Women Founder Stories by Daotey: Interview with Adriana, Founder of TASHAY
In continuation to DAOTEY’s female founder stories, we are excited to share the journey of TASHAY, a German based lifestyle brand initiated by Adriana Castillo that celebrates sustainability, fair trade and quality. In the times when production has an increasing impact on the natural environment, we love brands that are looking for sustainable alternatives. Similar to DAOTEY, TASHAY was founded based on the core pillars of respect, design and traditions, and has all products handcrafted with highest quality materials. TASHAY celebrates the roots of South America, love to Andean traditions, nature, animals, people and culture of Europe.
The philosophy of TASHAY is to encourage sustainable textile production in small and medium enterprises in the Andes, from Peru to Southern Argentina. The products are made exclusively from finest fibers such as baby alpaca, llama, merino, silk and cotton and are produced using traditional techniques that have been passed down through generations. Noble natural materials and the use of local natural dyes such as woods, seeds, plants, herbs make TASHAY’s products are high in quality, skin-friendly and long lasting. “Due to the love I have for South America and being aware that this continent has excellent natural fiber productions and with my desire to integrate both cultures, I saw the opportunity to create my own company, allowing me not only to achieve my dream, but also to place high quality fabrics in Germany and all over Europe.”- says Adriana, founder of Tashay.
Adriana was born in Argentina and has been living in Germany for 20 years. She studied business administration in Buenos Aires before she came to Germany in 2002 to complete a master's degree in international business. Since then she worked on different projects to connect Latin America with Europe and in a number of international companies such as BMW, Siemens, Rehau and KFW. “I am particularly interested in social and economic issues, in the development of international relations, and especially in the Spanish-speaking world, in my home region of South America. After a trip to Argentina where I brought gifts of natural fibers I decided to start TASHAY.” - shared Adriana.
Adriana has shared that her biggest challenge in starting a business was to overcome prejudices, emotional barriers, fears and having faith that it is possible to be an independent woman and a mother at the same time. “Being an immigrant can be a barrier but in my case I benefit because I know both cultures and I can take advantage of each one. I would not change anything.”- said the founder. During the interview with Adriana, we asked if she has any advice for new female entrepreneurs, to which she answered: “Follow your dreams, try, even if the road takes you somewhere else. It is better to have tried than to have the doubt of "what would have been if I..."
The brand supports small local textile production factories in South America to enable a positive production cycle. Similar to DAOTEY that works with companies, which have undergone audits with credible organizations such as Leather Working Group (LWG) that assesses and certifies the supply chain’s environmental and social performance, TASHAY cooperates with certified companies and artisans to ensure transparency, social, ecological and corporate responsibility. Regardless of trends and seasons, TASHAY offers a diverse collection of garments, accessories and home textiles with unique and unrepeatable features. Each piece stands for pure individuality. A good example of quality, softness and design is the blanket Dalma: a wonderful craftsmanship made of merino wool from Patagonia. As the company grew, the most exciting was to showcase TASHAY at fairs after the pandemic, where visitors could touch and feel unique products with textures rarely seen in Europe. “Hopefully next year we will develop and produce our new collection.” - says the founder.
Find out more about female founder stories at DAOTEY blog and about DAOTEY story & values here.