If there's someone who has taken Peruvian design to the top of the international world, it's Alessandra Durand. The designer and activist is the founder of Kené Kaya, a mission-based ethical brand that fuses artisan craftsmanship and ancestral textile art from the Peruvian Amazon with contemporary design, all done in collaboration with Indigenous artisan collectives. "Kene Kaya" translates to "the spirit of design" in the native language of Shipibo-Conibo; it's a name that embodies Durand's commitment to celebrating cultural heritage through fashion innovation.
Durand developed the brand to create a space for the indigenous artists in Peru, ensuring their artistry is not only preserved but celebrated on global stages where their voices have long been absent. Throughout her life, Durand has advocated for cultural preservation, women's empowerment, and sustainable social impact, seeking to inspire other South American brands to adopt these practices and respect their indigenous artisans.
"My work with Kené Kaya has always gone beyond design: it's about serving as a vehicle towards sustainable development, cultural preservation, and providing visibility to indigenous artisans. For so long, fashion has been taken from indigenous groups without the proper recognition, remuneration, and empowerment. I want to show that fashion can be vindicated as a tool of justice, dignity, and acknowledgement."
As a young woman, Durand studied economic development at the University of Stanford and Oxford University. Her passion for the Peruvian Amazon began during fieldwork for her dissertation focused on extractive industries and their impact on indigenous groups in Peru. From there, she developed an interest in learning about the different textural art forms in her country. Aside from that, she grew up with knowledge of some of the indigenous groups that originated in Peru, thanks to her father and grandfather, who worked as a sociologist and anthropologist, respectively.
Durand has worked with the Shipibo-Konibo, developing a partnership that has lasted for years.
When Durand launched Kené Kaya, Shipibo textiles were largely unknown in Peru beyond traditional contexts. She envisioned these ancestral designs as wearable art, bringing a sense of luxury, sophistication, and contemporary elegance to a form of cultural expression that had never been positioned in this way. Over the years, her work has not only elevated the perception of Shipibo textile art globally but also inspired a new wave of Peruvian designers to integrate these Amazonian Indigenous textiles into fashion, turning what was once an overlooked craft into a growing trend within the national fashion landscape.
At this year's Miami Swim Week, Kené Kaya was selected as one of five emerging global brands for the "Emerging Designer Capsule Showcase" of Everlast.
“I see myself as a bridge for overlooked Peruvian talent, collaborating to share the creativity and spirit of our artisans and artists in innovative ways so their stories and work can reach more people around the world. Their resilience and talent inspire me every day, and I feel honored to help amplify their voices.”
Durand's designs and creations have gone beyond runways, reaching stages as important and notorious as the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. In December of 2024, Durand reached out to the Peruvian band Los Mirlos, the first Peruvian band to perform at Coachella, kicking off a partnership that resulted in her clothing being worn at one of the world's largest and most popular musical stages. The group's seven band members showed up onstage wearing her clothes, highlighting the Shipibo-Konibo community of Cantagallo.
Her last fashion show was presented in New York Fashion Week. Titled "Amor Ancestral," the work was received with critical acclaim and marked the first instance when Shipibo-Conibo designs adorned the New York runaways. Durand also included Olinda Silvano, the leader of the artisanal collective, as an integral part of the show, kicking the show off with a traditional song performed in her mother tongue.