Sofia Sanchez de Betak travels far and wide with Chufy; past collections have referenced Japan, Morocco, and Scandinavia, even, more recently, metaphysical journeys of the mind. India’s “chaos and zen” were the jumping off point for her this season. “The concept is those two juxtaposed energies that I’ve experienced in my visits,” she said over a Zoom call.
With her graphic design background, her Chufy designs are print-forward. This season’s are inspired by various elements of India’s culture: matchbox prints and peacock motifs, and other patterns lifted from the country’s architecture and its native plants. It being pre-fall, there are both printed wovens and knitted jacquards and intarsias.
Sanchez de Betak is no minimalist, but she’s taken in fashion’s turn towards the quiet; zen trumps chaos here. A tailored matching set that combines ivory pleat-front trousers and a sleeveless wrap top with subtle black stitching, as well as a short-sleeve caftan dress in a muted green and blue stripe both felt new for her. Placement prints, as opposed to the all-over prints she’s known for, are another way she’s adapting to the current mood. The lookbook’s opener, a one-shoulder sundress with palm trees decorating its hem, is more soigné than usual, while still retaining Chufy’s bohemian spirit.