If it weren’t for a family holiday to Peru at age 19, Maria de la Orden ’s career would have gone in a very different direction. The designer—who has become known for her collections of colorful, nostalgic silhouettes—was studying law and economics at the Sorbonne University at the time. But Peruvian craftsmanship struck a chord, and when she returned to Paris (colorful textiles in tow), Orden changed course.

She began with a small line of jackets called Mau Loa, eventually rebranding into her eponymous label that is now sold in retailers such as Galeries Lafayette and Liberty London, as well as her own boutique in Saint-Germain. These days, she and her family split their time between Paris and Madrid (her hometown), where Orden just completed a masterful renovation on a house in the

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