When Sofia Sanchez de Betak launched Chufy in 2017, it was inspired by her travels, each season a different location. It meant that her designs have often felt like getaway clothes, easy pieces to wear on vacation, or to help you feel like you were on a trip even if a staycation was the best you could do. Now, the brand is in growth mode, expanding its knit category and pushing further into outerwear, and so Sanchez de Betak swapped the dreamy destinations she’s highlighted in the past for grittier, urban Berlin.
She visited the city for the first time as a “nerdy graphic design student”; it’s where she developed a taste for Bauhaus motifs and graffiti prints, both of which appear in the new collection. That may sound like a radical departure for a woman who most recently was talking about the Northern Lights. In fact, this season isn’t such a big departure, but there were elements that looked playful and fresh—and Berlinish—starting with a printed corduroy jacket with Bauhaus vibes (it helped that it was photographed in front of a graffiti’d construction site).
Tie-dye effects are a favorite motif for Sanchez de Betak. Where last season they appeared on a strappy sundress with a billowy skirt, this season they were printed on a cool matching stretch viscose top and asymmetrical hem skirt. That’s representative of the shift in mood. Fall’s souvenir jacket and jumpsuit come in military drab with “Meet me in Berlin” embroidered on the back.
