Sofia Sanchez de Betak is Living a Chic Global Dream
The Taurus entrepreneur is enjoying the inspiring travels that come with running her ready-to-wear line, Chufy.
Photography by Arkan Zakharov
Fashion by Angela Kusen
A little over a year ago, Sofia Sanchez de Betak took a trip to Peru. “It wasn’t such a long trip – but definitely an intense one,” she laughs. Her travel companions were her husband and their then 5-month-old daughter (who is now approaching two years old). It was quite the adventure for anyone, let alone a couple with a baby in tow. “Most of the hikes, you can only get there by foot," she says. "We did one day of the Inca trail. And on the way to Machu Picchu, you really feel like you discovered a treasure.” Sanchez de Betak’s trip—which also included “a lot of food tasting and a lot of crafts”—now serves as the inspiration for her company Chufy’s next collection, which each season focuses their pieces on a new location and its culture. “I got very inspired!” She trills over the phone from her apartment in Paris.
Sanchez de Betak – otherwise known by her childhood nickname “Chufy,” which she's given to her company - has long been a part of any stylish Instagram scroller’s usual routine. There was, of course, her three-day nuptials in Patagonia five years ago to her husband, fashion designer and art director Alexandre de Betak, which landed on thousands of inspirational destination wedding Pinterest boards. Then there are her well-documented travels, each one more exotic than the next and perfectly archived on her own Instagram: Chufy in local attire on the Maasai Mara National Reserve; in a piano bar in Tokyo; climbing a glacier in her native Argentina, on a mountaintop with donkeys in the Balearic Islands.
So it came as no surprise when the model, brand ambassador, and creative consultant added the title of entrepreneur to her resume in 2017 by launching Chufy, a collection of travel-inspired ready-to-wear and accessories made from high-quality materials in playful patterns. It is now sold internationally in high-end retailers like Bergdorf Goodman and Matches.
Sanchez de Betak, who serves as creative director for the company, has taken direct inspiration from her travels (whether it be embroidered pieces by a woman in Lamu, Kenya or kimono-style pants, shirts, and dresses from Japan) and translated it into the brand’s collection and overall ethos. And as Sanchez de Betak adds more stamps to her passport, the company grows as well, just in other ways: “We are doing swimwear now, and are working to be more sustainable,” she explains. As if that doesn’t sound like enough to navigate, she’s in the midst of planning yet another trip – where to, however, she’s not quite sure, although she is contemplating the Far East. “Every year we take an exotic holiday, and this summer we couldn’t do it,” she explains. “So I’m thinking Asia. I never want to be too afraid. I want to be exciting. I don’t want to be the boring couple that just wants to be in the resort.”
Sanchez de Betak should not worry about that happening, however. The globetrotter is a Taurus, a zodiac sign known for its love of beauty and artistry, as well as for being practical, determined, and ambitious. Sounds like the perfect travel companion.
L'Officiel teamed up with famed astrologist Susan Miller to predict what 2020 holds for each zodiac sign. Miller sees travel and gorgeous expeditions in the future for Taurus—and Sanchez de Betak will need an easy to execute beauty look for her travels, including a classic lip.
Credits
Makeup Steven Canavan
Hair Jerome Cultrera
Producer Mariana Cantú
Photo Assistant Alicia Henderson
Location Attic Studios
