Amarenak…

Our story

Several years ago, I, Oihane Pardo, inherited my grandmother’s kaiku (the traditional coat worn by Basque fishermen) from my mum. A few years later, that kaiku became my favorite coat in the various cities and countries where I lived. It was my connection with my home, family and culture. When wearing that kaiku, I realised the power of fashion and design to tell stories, to pass on values and to keep a culture alive.

One day, that kaiku was already too worn off and, when I tried to buy a new one, I realised that kaikus where about to disappear. I could barely find one, and the ones I found had nothing to do with that elegant kaiku I had inherited from my grandmother, which fit so well.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

— Ghandi —

So, at some point, I decided to quit my life and my job as an architect in Shanghai to come back to my native San Sebastian, to become an entrepreneur and help build that world I believed in. And so started Amarenak.

After a crowdfunding campaign, I started to design and produce the first modernized kaikus, following three principals: natural fabrics, km0 and limited edition.

Even today, kaikus are our signature piece, and they have allowed us to reach people from over 15 countries in 3 continents, in 2 years.

Local
and universal

At Amarenak we work to prevent the kaiku and other traditional garments and objects from falling into oblivion, as well as to give them a new life through innovation and design.

We don’t work according to seasons.
We don’t believe in temporary trends.
We don’t just make fashion.

Tradition
and Modernity.

We combine modernity and tradition, science and art, heritage and innovation. We work together with museums, historians, companies, institutions and foundations, in order to find pieces that hide a beautiful story. Through design and with the help of craftsmen, weavers, tailors, seamstresses and our local workshops, we create and make new pieces that will keep on telling that story.

Amarenak
Community

Since October 2017, this project is being developed at the Kutxa kultur Enea community, where we work and collaborate with other enthusiastic entrepreneurs from the cultural sector of Gipuzkoa.