MAQU Unveils AW2026 “La Dama del Cacao” in Berlin, Introducing Cacao Leather

Maqu presented its Autumn/Winter 2026 capsule, La Dama del Cacao, in Berlin on January 30, 2026, as part of Berlin Fashion Week—positioning contemporary Peruvian minimalism at the intersection of material innovation, textile memory, and regenerative design.

Built around a refined, adaptable wardrobe philosophy, the collection is crafted using alpaca yarns, organic cotton, and next-generation biomaterials, combining hand knitting techniques with artisanal machinery to create pieces designed for versatility across bodies and contexts.

At the centre of the drop is Cacao Leather—a newly developed bio-based, vegan material created in Peru from waste generated by the cocoa industry, then dyed with achiote, a natural pigment with deep Andean and Amazon heritage. The result is a quiet but radical material language: sustainability expressed through process, provenance, and performance rather than trend aesthetics.

A nature-led palette—earth tones, beige, cocoa browns, and blues—grounds the collection in Maqu’s signature “Peruvian Minimalism”: a precise, restrained silhouette vocabulary where the integrity of materials is the main statement.

The brand hosted Maqu Lab, a live presentation at the Embassy of Peru in Berlin on January 30, followed by the opening of an accompanying art exhibition highlighting the label’s biomaterial research and transcontinental design vision. Pre-orders open February 2 during Berlin Fashion Week, with online availability via bymaqu.com and selected stores scheduled from September 2026.

Founded in 2017, Maqu operates as a research-led fashion lab working with artisans, producers, and researchers across Peru and Germany. Led by Peruvian designer Marisa Fuentes Prado, the brand frames clothing as cultural narrative—pieces designed not only to dress the body, but to hold story, memory, and meaning.