FOUNDER
Alessandra Durand is the Founder and Creative Director of Kené Kaya, a mission-driven fashion brand founded in 2018 that collaborates with Indigenous artisan collectives from the Peruvian Amazon to bring ancestral textile art into contemporary fashion. Of Andean Indigenous origin, with family roots in Arequipa and Cusco, her work is grounded in cultural preservation, ethical co-creation, and social impact.
Alessandra studied International Relations at Stanford University, where her research focused on corporate social responsibility and extractive industries in Peru, and completed postgraduate studies in International Development at the University of Oxford. Her background in sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and Indigenous rights informs Kené Kaya’s collaborative model, centered on respect, dialogue, and creative autonomy.
In 2025, she was named one of HOLA Magazine’s 100 Latina Powerhouses, and her work has been exhibited in museum and cultural institutions, including the HistoryMiami Museum.
From the heart of Peru to global cultural capitals, Alessandra’s perspective sits at the intersection of sustainability, artisan advocacy, heritage preservation, and innovation. Through Kené Kaya, she continues to champion Indigenous textile art as a form of wisdom, history, and cultural resistance—led by women, grounded in ethics, and driven by the conviction that fashion can, and must, be a force for positive change.
