Marcela grew up in Lima in a house full of music, art, and dance. Performers rehearsed there. The textiles they wore — intricate, handmade, saturated with colour — were something she noticed long before she had words for why.

When she moved to Australia with her Dutch partner Leon, the absence of that colour was something she felt every day. She went looking for it, and the looking took her back to Peru — to remote communities along the coast and high in the Andes, where women weavers had been keeping ancient techniques alive for generations.

Orange Inca grew from that return.

Where it started

The first design was the Playa — a handwoven junco tote with leather handles, built in direct partnership with a cooperative of weavers in northern Peru. Orange Inca launched in January 2025. That first relationship is still there. What grew around it is a collection that now includes woven handbags in junco and toquilla, genuine leather crossbodies, baby alpaca knitwear and accessories, and a small, singular range of objects made from vintage Peruvian frazada blankets.

The three of us

Marcela’s mother Maria del Carmen has been part of Orange Inca from the beginning. Her understanding of Peruvian artisan communities runs deep, and she selects the frazadas and home textiles directly — travelling to Andean communities, choosing pieces with the knowledge of someone who grew up knowing what good craft looks like. Leon brings a Dutch eye for proportion and design: the instinct for what works, what travels, what lasts.

The makers

More than 70% of Peru’s registered artisans are women. Every direct partnership in the Orange Inca collection reflects that. The junco and toquilla bags come from communities in northern Peru where weavers have worked with these coastal reeds for generations. The leather is made by a family workshop in Lima, hand-stitched and hand-finished. The baby alpaca pieces come from highland producers working under SGS Fair Trade and Responsible Alpaca Standard certification. The frazadas — the vintage Andean blankets that become bags, cushion covers, and accessories — are sourced from Aymara and Quechua communities.

These are not sourcing relationships managed through agents. They are direct, ongoing partnerships, built over time.

What we make

Handwoven junco and toquilla handbags, totes, and clutches. Leather handbags in full-grain leather. Baby alpaca scarves, shawls, hats, knitwear, and coats. Frazada handbags, cushion covers, home textiles, and accessories. Pieces made to be carried, worn, and kept.

Designed in Australia, Made in Peru.

Marcela, Leon & Maria del Carmen