I am Arantza Serna Uriarte, Basque, I came to study Fashion Design in Barcelona 40 years ago and stayed in the city. During my first professional stage I worked for brands such as Liberto, Levi's, Diesel, Burberry and in textile printing as editor and colorist.

In 2000, auka, my personal project, was born. Auka means seaweed in Basque, my mother tongue. The beginnings as a brand were around Ezcaray mohair, a product that I knew about from Valentina, my great-grandmother. And the leather accessories that I worked on in a small and wonderful Madrid workshop.

My first trip to India arrived and with it the rest of the accessories and clothing collections. Its landscapes fascinate me and it is a wonderful excuse to travel, which is our family passion. Auka's collection of sarongs, shawls and jewelry is still produced there. Later I incorporated Indonesia into my travels. And for the last 10 years it is where my clothing and part of the accessories production is carried out.

We have recently incorporated Portugal into our production countries, with this we added high quality tailoring pieces and garments in the winter collections made with European fabrics. I opened my first store in San Sebastián in 2005 purely for nostalgia, in this new adventure I was accompanied by Mikel Lasquibar, a childhood friend, who to this day continues to be my partner in the three stores I have in the north.

Five years later Barcelona. And in 2015 the opportunity to occupy an emblematic store in the city, an old haberdashery, did not give the opportunity to cover the need for a larger space in San Sebastián. This is how auka la third store since we never leave our first location located next to the María Cristina Hotel.

Then came Madrid, located on Claudio Coello Street in the Salamanca neighborhood, in September 2022 there will be Bilbao next to Plaza Moyúa and in 2023 there will be Palma on our beloved island, where we have spent our summers for the last 34 years. years.

Without being on the shopping streets, the six auka stores are always well located in the “background” which we like for their discretion.

I consider the circle closed, 6 stores are more than enough to be able to continue carrying them in a personalized way and for this my project to continue being a family business in terms of proportions and style. The online store completes this dream that auka reaches all of you. Sophia, my daughter, is leading the project, an important part of the team in addition to our brand image, who from the beginning has given me her unconditional support and has been my inspiration. We hope that she gives you the same enthusiasm. to us.