During quarantine in Peru, I taught myself to sew, spending hours in my room recreating designs I had in mind. With covid making it nearly impossible to buy new clothes, I quickly developed a passion for fashion and creating my pieces. In early 2021, after moving to London, I became interested in Depop and the second-hand market. I started selling clothes from my wardrobe, and one of my creations accidentally made it in. To my surprise, it received overwhelming interest and sold within days. I continued getting messages asking about the "brand" of the top, which made me realise I could turn my hobby into a business.

I began developing patterns and prototypes, and on a trip back to Peru, I arranged for a small factory in Lima to produce a batch of my tops. After selecting two colours, I ordered 30 units, which felt ambitious at the time—but they all sold out. Over the next year, i expanded my collection, eventually launching my website and officially launching Lahlis as a brand.