Rafe visits St. Francis of Assisi School

Silay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, July 6, 2010 – New York-based accessories designer Rafe Totengco visited the St. Francis of Assisi School for the first time today. As a supporter of the Tapulanga Foundation, Rafe took a special trip to Negros in order to meet the scholars and check out the school. The students entertained Rafe, who came with his sister Tesa, with song and dance numbers. He also shared his inspiring success story with the students. Along with Executive Director MicMic Abello-Golez, they toured the school grounds that included an eco-friendly chapel made entirely of mud. Through the many projects that Rafe has done for the Tapulanga Foundation, a college scholarship fund in his name has been created. The Rafe Totengco College Scholarship Fund has four college scholars today.

Tapulanga Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization that provides educational, healthcare and micro-credit assistance to poor families in Silay City and its neighboring communities. Other programs include: lunch meal program, infant feeding program, public hospital assistance, disaster emergency relief, children’s summer workshops and volunteer vacation program.

Rafe Totengco is the President and Creative Director of the accessories brand Rafe New York. Based in New York City, Rafe has created handbags, shoes and small leather goods that have been worn by women, as well as celebrities, all over the world. He has won many awards including Best Accessories Designer by the Accessories Council and 2007 Asian Entrepreneur of the Year by the Asian Enterprise Magazine.

To get involved and for further information please contact:
in the Philippines
MicMic Abello-Golez
Executive Director
Tapulanga Foundation
email: mgolez@tapulanga.org

or in the USA
Janice Ragona
President
Friends of Tapulanga Inc.
janice@tapulanga.org

Flower Power

May 20, 2010 – New York City

Designer Rafe Totengco joined the fashion and floral community in the 9th Annual Tulips & Pansies: Headress the Affair at Gotham Hall. Each year the event pairs fashion designers with NYC’s finest floral designers such as Preston Bailey, L’Olivier, Ovando and  Golf Srithmarong. The concept is to create a high-fashion runway show of elaborate floral headdresses made entirely from fresh cut flowers and other living plants.

The event raises funds for Village Care of New York, a non-profit organization providing vital health care programs to people living with HIV/AIDS. The show was hosted by James Aguiar and chaired by Ariana N. Rockefeller, writer and philanthropist and Kelly Cutrone, Founder of People’s Revolution. The show was judged by John Bartlett, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Freddie Leiba, Fern Mallis and Ashleigh Verrier.

This year, Rafe was paired with Chuck Dorr of GardenDig from Brooklyn. For their runway look, Rafe and Chuck utilized some of the plastic crochet pieces from Rafe’s Craftwork collection and fresh tropical orchids and ferns to do a Carmen Miranda-esque inspired outfit while showcasing Rafe bags as well.

"Drawing inspiration from the hardworking women in Manila that hand crochet Rafe's new globally conscious handbags, Dig will showcase the color and beauty of the tropics and bring the wonder and charm of the Philippines to the boroughs of New York."

The event benefits Village Care’s comprehensive array of HIV/AIDS services, which includes two day treatment programs, community case management, home care, Red Hook Community Center, treatment adherence, Village Health Center and The Momentum Project, a food and nutrition program, along with the Rivington House, a modern, state-of-the-art residential care facility that offers clinical services and skilled nursing for persons living with HIV/AIDS in an encouraging and supportive environment.
Village Care is a community-based, not-for-profit long-term organization serving seniors, persons living with HIV/AIDS and individuals in need of medical and rehabilitation services.

Dream Weavers

RAFE NEW YORK WORKS WITH “DREAM WEAVERS” FOR
HIS INSPIRED SPRING 2010 COLLECTION

New York, NY, October 2009 – Designer Rafe Totengco continues to utilize the artistic talents of the people in his native Philippines. The designer’s latest collaboration features the work of the T'boli, one of the Philippines surviving ethnic tribes occupying an area in the southwest coastal range of the Cotabato Cordillera. This non-Muslim tribe is known for their skills in brass casting and traditional weaving, which creates a fabric called Tinalak.

"I've always had an affinity for products that are handcrafted using traditional techniques and I've been wanting to use Tinalak in my collection", says Rafe. He collaborated with Maricris Floirendo-Brias who has been working with the T'boli for several years now developing home furnishings using tinalak.

The fabric is characterized by rhythmically repeated geometric patterns of highly stylized human and animal forms, some of which are said to represent human figures in traditional housing structures. The T'boli weaves this cloth using fibers from the abaca plant, a variety of the banana family. The fibers are extracted from the inner section of the wild banana plant, dried and separated into strands, then joined into long threads needed for weaving.










This is used as thread and binding material for Ikat, a decorative technique whereby threads are resist-tied and dyed into warp Ikat patterns before weaving. The dyes used are extracted from vegetables and other materials.

Karolina beaded flap clutch in orange.

Katherine large tote

Rafe has created a group of Beaded Ikat handbags with the Tinalak fabric in vibrant hues of orange, yellow, pink and blue. The bags come in three styles: a large tote, a flap clutch and a minaudiere. Each style comes in indigo blue, hot pink, orange, yellow and black. The clutch and the minaudiere feature hand beaded ornamentation that complement the colors of the bags.


Kim minaudiere


The Kim minaudiere as feature in Vogue Magazine.

This is not the only group in Rafe’s Spring 2010 collection to boast a connection to the designer’s birthplace. Craftwork, a capsule collection within the line, features crochet work done by 80 women in the Philippines utilizing plastic bags collected during school drives. Both endeavors allow Rafe to help provide work for each group and preserve their distinctive craft.

Rafe Launches Craftwork

RAFE NEW YORK PARTNERS WITH INVISIBLE TO INTRODUCE CRAFTWORK
A partnership to protect the environment and reduce poverty.
Accessories designer Rafe Totengco is proud to announce a collaboration with INVISIBLE, a socially responsible, eco-conscious program founded by artist and activist Ann Wizer. Rafe launched Craftwork, a capsule collection of handbags within his Spring 2010 line, featuring crochet work done by women in the Philippines. These women, many of whom are single mothers, have been recruited from impoverished areas of Manila and taught the dying craft of crochet by Ann and her team of volunteers.









This program allows the women to recognize their artistic talents and provide a source of income for their families. The Craftwork by Rafe collection is comprised of three styles- a tote, a clutch and a wristlet. Each piece is crocheted by one woman from start to finish then finished with leather straps for maximum wearability.





“Growing up in the Philippines I was always conscious of the poverty of my country but never had the opportunity to witness it first hand until recently. I’m so excited to be the first US based designer to be working with Ann Wizer and the women at INVISIBLE,” states designer Rafe Totengco. “After meeting these women, seeing the conditions they live in and learning about the significant difference this program can make in their lives, I was determined to help in any way that I could.”








This program not only provides much-needed revenue for these women, it also helps to clean up Manila’s waste strewn streets and rivers. The handbags are made using plastic bags collected through school drives and collections from grocery stores. Rafe's Spring order alone rescued 40,000 plastic bags. As a result of the varieties of plastic bags available to the women, each bag will be, by default, “one of a kind” and truly special.

These fabulous Rafe bags are now available online at Amazon.com, just in time for Spring!

Rafe Designs A Special Shoe for Baileys

BAILEYS TAPPED DESIGNER RAFE TOTENGCO TO DESIGN A SHOE INSPIRED BY THEIR DELICIOUS LIQUEUR
The special edition shoe was sold to benefit Clothes Off Our Back.

Designer Rafe Totengco joined the makers of Baileys® Original Irish Cream to celebrate the two things women find most irresistible about a holiday get-together --amazing party shoes and a delicious drink. The Baileys Holiday Shoe Collection of one-of-a-kind Baileys-inspired designs was sold via online auction to benefit Clothes Off Our Back®. The national non-profit organization auctions clothing, jewelry and other items donated by top celebrities to help support many causes around the world, including the fight against hunger.

To support the cause while indulging in a love of fashion, shoe aficionados and their friends ages 21 and older can visit www.clothesoffourback.org to view and bid on one-of-a-kind Baileys-inspired women's shoes. Rafe joins some of the best designers in the business: Alejandro Ingelmo, Farylrobin, Shree Moni and Vanessa Noel. The auction ran from November 11th to December 2nd, and bidding started at $75, with all money raised going to charity.
Each designer created one pair of shoes inspired by Baileys Original Irish Cream -- which means rich, irresistible shoes. “I was inspired by the Baileys Irish Creme Caramel. My strappy high heel platform is crafted in creme patent leather, which emulates the movement of the liquid flowing over ice”, said Rafe Totengco.

"We're really excited to combine two irresistible temptations -- Baileys and shoes -- in a way that benefits a great cause during the holidays," said Dana Yerid, brand director for Baileys. "Whether you're enjoying it with friends at a holiday party or a small gathering at home, Baileys adds 'yum' and delight to the season's festivities. Slip on a fabulous pair of designer shoes with your favorite party dress, pour a glass of Baileys and you have everything you need for perfectly delicious holiday get-togethers."

Rafe Co-Chairs Cooper Hewitt After Party

Accessory designer Rafe Totengco served as co-chair for the 10th Anniversary Cooper-Hewitt Design Awards Gala After Party held last October 22, 2009. The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in design across a variety of disciplines and were solicited from a committee of more than 2,500 designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from every state in the nation. Nominees possessed at least seven years of experience and winners were selected based on the level of excellence, innovation and public impact of their body of work.


The awardees this year included Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein Collection for Fashion Design, Tsao & McKown Architects for Interior Design, The New York Times Graphics Department for Communication Design and Bill Moggridge for Lifetime Achievement Award.


The Gala celebrating these awards is one of Cooper-Hewitt’s most important fundraisers of the year. For the first time in its existence the event was held at Cipriani 42nd Street instead of the museum itself, while the institution undergoes a large-scale renovation and expansion project. The change in venue allowed the after party to grow in scope and size. Rafe worked with the Cooper-Hewitt planning team and the after party committee to use the venue’s chapel section, adjacent to the main ballroom, and create an environment that complimented the gala, but had its own unique ambiance.








Committee members like Harry Allen, Dan Wood, Jen Mankins, Alex Bates and Christina Heekyoung Kang brought in the troops. The diverse list of co-chairs made the guest list equally ecclectic. Rafe's friends; Under The Arch actress Ariana Madix, PR diva Denise Kreft, Paul Phillips, Rafe's P.I.C. Steffanie Hyman, Muse Model Agency founder Conor Kennedy, designer China Young and Florist extraordinaire Bob Roberts came to support the event, showed off their Rafe bags, sipped cocktails and danced to the sounds of AndrewAndrew DJ while mingling with fellow design influencers.








Some very lucky guests also walked away with some amazing raffle prizes like a signed Eva Zeisel Granit collection "Cake and Tea" set, an extremely rare out-of-print signed hardcover edition of Syd Mead's Sentury, a signed Milton Glazer "I Heart NY" poster, a Aeron chair from Herman Miller, a limited edition table top sculpture "House" from Robert Wilson and an iPod Touch among other prizes.