Our global economy is demanding more out of our people and planet than ever before. Our natural resources are being depleted, production pollutes just as much as it provides, and people all over the world are being exploited for cheaper labor. 
Luckily, consumers are smart. And they are waking up to how their choices either enable or disrupt these negative consequences of capitalism.

Despite what you know about our company’s high-end outdoor apparel, Karukinka Outdoor isn’t necessarily in business to sell clothing. This company was started to disrupt the fashion industry, to offer a new way of doing business that benefits everyone from our consumers to our workers to the planet. That’s why we are pursuing B Corp certification. 

Karukinka Outdoor was founded to make the world a better place–not necessarily to create clothing. Our founder Felipe Jadue came from the fashion industry and saw that it was broken. He saw that mass-producing cheap products for consumerism had far more negatives than positives.

Patagonia is a legendary region, full of heart-pounding visits and epic adventure. It’s a 402,000 square mile region shared by Argentina and Chile. While the Argentinian side is a popular travel destination, much of Chilean Patagonia, where Karukinka Outdoor is based and each of our garments is handmade, is off the beaten path. 

Each Karukinka Outdoor garment is handmade from natural fibers and you can read more about why we chose not to use synthetic fibers in our outdoor apparel here. Wool is resistant to odors, moisture, and dirt but even Karukinka products, if they are worn in the outdoors as we intend them too, need a little TLC and clean up now and again. 

17 local workers between the ages of 20 and 70 spin, weave, sew, and create Karukinka Outdoor products in the city of Porvenir, which has a population of about 4,000 people and is often overlooked by tourists to the region. 90% of our employees in our workshop are women. Learn why we invest in women here. 

Llamas are undeniably loveable creatures, goofy but refined, spunky yet regal. Want to know why we choose llama fiber to create our amazing garments. Read on!

Karukinka Outdoor uses natural fibers sourced from llama, alpaca, and sheep wool to create our high-performance, high-quality, slow-wear products that last. The choice to use natural over synthetic fibers was a conscious one. Our company’s social and environmental impact is important and natural fibers like wool not only hold up to the rugged conditions but are the better choice for our planet. 

The winter season and the transition to a new year, in particular, is a time to reflect and reset. It’s a time when we set resolutions to improve our health, our wealth, and ourselves. This year, make a habit out of doing what you can in your personal life and everyday decision-making to limit your impact on the environment and make 2020 the most sustainable year yet. 

The holiday season should first and foremost be about gratitude and celebration of the meaningful relationships in our lives, not mass consumerism and subsequent waste that has come to define the gift-giving season in the modern world. Here's a few tips from the Karukinka Family on how to minimize waste over the holidays.

We have chosen to be a slow fashion brand because we want to reverse the damage the clothing industry has made to our planet. This means that we keep minimum stocks possible of finished goods to lower our carbon footprint, prevent waste generation, and minimize unnecessary use of materials used to produce unsold garments. But what exactly is slow fashion? Read more here.

In our From Our Founders series we give you a glimpse inside Karikunka. To start we asked Felipe Jadue to share why he started Karikunka. Here’s what he had to say.