UTKU Journal

Heritage

The Alpargata Pattern

The Alpargata Pattern

The alpargata and the faja are an ongoing reference Utku returns to every year for a new colourway and pattern. Archive 01 (sold out) was the first. Archive 02, coming...

The Alpargata Pattern

The alpargata and the faja are an ongoing reference Utku returns to every year for a new colourway and pattern. Archive 01 (sold out) was the first. Archive 02, coming...

The Fabián Shirt

The Fabián Shirt

Before there was a brand called UTKU, there was a shirt named after the man who runs the family factory. The Fabián has a name for a reason.

The Fabián Shirt

Before there was a brand called UTKU, there was a shirt named after the man who runs the family factory. The Fabián has a name for a reason.

South American Design, Not "Andean-Inspired"

South American Design, Not "Andean-Inspired"

What would precolonial South American design have evolved into if it had the same respect as European design? That question is UTKU's actual design brief.

South American Design, Not "Andean-Inspired"

What would precolonial South American design have evolved into if it had the same respect as European design? That question is UTKU's actual design brief.

The Bolívar Knitters

UTKU's hand-knit pieces come from an indigenous community in Bolívar, Ecuador — knowledge passed mother to daughter, one piece at a time.

The Bolívar Knitters

UTKU's hand-knit pieces come from an indigenous community in Bolívar, Ecuador — knowledge passed mother to daughter, one piece at a time.

La Escuela — The Workshop Floor

In our workshop in Ibarra, knowledge doesn't get documented — it gets passed down, stitch by stitch. We call it La Escuela.

La Escuela — The Workshop Floor

In our workshop in Ibarra, knowledge doesn't get documented — it gets passed down, stitch by stitch. We call it La Escuela.

Alta Costura & Sara Barja

Every UTKU piece traces back to a grandmother trained under Sara Barja, an alta costura designer in Loja who made pageant gowns for the queens of Quito.

Alta Costura & Sara Barja

Every UTKU piece traces back to a grandmother trained under Sara Barja, an alta costura designer in Loja who made pageant gowns for the queens of Quito.