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When Vogue Business visited LA apparel brand Outerknown’s Peruvian cotton farms in May, harvest times had been thrown into disarray by the changing climate. Since February 2023, northern Peru has been affected by what the United Nations has dubbed “a severe meteorological phenomenon” called the “el niño costero”, causing heavy rains and flooding across Lambayeque, Piura, and Tumbes, and Cyclone Yaku in March. The UN estimates that 517,000 people have been affected, from loss of human life to damaged buildings and livelihoods. Roads and basic services were also interrupted.