It was in 1989 that Rafe New York started on its way to becoming one of the most awarded fashion accessory and handbag lines in the world. It was in that year that Rafe Totengco made his move. Rafe left his home in Manila, for the bright lights and fashion mecca of New York. There, he enrolled in the fashion institute, FIT, and started his career as a fashion assistant. However, it was also this time that he nurtured his ambitions, and his passion, all of which he would later funnel into his extravagant Rafe New York bags.
All that funneling wouldn’t take long to get started. It was in 1994 that he put out his first accessories in a Soho boutique. These first belts and watchbands took the little boutique by storm, and in a whirlwind of sales, they were cleared out by avid buyers in a flash.
The boutique was so excited by the sales that they immediately asked Rafe for more, as well as any other accessories to go with them. They specifically asked Rafe if he designed handbags, too. Being the smart salesman that he was, Rafe immediately said, of course, yes—although he actually hadn’t started on a handbag line yet.
The gamble, and the chutzpah, paid off. A year later, the first Rafe New York handbags were on the market. Their huge first debut occurred at Bergdorf Goodman.
Since then, Rafe New York deserves its namesake, because the lineup of bags has owned New York’s fashion accessory world. The awards that line Rafe’s figurative trophy shelf are impressive, including a Finalist in the Perry Ellis Accessory Designer Award in 1999; the Rising Star Award from Fashion Group International in 2000; and the Best Accessories Designer from the Accessories Council in 2001.
Who needs celebrities toting your bags when you can line them with gold medals and acclaim from the big brains of the fashion world? Then again, Rafe New York is a fixture in the jet set, and the bags have their own store in New York now. And not only are they sold in boutiques and department stores throughout the United States, Rafe New York also are in three in-store shops in Japan.
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