Sofia Sanchez de Betak has modeled for years, though never for a Chufy lookbook. She’s preferred to keep her designer-founder hat firmly in place in the half decade she’s been operating this label. But as she continues to move away from the destination-based concepts of Chufy’s earlier era, she’s thinking more about the self discovery of spirituality, meditation rituals, and tools like astrology and tarot cards. She’s named this collection The Journey Within, and since it’s personal for her, she decided to step in front of the camera.
It’s a sort of phase one of a new project. Sanchez de Betak plans to launch The Journey Within Retreats. She creates the environments—anyone who’s been to her homes in New York, Paris, or Deia, Mallorca, knows she has a knack for this—and books the practitioners to lead guests on healing ceremonies. And should her guests need dresses for those ceremonies, this resort collection will be a useful starting point.
Sanchez de Betak recommends spare, simple designs for the guided rituals, so there are a couple of easy white maxi dresses with colorful embroideries. And for the blissed-out post-retreat real-world reentry, there are jean and cargo jackets, the latter of which is embroidered with the name of the collection.
Denim is a new category for the label, however Chufy’s specialty remains prints. This season’s “mother print” was created in the style of 1970s artists like John Alcorn Kiyoshi Awazu, and Mati Klarwein, who Sanchez de Betak discovered in design school, and features fantastical animals, magic mushrooms, and shooting stars trailing rainbows. It’s the most psychedelic thing she’s ever done, but the tie-dye swirls, astrological symbols, and tarot card prints aren’t far behind. Definitely a fun trip.
