Paka Brand Story
Founder Kris Cody traveled to Peru for backpacking in 2015, where he learned about alpaca fiber. This inspired him to start the Paka brand, with a goal of creating innovative all-purpose outdoor apparel in a sustainable and ethical way. He wanted to give back to the world, and the community in Peru.
The Mamani family of weavers helped to handmake a prototype of Paka’s first design, The Hoodie. It was so popular on Kickstarter that they hit their funding goal by 17X.
Today, the Paka brand offers a range of sustainably sourced and ethically manufactured apparel, most of which we would describe as “performance lifestyle wear.” They even have a puffy jacket, made with alpaca insulation called PAKAFILL.
There is no doubt that they are raising the bar for what it means to be a responsible business, and we thank them for it. Paka is growing rapidly as more people discover and align with the brand, and we can’t wait to see what they release next! But just in case they’re reading, what we’d like to see most are a UPF sun hoody, the alpaca wool version of an Alpha Direct Hoody, long-inseam-length men’s boxer briefs, thermal base layers, and an attempt at sustainable rain gear.