THE PERUVIAN BRAND REVIVING FASHION THROUGH REGENERATION AND COMMUNITY
By: Prachi Khatri
In the heart of Peru’s colorful Andes, a subtle revolution is unfolding. Sake, a sustainable Peruvian brand, is re-imagining the ways to create fabric using regenerative material. The brand is not only focused on protecting our ecosystem but also on empowering local communities while doing so.
Founded by Ana Tafur in 2013, the idea of Sake originated when Ana was working in China in 2005 at a Spanish manufacturing plant. She did mass production and noticed there was no awareness about its effects on the environment or people.
“I wanted to travel to Peru and get lost in communities. I quit my job in Shanghai in 2012 and started Sake. The idea was to create a sustainable fashion brand and I had to learn all steps of my value chain. I traveled to Peru and found that people dyed the skin of animals that died of natural causes using a seed called Tara. And so, what I did was bring that idea to the laboratory and created a formula”—Ana Tafur, founder of Sake.
Courtesy: Sake
The fashion industry is the most polluting sector on the planet, responsible for nearly twenty percent of wastewater production and ten percent of global carbon emissions. Tonnes of clothing waste and chemical dyes that poison our rivers remain a serious concern in manufacturing clothes. Every brand taking steps towards reducing these concerning affects is making a difference.
With deep roots that connect fashion to pre-Peruvian heritage and Latin American culture, Sake proudly carries a piece of heritage in its products. Sake’s philosophy is fashion poetry between nature and ancient human craft. The brand's mission is to restore what has been taken from the soil and soul of our communities.
Sake sources highly sustainable material for its production, such as alpaca wool from ethical herders, natural dyes from native plants, and tanned leather from Peruvian Tara seeds; every thread is sourced from regenerative material.
“In the universe of SAKE, I found a connection that I lost in fast fashion. Perhaps it was time to see value in our indigenous communities and rural communities and move forward,” says Tafur.
Her approach involves understanding the traditional techniques and improving them to make scalable products without losing their essence. The brand’s exploration in innovative materials is the core of its success. One such product derived from the rubber tree, Shringa, is a bio leather and cornerstone of its collection.
By partnering with small farming cooperatives in Peru like Cusco and Puno, the brand ensures it contributes to ecological restoration rather than destroying it. Besides the environmental protection, Sake is also a social enterprise that provides creative freedom to Quechua women artisans. The brand has employed more than fifty women that use ancestral weaving techniques to tell stories about the landscape, cultural identity and traditions through intricate patterns.
Courtesy: Sake
Sake uses dyeing techniques without sulfur, petroleum or lasers to protect the environment from harmful carbon dioxide gas emissions and uses plant-based material vs. animal-based for its fabrics.
The brand has emerged as a leader in sustainable fashion through its dedication and commitment to local communities and respect for nature. Besides various acclaims on the world stage, it is invited to Milan Fashion Week to showcase its sustainable product, earning a global reputation in the fashion industry.
In a world dominated by fast fashion, Sake is a beacon of hope for what thoughtful and careful creativity can achieve. Its garments tell a story of mountains, rivers, craftsmanship, and community strength. Every piece of article is a promise to regenerate the planet, empower its people, and support the environment. It proves to us that a system of care can exist in fashion where people, planet, and purpose coexist beautifully.