Why support sustainable fashion?
Our Vision
Fast fashion is one of the main pollutant industries in the world, generating around 10% of global CO2 emissions, primarily from the production of raw materials such as polyester, nylon, and cotton. It is also responsible of creating 92 million tons of waste per year. It creates a culture of overconsumption while it highly affects the environment of the producing countries as well as it increases waste in the countries where it is sold. Not only this, but the industry offers very low standard and unethical working conditions to people in low income countries, including Peru, such as low wages, poor labor rights, and lack of safety, sometimes promoting child labor and physical and sexual exploitation of women.
In Ashka we want to change this by bringing a sustainable alternative to Switzerland. We support slow fashion and responsible consumption offering high-quality and versatile garments that have an extended life in our wardrobes and that create dignified jobs to vulnerable women in Peru.
How Ashka is supporting sustainability and women’s dignity
Our Mission
With our project we want to offer you clothes that are made with natural materials such as alpaca wool, organic cotton, silk, cupro and linen which are certified ecologically and socially conscious.
We also provide for you garments made with upcycling textiles, econyl and recycled plastic for example, they reduce the environmental footprint of fast fashion.
Moreover, we also want to bring you unique hand-embroidered pieces that have positive messages over them, so not only we act positively, but we also say it!
Our mission is also to make women feel empowered, unique, comfortable and beautiful with unique pieces that stand out and tell a positive message. We believe we all have the power to change the world by supporting ecologically sustainable brands that employ vulnerable women while we share positivity.
Ashka sustainable steps
2024: Launch of the Ashka brand, designed in Switzerland and produced in a small women's atelier in Lima (Peru).
2023: We were the guest of honor at the first alpaca fashion show organized by the Peruvian Embassy, in the Stadtsall of the Kornhausforum, Berne (Switzerland).
2023: Participation in Undress Project
Sustainable Fashion Show Schweiz
2022: Inauguration of our first store in Bern (Switzerland).
2021: Corner in a sustainable store in Lyss (Switzerland).
2020: Pop up shop in Biel's Christmas Market
2019: Sustainable fashion fairs, e.g. Frau Gerold Garten, Zurich. (Switzerland).
Hi, i’m Nicol Founder of Ashka
I’m a Peruvian-Swiss entrepreneur, a wife and a mother and I am diabetic.
I have been in the sustainable fashion industry since I’m 15 years old, and since then I worked for the development of slow fashion while creating jobs for women in low income communities in Peru.
Since I was a kid, I’ve been immersed by the alpaca industry, as my dad worked for the most important alpaca brand of Peru for 35 years. On the other hand, my mom is a specialist in circular economy and my sister is a fashion designer. For that reason, sustainable fashion has been in my blood ever since and its been my mission to create a brand where i can make the world a more sustainable place.
Growing up in Peru, I witnessed the vulnerable conditions women face and for that reason I wanted to do something to change this. So I decided to get out of my comfort zone and migrated to Europe to train in International Sales so that I could generate employment for them through the production of sustainable fashion.
I started selling my sustainable collection in street markets in 2019 with big dreams, and a face mask due to COVID. I did this for 2 years sharing my story with local people in Switzerland, until I got the opportunity to showcase my brand in the corner of a Eco-friendly Store in Lyss. There, I confirmed that there was a need for sustainable options and I took the chance to open my own sustainable-fashion store in Bern.
Since the opening of my shop, I have partenered with big sustainable brands such as:
Kuna Switzerland
Moyakala Switzerland
Anntahra Peru
Summe Kujon
Which are all committed to the same purpose of offering conscious shopping experience.
During these years in my shop, I have interacted with so many different women and realized that, not only is sustainability important, but also to have versatile pieces that make us feel comfortable and beautiful, to create the best version of ourselves!
The Brand
Creating good quality versatile fashion to get environmentally sustainable Design and you decide how to wear it!
Offering you comfortable garments that help your best version.
"Nadie es como tu y ese es tu poder!"
(Nobody is like you and that is your power!)
Designed in the old city of Bern (Switzerland) and created in our Women's atelier in Arequipa (Peru).
Our main goals are to connect women of both countries in order to generate job opportunities for them that are ethical and fair, and also to offer products created in a conscious way and environmentally sustainable.
