It Takes a Village – How a trip through Colombia shaped our hearts (and ogao)

Five weeks, a trip through Colombia and the beginning of everything.

When we – Lena and Caro – decided to travel to Colombia together after finishing our fashion design studies, it was initially just a plan between friends. But what came of it changed our lives – and laid the foundation for ogao .

For Lena, it was her first time in Colombia. For Caro, it meant coming home. And yet it was more than a visit—it was an invitation. To a family. To a culture, to a different way of living, to connecting, to sharing.

Caro comes from Medellín. A place where life is loud, food is always shared, and family doesn't just mean being related—it means being with one another every day. Caro's mother has eleven siblings. Cousins in Colombia aren't "relatives," they're the closest people to one another. Aunts and uncles often live around the corner. The door is always open. And even if you haven't arranged to meet, you just drop by.

In this loud, colorful, and touching community, we discovered something we hardly knew from Switzerland: It's not about taking up space. It's about sharing space.

We weren't just visiting. We were welcomed. Seated at tables. Showered with stories. And gifted with a warmth that touched us deeply. This way of living, of loving, of being there for one another has shaped ogao – more than any mood board or color concept ever could.

During the trip, we visited not only family but also many small studios: jewelry artisans, bag makers, and weavers. There, too, we encountered this community spirit. The workshops are small, many of them family-run. Knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. People work together, eat together, and laugh together.

These people, this kind of closeness and support, this feeling of “it takes a village” – all of this has shaped ogao.

ogao isn't just a brand. ogao is a community. A declaration of love for Colombian craftsmanship. And for what truly matters: proximity, connection, and solidarity.

We would be happy if you became part of it.

Con cariño,
Lena & Caro