Many exciting things have been happening in Rafe’s world this spring/summer. To catch you all up here are some highlights:
Beautiful mom-to-be Jessica Alba was spotted in Beverly Hills on Tuesday carrying her very own RAFE bag. The talented actress accessorized her sunny look with a white LOTUS COCO flower patent leather tote. The chic bag is even roomy enough to double as a diaper bag when Alba finally pops!
Congrats Jessica!!
On last night's episode of "Deperate Housewives" - primetime's guiltiest pleasure - fashionable bad girl Gabrielle Solis, aka Eva Longoria, accessorized her cute strapless black dress with a clutch from RAFE's spring/summer 08 collection. Her black LOTUS JOY flower patent long frame clutch added just the right amount of shine to her sophisticated look.
The bag retails for $350 and is available in black, red, orange and - my personal favorite - white (so chic for summer!).
Rafe is now on Facebook!
Become a fan and receive:
- Weekly press updates
- The latest Rafe news
- Information about upcoming events
- and much more!
As a fan, you can also upload pictures of you with your favorite Rafe handbag or pair of shoes!
Just click the link below to sign up.
RAFE celebrated the official launch of its first Manila boutique at the Greenbelt 5 Ayala Mall on Thursday, March 27, 2008. The grand opening included a ribbon cutting ceremony and cocktail party hosted by designer Rafe Totengco and store owners Ricco and Tina Ocampo.
“It was a mob scene!” exclaimed Totengco, who signed linings and soles nonstop throughout the event. “Everybody came out to support and buy Rafe.” Over the course of the evening, guests such as Ting Ting Cojuangco, Audrey Puckett Chiu, Mons Romulo Tantoco, Sophia Elizalde, Lizzie Zobel, Mia Borromeo, Tina Ocampo and Luli Arroyo shopped the edited collection of handbags, shoes and accessories. By the end of the event, the boutique had sold out of several styles including the “Laos Martina” laser cut wood frame clutch, the “Lotus Elisha” patent leather platform sandals and the “Koh Samui Sasha” snakeskin minaudieres. “It was an absolutely unforgettable homecoming,” says Totengco.
The Ayala Mall store is the brand’s first in the Philippines, which is also designer Rafe Totengco’s home country. “It’s a dream come true for me,” says Totengco. “I’m so proud to be opening a store here. My life has really come full circle.”
The Manila boutique, designed to mimic the brand’s New York City showroom, boasts baby blue damask patterned walls, rich chocolate brown floors and an eclectic mix of Asian antiques and vintage furniture. The free-standing store carries an edited collection of Rafe handbags, shoes and leather goods which are merchandised to epitomize the brand’s fun, chic aesthetic. In addition, Rafe will produce a collection of limited edition accessories especially for the boutique.
Owned by Ricco and Tina Ocampo, the husband and wife team behind multi-brand fashion boutique Mix, the store is a franchise that grew organically from the pair’s long-standing relationship with Totengco.
“Ricco and Tina have supported me from the very beginning” says Totengco. “From my early years in the Philippines to now, with the store. I couldn’t have imagined two better partners to work with on this endeavor.”
The Rafe boutique is located in the Greenbelt 5 Ayayla Mall alongside other established fashion brands such as Balenciaga, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Paul Smith, Banana Republic and Celestina.
New York Fashion Week is upon us once again, which means back-to-back shows, late night parties and dinners with old friends. To gain insight on this hectic week, fashion bible Style.com recruited Rafe to scribe a detailed account of his jam-packed Monday. See below for a preview of the diary entry and click
here for the full story.
Gossip Girl, the WB's hot new drama, has been called the new Sex & the City. The outfits and accessories shown on the show rival those worn by Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Every major designer is featured so naturally Rafe had to be a part of the fabulous production. Recently Serena van der Woodsen, played by the gorgeous Blake Lively, was seen carrying the Wooster Cameron bag in bordeaux during filming for an upcoming episode.
The Cameron is available at www.rafe.com in the sale section for $270.00
We love Gossip Girl and are glad they are loving Rafe too!
Every year Lucky Shops, the hottest sample sale in town hosted by Lucky Magazine, attracts shoppers from all over the country looking to garner amazing deals from the most in-demand designers. This year, Chevrolet sponsored the event in honor of the redesign of the Chevy Malibu. Looking to make the car more fashion forward Lucky Magazine approached designer Rafe Totengco to create a limited collection inspired by the Malibu’s redesign.
Rafe’s capsule Chevy collection includes two small leather goods, a key and card case and a French wallet as well as a flap clutch, all crafted in Anthracite snakeskin and lined with red satin, inspired by the features and colors of one model of the Malibu.
Totengco says “I was thrilled to collaborate with Lucky and Chevy to design a limited edition series of accessories. Chevy is an American iconic brand and Lucky is the ultimate shopping guide for girls, it was a win-win situation for me. There's so much synergy and it is such an amazing co-branding opportunity, I agreed to do it immediately.”
The Rafe for Chevy collection was available at Lucky Shops, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion October 25-27th, and is now online at luckyshops.com and bluefly.com.
Rafe Behind the Wheel!!!
Suze Yalof Schwartz, Glamour Magazine's fashion editor at large, handles all television appearances for the magazine and reports on current treads. Her latest segment, on the Early Show on October 30th, featured affordable coats - Each look she paired with a Rafe handbag to add a bit of shine!
Voltaire Penelope, topaz
Madeline Joy, Grey
Voltaire Joy, Topaz
One of our most loyal fans, Jessica Alba, has been seen sporting Rafe's Wooster Maggie Tote, in charcoal, around LA. The slouchy and distressed washed buffalo leather tote is adorned with antique brass hardware and is part of the Fall 2007 collection. The Maggie retails for $550.00 (available at http://www.rafe.com/) and is perfect for any girl looking for a relaxed yet polished look.
Teen Vogue, one of our favorite magazines, has once again featured Rafe. Our Charlemagne Penelope was featured in the September issue in the A - Z fashion roundup. The Penelope bootie, in gunmetal - a great fall color, has an 80mm stacked wedge and lace up front. It will be the perfect accessory for any fall outfit!
On May 21st 2007 Rafe participated in a charity event to benefit Village Care of New York, a non-profit organization providing healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS. The event paired Rafe with florist Stephanie Gueldner, owner of Studio Artiflora, to create a headdress combining each designer’s signature style. Rafe decided to make his signature straw bag,
only supersized, and filled with exotic flowers representing his cultural background. The night culminated with a runway show of various designers’ headdresses, including Libertine, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lela Rose and Bill Blass, hosted by Style Netwo
rk’s James Aguiar. Rafe and Stephanie’s creation wowed the audience. After all, it was the biggest and brightest
Eva Longoria loves Rafe. When she was planning her wedding to basketball superstar Tony Parker, she had celebrity stylist Robert Verdi ask Rafe to create something special to give to her ten bridesmaids. Rafe designed a chic, compact minaudiere, crafted in anthracite snake skin and embellished with smoke colored stones. He also attached the girls initials like charms on the drop in chain making the clutches even more special and personalized. Foreseeing that Eva would get jealous, Rafe also made an additional clutch for the bride as a present. Eva’s wedding took place on July 7th 2007 in Paris, France and the ten bridesmaids happily wore the clutches to the wedding reception.
Everyone's favorite bird is coming to LA, and the hottest designers are flocking to be a part of it! Naturally, Rafe Totengco was one of the lucky designers to be asked to collaborate with entertainment giant Warner Brothers for a limited time “pop up” retail boutique in Beverly Hills featuring all Tweety Bird products.
Rafe celebrates the iconic cartoon, famous from Looney Tunes, on one of his iconic seagrass straw baskets. A smiling Tweety, crafted from bright and colorful seed beads, will adorn the bag along with white patent leather flowers and a patent leather front flap engraved with Rafe’s signature logo. The limited edition bag will be sold exclusively at the Tweety Bird boutique for $850.00. The bag will debut to the Hollywood elite at the opening party on July 25th.
Rafe joins celebrated designers such as Alexander Wang, Alice Ritter, Thakoon, Jean Yu and Rosa Cha in collaborating for the exciting event. The Warner Brothers/Tweety Bird store is located at 9699 Wilshire Boulevard and will be open from July 25th until September 3rd.
Every year Lucky Shops, the hottest sample sale in town hosted by Lucky Magazine, attracts shoppers from all over the country looking to garner amazing deals from the most in-demand designers. This year, Chevrolet sponsored the event in honor of the redesign of the Chevy Malibu. Looking to make the car more fashion forward Lucky Magazine approached designer Rafe Totengco to create a limited collection inspired by the Malibu’s redesign.
One of our most loyal fans, Jessica Alba, has been seen sporting Rafe's Wooster Maggie Tote, in charcoal, around LA. The slouchy and distressed washed buffalo leather tote is adorned with antique brass hardware and is part of the Fall 2007 collection. The Maggie retails for $550.00 (available at http://www.rafe.com/) and is perfect for any girl looking for a relaxed yet polished look. 
only supersized, and filled with exotic flowers representing his cultural background. The night culminated with a runway show of various designers’ headdresses, including Libertine, Diane Von Furstenberg, Lela Rose and Bill Blass, hosted by Style Netwo
rk’s James Aguiar. Rafe and Stephanie’s creation wowed the audience. After all, it was the biggest and brightest
