Later, we met Ana the founder and creative brain behind SAKÉ and fell in love just a little bit more… She is passionate about sustainable development and every bag is created from a place of heart where community and the planet are respected and revered. Ana is inspired by ancient indigenous craftsmanship and travels the world meeting with indigenous communities to learn from them. She then applies her own experience as a designer in the textile industry to create modern pieces inspired by ancient traditions.

SAKÉ is a brand built on an ethos of sustainability through all stages of the product life cycle from the producer harvesting the raw material to the end user wearing the bag. Ana spent several years working for big brands in China. She became disheartened by the throw-away culture of the textile industry and the damage it causes not only to the environment but also to the surrounding communities.

She wanted to do something different that made a positive impact on people and planet and so SAKÉ was born. She started working with a community of displaced women in the town of Cajamarquilla near Lima and today works with more than 7 communities across different regions of Peru impacting the lives of over 100 families. Workers receive a fair wage and respect for their skills and work which helps preserve these ancestral traditions.

In additon to textiles three other materials are used to make the bags including environmentally friendly leather. The SAKÉ leather has been cured using vegetable tanning techniques and vegetable dyes only. Unlike most mainstream leather on the market today, no synthetic substances or chrome are used in their leather tanning techniques making this one of the most environmentally friendly leathers available in Peru. Their new range of eco-paiche bags are made using the skin of the Amazonian fish ‘paiche’. The skin of this fish is otherwise just thrown away and is beautifully soft and textured in finish. If you are vegan they also do a natural vegan leather which has a rubber type texture made from the shiringa tree found in the Peruvian Amazon.

They have a lovely selection of shoulder bags, smaller handbags, purses and wallets. You can find their collections in Cusco at the Cocoliso store and La Galeria and in Lima at their store in the Miraflores district and Dedalo in the Barranco district.

Any SAKÉ bag is a beautiful memento of a trip to Peru and is full of culture and tradition that supports local communities, ancient techniques and the environment.

For more great places to shop in Cusco click here

Read more here about our favorite shops in Lima

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Wagner is a powerhouse who is passionate about what she does and you can often find her in her shop just across the road from the entrance to Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in Miraflores. She stocks a range of clothing and products from local Peruvian contemporary designers who all have the same vision about using fashion to make positive change.

Wagner designs using local materials and techniques that don’t damage communities or the environment. Her vision is to encourage people to connect with nature and protect it through fashion rather than destroying it so her brand has a strong ethical and sustainable fashion focus. She uses organic cotton, baby alpaca fiber, silk and recycled materials in her pieces and also works with small associations, families and artisans throughout Peru.

She mixes her design with alternative, modern and indigenous design elements and is constantly inspired by the Peruvian culture and landscapes. Wagner constantly uses a variety of different techniques and materials to create her hand-crafted items which are produced in small batches using ancestral techniques including natural dyes harvested from nature and pre-Colombian embroidery techniques. She finds her inspiration on the streets of Lima and has travelled extensively around Peru where she is constantly influenced by her countrys’ traditions which she then likes to incorporate into her work.

Wagner also stocks the stunning Peruvian brand of baby alpaca knitwear Mia or ‘Mothers in Action’ which is made by single mothers from different communities in Huancayo.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• Susan’s collections usually involve a great selection of ladies’ handbags which she sees as an extension of a womans’ home. Look for colourful, over-sized designs that you won’t find anywhere else in Peru!

See more great places to shop in Lima here

Check out our list of the top things to see and do in Miraflores

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The perfect antidote to the inevitable overload of traditional, colourful Andean souvenirs and textiles unavoidable on any trip to  Peru.

The Dedalo story begins when newlyweds Enrique and Maria Elena set off to study art and literature in Florence Italy. When their first son was born they decided to return to Peru and attempt to make a living from art opening up a small shop selling friends’ jewellery and paintings in the garage of their home.

Dedalo has since become a Barranco institution visited by Hollywood stars and passing dignitaries looking for a piece of modern Peru to take home. The concept is contemporary, urban design. Unique pieces and collections by a range of Peruvian designers are showcased in a beautifully restored colonial house on a quiet street next to the Barranco clifftop.

The space itself is divided into a series of nooks each displaying a different theme. Well known Peruvian designers such as Vacide Erda Zimic and Puro Corazon Handbags have small atelier space where you will find a collection of their pieces. The larger rooms like ‘vidro’ display a mix of decorative and utilitarian pieces including frames, candle holders and decorative pieces made from glass, wood and metal. The kids section is well stocked with a colourful range of clothes, mobiles, toys and books while the jewellery room has a wide selection of collections from Peruvian jewellery designers including Hiro Yoshimoto.

This is a family business with three of the couples’ five children heavily involved. Daughter Paloma is curator for the onsite exhibition space which houses exhibits by Peruvian artists which change every three weeks, their son Sebastian manages their smaller space in Larcomar and Mariana looks after the graphic design aspect of the business.

Dedalo is one of our favourite places to spend a bit of time when we are in Lima. We love browsing their interesting collection of art, clothing, jewellery and decorative objects which is often a great way to discover talented young Peruvian designers.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• They also have a small café in the patio area which is a lovely place to stop for a rest and good cup of coffee while you shop. If you’re going to be in Lima on a Wednesday night, book a table for the famed Dedalo pizza and live music evenings.

• If you don’t have time to make a trip to Barranco visit their store in Larcomar shopping centre which is open from 10am to 8pm seven days a week, for a browse through their smaller selection of contemporary, urban handicrafts.

See more of our favourite places to shop in Lima here

Click here for the best things to see and do in the Barranco district of Lima

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Tatoo is located in the Lima suburb of San Isidro and is well worth a visit if you need any outdoor hiking gear or specialised climbing and hiking equipment while in Peru. They have a beautiful store which is now the largest outdoor adventure gear store in Peru. They stock a range of well-known brands including Osprey backpacks and rucksacks, Buff headwear, La Sportiva hiking boots and Nalgene drinking bottles and pouches.

For those planning something a little more extreme, they also stock Black Diamond ice axes and trekking poles as well as carabiners, harnesses and a full range of camping equipment including sleeping bags, liners, stoves and cooking utensils.

They have their own range of Tatoo clothing which includes base layers, trousers and tops and they also stock Marmot hiking pants, rain and wind-proof jackets and gilets as well as an impressive selection of cycling gear including bikes, helmets and all the cycling kit you could need!

Staff is friendly and helpful. They are all outdoor junkies so know their stuff and can help point you in the right direction for whatever outdoor activity you have planned in Peru.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• They stock a nice range of outdoor clothing for kids including hiking pants, fleeces, sunhats and hiking boots.

• Tatoo also have an adventure gear store in Cusco near the main Square if you need any outdoor gear while in town, as well as a new store in Santa Catalina which specialises in souvenirs for your trip to Peru.

Click here for more great places to shop in Lima

Information on the best things to see and do in Miraflores in Lima

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Scottish-born Mari Solari immigrated to Peru in 1966 and has since become Peru’s leading specialist in the area of Peruvian native folk art. Las Pallas is located on Cajamarca Street in the hip bohemian district of Barranco and is an Aladdin’s cave packed with treasures sourced by Mari Solari herself from all over Peru. She started learning about Peruvian folk art working in her mother-in-law’s gallery in San Juan de Lurigancho where she started meeting artisans and learning about quality and the different native art techniques used in different parts of Peru.

She opened her own shop Las Pallas in 1986 and has created a flamboyant and colourful collection of native folk art that is well worth a visit for travellers looking for souvenirs or gifts to take home from their Peru adventure.

She stocks folk art from the coast, Andes and Amazon regions of Peru showcasing the highest quality pieces which are all hand-selected personally by Mari Solari. You might have already seen similar items on display during your travels around Peru but the focus here is on exquisite craftsmanship so the quality of each piece is second to none and the artisans are all paid fairly and directly for their work unlike in many of the markets around Peru.

Items include colourful woven baskets typical in Lima, hand-crafted wooden toys made in Trujillo, ceramics from Ayacucho and Cusco, carnival masks, traditional weavings, as well as a wide range of spiritual and sacred items including amulets and the traditional altarpieces from Ayacucho.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• Las Pallas operates a closed door policy so make sure you ring the bell on the street outside to be let in to the shop.

• Be sure to ask their very knowledgeable team about any specific items that interest you, Mari Solari is usually in the shop too and loves sharing about her pieces with visitors.

See more great places to shop in Lima here

Click here for our guide to the best things to see and do in Barranco

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We fell in love with Puna when they had their store in Cusco and we definitely recommend a stop in Puna’s Barranco store for any design aficionados among you! Lima has some wonderful little gems particularly in the contemporary art and design scene at the moment and the Puna store fits right into this category.

This is a lifestyle concept store that house both Puna and the plant concept store Plantique. Walk through the doors and you are transported to what could be a New york loft except for the fact that you are in a beautifully restored colonial house. High ceilings, white walls and a concrete floor are the perfect backdrop for this design store. The concrete Lima jungle just outside the door is replaced by  a beautiful, light space filled with plants and pots of all shapes and sizes.

The new Puna store has a range of items including Owner Mariana’s range of furniture (think retro Scandinavian style all custom-made) as well as Co-owner Yerko’s art work. They try to source local Peruvian artists in line with their vision to support contemporary Peruvian art and design and have an interesting selection of prints and paintings by artists including graffiti artist Eliot Tupac, Miguel Orcal and Nuria Zapata.

They have an interesting collection of vinyl including limited edition collections of the popular ‘chicha’ music, a type of cumbia or afro-Peruvian tropical music as well as a nice selection of coffee table design books. They stock their own range of clothing which includes sweaters and t-shirts and a selection of bags and accessories including mugs, notebooks and decorative objects.

Puna serves as a deposit or clearing house for local art and design and is a great option if you want to get a feel for what’s happening in Lima’s design world. Visiting the shop for the plant and design experience is also worth it in itself!

We love what Puna are trying to do by supporting local artists and giving them a place to display their work so head on down and pick up some contemporary art by a local artist or some of the Puna range of clothing to take home as a souvenir of your trip.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• This is a closed-door store, so ring the bell to be let in.

Click here to see all our favourite places to shop in Lima

Top things to see and do in Barranco

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Don’t miss a trip to the Indian Market or ‘mercado indio’ in Lima if you are a souvenir junkie! Located on Avenida Petit Thouars in the heart of the Miraflores district this is a bargain-hunters paradise if you love collecting knick-knacks, clothes and souvenirs to remind you of your travels.

The market is in fact a series of small shopping arcades that run from block 52 to 55. Each arcade has a series of small shops that sell the ‘traditional’ Peruvian handcrafts and souvenirs including alpaca scarves, sweaters and hats, colourful woven textiles, embroidered cushions, ceramics, jewellery and musical instruments amongst other items.

Items are generally low priced and it’s a good place if you want to buy a selection of affordable souvenirs from your trip. You can bargain on the prices so shop around first to get the best deal and then ask for a discount. See our guide/tips for haggling in Peru here.

Best of Peru Travel Recommends:

• Be careful when buying antiques or any items that might be considered cultural heritage including fossils or antiques. While it is legal to buy them within Peru, it is illegal to take them outside the country.

See our favourite places to shop in Lima here

Click here to discover all the best things to see and do in Miraflores

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