Estrafalario is a brand of urban fashion that offers garments and accessories with versatile and original designs. This brand is aimed at women who are economically active and, unlike their competition, the added value that Estrafalario offers their consumers is the possibility of generating a social and environmental impact through their purchase.
Valery Zevallos, general manager of Estrafalario, turned the brand into a fashion company that dresses with a soul. She gave it a social face by working with women in a situation of vulnerability and she also gave it the ecological feeling by using sustainable and recycled supplies. However, in the middle of its growth arrived the pandemic and, with it, the economic crisis. Estrafalario had to reinvent itself, adjust the creativity and look at new horizons, or perish, as many companies. Valery is one who does not cave in and she decided to put up a fight. She tells us here a part of that story.
The turn-around of e-commerce
In 2019, e-commerce in Peru had registered a growth of 30% compared to the previous year, one of the highest rates of the region. However, we were still coming in sixth in Latin America. This electronic commerce channel, as Valery Zevallos indicates, turned out to be not so attractive because people mistrusted buying on the internet. However, it all changed with the pandemic. Sales through electronic commerce increased because it turned almost into the only sales channel.
So, they boosted sales through the digital channel, thanks to e-commerce and social networks. Nowadays, sales, only on this channel, increased by 358%.
“We have worked with influencers and recognized players in the media, who have recommended our products. There are even large companies that have sought us out as a way of helping local entrepreneurship. We started in the quarantine with 21 thousand followers on Instagram. We currently have 27 thousand, which has reflected on the sales”, stated Valery.
The essence of the brand is maintained
Estrafalario is a company with an important social connection and, in spite of the effects of the pandemic on the economy, it has grown in order to be able to tend to the electronic commerce channel. Moreover, at the retail level, they are making their entrance into the main malls. Valery, together with the inmates of the prison with whom she was working, saw the need for protection masks. Then, they utilized the fabric remnants and started to manufacture these garments following the guidelines of the Ministry of Health.
“We have achieved an agreement with Perú Champs, who have provided us with drawings made by children, with which the facemasks will be designed. 20% of the sales will be used for the schooling scholarships of these children at Innova School”, said Valery.
Estrafalario and Wiese Foundation
Estrafalario, together with three other social undertakings, were chosen to receive consultancy and financing from the Entrepreneur Fund, a program created by Wiese Foundation. However, the advent of the pandemic changed the scenario and the strategies had to be reconsidered. This notwithstanding, Wiese Foundation maintained its constant support to Estrafalario.
“During the first months, Wiese Foundation took us into account and bought facemasks from us. This allowed to reactivate the work by the women at the prison. The support from the Foundation has always been present. We feel their backing in the most complicated situations”, said Valery. The objective of Valery Zevallos is to position Estrafalario as an example of a fashion brand with an environmental purpose, and one that has known how to confront the crisis caused by the pandemic, always looking for new opportunities and alliances. You can see and buy the products from Estrafalario, sustainable fashion, here: https://estrafalario.pe/
