Since sustainable apparel brand Paka launched in 2016, founder Kris Cody has been working to connect the brand’s community to its roots and operations in Peru.
This month, the brand is taking that relationship a step further with the debut of its Heritage collection, featuring sweaters and cozy winter accessories co-created with master Indigenous Quechua artisans, including weaver Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez from Chinchero in the Cusco region of Peru, who helped establish the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, or CTTC.
“Since we started our partnership hand-in-hand with CTTC nine years ago, our shared goal has been to preserve Quechua tradition. As it’s grown, we explored how we co-create more deeply in a way that gives royalties directly back to the weavers. This collection is our answer, and just the beginning of what’s possible: apparel that honors the people, places, and knowledge behind it,” Cody said.
Nathalie Kelley wearing Paka’s Heritage Collection for its short film “Yachapa.”
Courtesy of Paka
Throughout the collection, which was designed to honor the Quechua artisans and Andes communities whom the brand has collaborated with, styles feature and celebrate the sacred Peruvian symbols of the condor, puma and snake. Key styles include the royal alpaca and merino wool Condor full-zip cardigan; men’s royal alpaca and recycled nylon Puma Fair Isle sweater; baby alpaca, lyocell, recycled nylon and spandex thermal socks and the royal alpaca and virgin sheep wool Alpaquero hat, which the brand said is a “bold nod to the alpaca herders who’ve sustained Andean life for 6,000 years, and more.” The Heritage collection, priced $28 to $259, is available to purchase via the brand’s e-commerce and at its flagship, with 5 percent of all sales going to directly support the Quechua weavers.
In addition to the apparel collection, Paka is on Thursday premiering an accompanying short film, “Yachapa,” in New York City. The film, directed by Sandra Winther, features Peruvian actress Nathalie Kelley, who first connected with Paka after visiting its flagship in Cusco, Peru while leading a tour of hikers in the Andes earlier this year.
Winter accessories from Paka’s Heritage collection.
Courtesy of Paka
“Peruvians have a lot of weariness about outsiders coming in and starting their companies, because often outsiders are just looking to make a buck, and they’re really making a buck at the expense of Indigenous people, so I always ask questions [about the brands coming in],” she recalled. After purchasing a pair of Paka’s thermals and wearing them on the hike, the actress connected directly with the brand to learn about Cody’s mission further.
“From my first conversation with Kris, I realized what an ally he was,” she added, noting that while she had already been working with a weaving community nearby for years, she was inspired to work with Paka for its messaging of redefining the perception of luxury and commitment to giving back to traditional artisans and local communities.
“Paka really is redefining fashion with the power of good that fashion could have in this world, instead of the current power that it’s wielding of doing more harm than good. It’s also redefining luxury — when I say luxury, everyone knows what I’m talking about. It’s knowing what you are getting, what you paid for and more. This storytelling that we’re doing is helping people to look at that price and say, like, ‘I know where this money is going, and I know the beautiful ripple effects it’s going to have in the wider world,’” she said.
Nathalie Kelley and Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez wearing Paka’s Heritage Collection for its short film “Yachapa.”
Courtesy of Paka
“I want customers to start to feel that visceral connection to this animal in the same way that I did when I first opened care packages [from my mother],” Kelley said, recalling receiving care packages of knitted alpaca woolen sweaters from her Peruvian aunts while growing up in Australia. “The smell connected me to this animal from such a young age. Also the appreciation for artisan handicraft, handmade things, my mother always instilled that in me.”
In addition to her collaboration with Paka on its Heritage Collection film — which Kelley said visually focuses on connecting with the community, lifestyle, traditions, artisans and the beautiful landscapes rather than solely on the collection’s garments — the actress said she also joined the brand’s board alongside Callañaupa Alvarez, who is also featured in the short film.
“This is a lifetime work that we are engaging in; it’s not just a collaboration,” she said.
