Casa Kiki
Little did curator Estefanía Cardona know that when she launched her lifestyle blog in 2013, it would grow into Casa Kiki, a pop-up shop that brings together the wares of Ecuadorean fashion designers, jewellers, ceramicists and indie skincare labels. Standouts include wabi-sabi ceramics by Jaime Andrés Aldaz, minimalist leather goods by Theodora and colourful beaded pins and earrings by Emilia Contreras.
Address: RG8F+2FM, Quiteño Libre, 170135 Quito, Ecuador
Website: lifestylekiki.com
Sombreros López
The famous straw-woven hat may be named after Panama, but its origins are in Ecuador. In Quito’s old town, Sombreros López has been in the López family for more than a century and remains the city’s go-to spot for tailor-made headwear. Inside, there are wooden hat moulds worn smooth by decades of use, piles of straw brims waiting for their final press and walls stacked with felt fedoras that can be customised with bands and feathers. Alongside the classic models, the family plays around with new shapes, colours and materials, resulting in whimsical fascinators that wouldn’t look out of place at Ascot.
Address: García Moreno N1-42 y Bolivar. C.C. La Manzana entrada principal, Ecuador
Website: sombreroslopez.com
Paccari and Somos
It wasn’t too long ago that much of Ecuador’s cacao was shipped straight to Europe. These days, nowhere presents the story of the beans’ local resurgence better than Paccari Experience House in Quito’s bohemian La Floresta neighbourhood. The space has a café and rooftop terrace, as well as a shop where there are chocolate bars of every type to take home – Paccari offers a dizzying range of flavours including passion fruit, Andean rose and pink salt. Elsewhere, edible souvenirs, such as local coffee beans, wines and spices, line the shelves at the small boutique adjoining Somos, one of the city’s most ambitious modern Ecuadorian restaurants.
