our story
Originally from Denmark, Laerke met Adriana in her native country, Peru. Laerke fell in love with Peruvian traditions while traveling through different communities and meeting families and artisans that supported each other through their ancestral craftsmanship. Like Adriana, who was deeply rooted in social work all throughout her life, the two women were united by their common passion for fashion and the desire of creating something with a higher purpose that would foster these traditions and prevent them from fading away. Together, they founded AYNI, a contemporary luxury label and sourcing agency. The principles behind the brand integrate sophisticated danish design with a production model that promotes conscientious living through exclusive high quality Peruvian materials and ancient handcrafted practices. It is our vision that AYNI will become a universe of hygge and heritage embracing the essence of Danish quality design and life phylisophy of hygge combined with the craftsmanship and colorful Peruvian culture and exclusive materials and diverse products allowing us to continue promoting our concept of honest luxury and tailormade storytelling in a broader perspective.
We often get asked: how did Adriana Cachay and Laerke Skyum meet? How did two strangers turned best friends start their journey of sustainable fashion and creating AYNI?
It all started in 2003, when Laerke decided to visit Peru and get to know the country she had heard so much about from a friend. One of Laerke’s Danish friends was dating Adriana’s sister so needless to say, but they were just meant to cross paths.
When Laerke arrived in Peru from Denmark, Adriana picked her up from the airport in Lima. Laerke was very thankful that someone she had never met before would go through the ordeal of Lima traffic (believe us, there is nothing like being stuck in Lima traffic!!) to welcome her.
It is important to mention that back in 2003, Peru had just come out of political instability and wasn’t yet the popular holiday destination it is today. Machu Picchu wasn’t yet one of the 7 New Wonders of the World and Lima, not the culinary mecca it is today.
From their very first meeting at Lima airport, the spark was instant and their special connection undeniable. During her time in Peru, Laerke got to know Adriana’s family and Adriana being the warm and friendly person she is, made Laerke feel right at home. Laerke and Adriana became fast friends and really enjoyed spending time together, talking about their different cultures and common interests.
During one of their many conversations, they started to speak about their passions and Laerke decided to show Adriana a top she had made herself. Laerke had long had a passion for design and making clothes herself but wasn’t sure her hobby could turn into something more. When Adriana saw the piece, she immediately recognized Laerke’s talent and that this was an opportunity they had to seize.
Although both had different goals at the time, they loved fashion and shared the same values and ideas about how fashion should be produced. When talking about the business opportunity that had presented itself, they agreed that they had to take advantage of what Peru offered them, in the most natural and sustainable way possible.
Laerke was fascinated by the people and colors of Peru. Adriana adored her home country and wanted to help it develop further. Having both worked for charities and NGO’s prior, they agreed that they wanted to ‘do good through good’.
After numerous trips between Peru and Denmark as well as fashion capitals Paris and New York, brainstorming sessions and country-wide research (all according to their motto ‘if you do something, do it right or not at all’), their business plan was ready.
In 2006, AYNI launched its first collection but faced a lot of challenges. The fashion industry was and still is very competitive, especially for exportation. Additionally, back then, sustainability was not ‘in trend’ yet, so besides creating AYNI’s story, they also had to educate clients and buyers on sustainability and why it was worth investing in.
Making AYNI a brand with a circular business model was a risky move and very difficult over the years, but by trusting their instincts and originality, they became successful businesswomen who are managing to be both profitable and socially responsible with their work. Both founders agree that behind their success is a lot of personal compromises, hard work and daily perseverance.
Some might say that entrepreneurship is all about luck and in a way, they are right; the harder you work, the luckier you get.