By Lauren Stone By Lauren Stone | December 2, 2021 | Style & Beauty,
Pulling the plug on overconsumption, Karla Gallardo's legacy as a pioneer in the sustainable fashion industry shines nearly a decade after her pivot onto the fashion scene at San Francisco's Cuyana.
The Cuyana System tote
“I’ve always wanted to start a business dedicated to making a difference and providing more to consumers than only focused on profit and quick satisfaction,” says Karla Gallardo, Cuyana CEO and co-founder (alongside co-founder Shilpa Shah); she was recently named by Entrepreneur among its 100 Most Powerful Women. “Before I started Cuyana, I noticed the fashion industry really hadn’t been focused on creating high-quality, beautiful products that are meant to last and stay in your closet. Instead, many people were focused—and still are—on fast fashion and trendy pieces that are out of style and promote overconsumption.”
Throughout her upbringing in Ecuador, Gallardo took note of her father’s investments in quality items, and how he repaired them rather than tossing them out. “It really taught me to appreciate the items I do have and extend their life cycle, rather than going out and buying something new every few months,” she says. Gallardo carried this philosophy through Brown University, where she earned a degree in applied mathematics, then to Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst and, eventually, grad school at Stanford for business. Cuyana emerged from this with a mantra of “fewer, better.”
“This fall we expanded our offerings to become the go-to destination for beautiful ‘Fewer, Better’ products,” Gallardo says, on the heels of the System tote launch, among other new items such as onyx jewelry.
Her latest goal: 100% sustainably made materials by 2022 and more exciting products dropping in the spring 2022 collection. Cuyana’s latest— and wildly popular—launch, the System tote, is proof that sustainability and luxury can be achieved simultaneously.
Featuring customizable add-on compartments made of fine Italian leather, including a laptop sleeve, flap bag and adjustable strap, the System is three high-quality bags rolled into one product. “We’re demonstrating that one well-designed product can replace several pieces in your wardrobe,” Gallardo says. “Time is the new luxury, and we’re working to help the modern woman easily navigate her closet in an intentional and sustainable way.”
“I knew I wanted to create a brand and company dedicated to giving women a wardrobe that they could love and trust was high quality and timeless,” Gallardo says. As one of the first brands to be labeled sustainable, Cuyana, which means “to love” in Quechua, a language of the Indigenous peoples in the central Andes, near Ecuador where Gallardo grew up, has changed the narrative of the fashion business model. In the decade since the brand’s inception, Gallardo knows it’s still going to take a major push for the rest of the industry to catch up.
Karla Gallardo
“It’s my hope that more and more companies begin to focus on ensuring they aren’t overproducing within their supply chains and make some strong internal changes that make an impact and difference,” Gallardo says. “The concept of resale has been rising in the past few years, and I’m happy that larger brands within fashion are getting onboard. It’ll take everyone joining together to really make a shift toward being sustainable. Within our global supply chain, 100% of our suppliers are committed to a high degree of ethical conduct and environmental responsibility,” says Gallardo, who notes that 96% of the company’s goods are currently made from sustainable materials like recycled cashmere and traceable alpaca.
“We also focus on extending the life cycle of our product through various forms of care such as offering repairs and our Lean Closet program in partnership with thredUP, where you can donate your old clothing to women in need,” says Gallardo, a woman whose words are fashionably backed up by her company’s actions. 291 Geary St., Ste. 201, 415.445.3001
Photography by: PHOTOS COURTESY OF CUYANA