-stage capitalism. Today’s designers often celebrate that rich history by incorporating Andean symbols, Amazonian patterns, or other iconic imagery from the past to create pieces that are proudly and recognizably Peruvian. We’re also the largest producer of gold in Latin America and the number 1 producer of silver in the world—one of the reasons why I rarely buy jewelry outside of my country. Not only do I find more interesting accessories here, I get them at half the price of a metal knock-off in Banana Republic.
We have all the makings to become a powerhouse in the fashion world! And some designers are getting there, showing up in Milan Fashion Week and Dior. For the most part, though, the fashion ecosystem is small-scale and very local. Given the industry’s nefarious environmental, economic and psychological impact, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Acquiring clothes in Lima still requires practices of yore. Clients turn to trusted tailors and seamstresses to make dresses or coats from scratch, towing carefully selected yards from wholesale stores in Gamarra, the largest textile market in South America. Brands open storefronts after years of hawking their merchandise at street fairs, pop up markets or appointment-only visits to homes. Many brands are online only. By that I don’t mean you can add their products to your cart on their website, at least not always. More often, they use Instagram as a catalogue and WhatsApp as a payment service provider.
Personally, I love that this set up makes it more difficult to impulse shop or to buy in bulk. There’s something about the extra effort to head to a stall in a weekend artist fair that reminds me of lovingly picking up a small batch cheese at a farmer’s market in the US. On the other hand, because of the hand-crafted nature of several of these brands, size inclusivity is not a thing. I forgive those who are literally sowing every single piece by hand, who usually only have one or two versions of any of their creations. Those who use industrial manufacturing are less justified. Jeans don’t ever go beyond a size 34. Bikini bottoms are basically thongs. “Large” encompasses anyone with boobs.
And while I do notice a bit more fashion-forwardness among the expected crowd—artists, scenesters, the LGBTQ+ community, anyone who’s spent time in literally any other country on Earth—Lima’s entrenched allegiance to neutrals and outdated business casual looks makes anyone with an ounce of flair stand out. We refuse the chic of Buenos Aires, the loudness of Rio, the vibrancy of Medellín, and the cleavage of almost all of Latin America. In a perpetually gray city, we double down with gloomy blacks, dowdy grays, and browns that match the Andes dust. Worried we’ll be perceived as una cualquiera but also as una antipática, we show up to the club with slacks from an accounting internship AND a tube top that is absolutely not meant for our ghastly, drizzly weather. WE ARE A MESS.
But these designers and brands give me hope. And they’re literally all I wear now.
Sadith Silvano
A Shipibo-Konibo multidisciplinary artist, Silvano designed, sowed and hand painted my favorite pair of pants on fabric made from the bark of an Amazonian tree.
Warmi Chic
Taking inspiration from traditional Andean garments (like the pollera skirt), Warmi Chic’s clothing is colorful, playful and feminine but with spunk.
Susan Wagner
Solid colored dresses in uneven cuts makes for an ultra-easy, uber modern look.
ORIGEN
Crisp and clean shirts, pants and skirts that could have easily veered on unassuming if wasn’t for the gorgeous sketches on each piece.
Eme
I’m not sure if Eme considers himself a clothing brand, exactly, but he’s a wonderful illustrator who sells sweaters with his artwork. It’s the comfiest sweater I’ve bought in years.
Lorena Pestana
Using gold, silver and bronze, Lorena Pestana molds rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry in the shapes of snakes, frogs, birds, butterflies, and other Peruvian wildlife.
Honorable Mentions
Minimal: for above-average tees, sweaters, and pants.
Bassika: similar to Minimal but with the added bonus that they have a wider variety of jeans.
Antonia: A swimsuit store where you can mix and match tops and bottoms, thank the f-ing God. I don’t go into the ocean unless my ass is fully covered, not because I’m self-conscious about my butt but because I don’t want one aggressive wave to turn me into a proto-OnlyFans influencer.
Next Shopping Spree
Amapolay: I’ve been eyeing their sweaters forever but on the one day I went to the one store where they sell them, the sales person told me they had taken all their merchandise to a fashion expo in the US. I’m patiently awaiting their return.
Endémica: More nature-themed garments! I’m a woman obsessed.
For fans of Homework, Money Lessons, and Progress Report: fear not! I’m moving those sections to the Less Cranky monthly round ups. I’ll never let them go.
this was a treat for the eyes! It also made me look up the story behind the retailer Peruvian Connection. Of course it's not run by women from Peru. https://www.peruvianconnection.com/pages/our-story
I love this. India used to be like this, too (though I can't complain about the abundance of ready-made when I'm never there long enough anymore to visit a tailor!)