New York-based Filipino designer Rafé Totengco draws inspiration from everywhere. Whether it 1960s socialite and factory girl Edie Sedgwick, innovative fashion god Yves Saint Laurent, or a distant memory from his youth in the Philippines, his success in the fashion industry as a creator of women’s handbags, shoes, and accessories is not unwarranted. Today, the designer shares several photographs from his new campaign for Spring Summer 2018, staring model Sophie Summer in a Sedgwick-esque inspired editorial which pays homage to his upbringing in the tropics through beautiful, handcrafted clutch bags.
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“When I was planning the photo shoot, I kept looking at photos of Edie Sedgwick. I was looking for a model who could emulate her and I thought that Sophie Summer would be perfect. We met last year when we were both in Manila and stayed in touch in New York. She immediately agreed to do the shoot with me and I was pleased to find out that she was obsessed with Edie as I was,” described the designer about his new muse. His new collection is filled with tropical motifs reminiscent of his younger years. For instance, Totengco used to own a green parrot that he remembers fondly. “He was such a smart and funny creature with tons of personality,” he continued. Now that image can be seen in his collection. In addition, the latest clutches also have flamingos, cockatoos, macaws, and flowers, which he feels visually transports one to the tropical paradise.
“I love working with straw, shell and snakeskin; using them in ways that show off their inherent quality. The Rosie clutches are all hand-embroidered and molded into shape one at a time. Since each clutch is embroidered individually that means that you are guaranteed that not one of them will be exactly alike. That variation is something I appreciate in anything that is handmade,” he shares about the new clutch varietals. Each design takes four to five days to embroider. Totengco has shared the process on his website (www.rafe.com). “You should see it to fully appreciate the amount of labor that goes into each piece!”
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The whole collection is a result of Totengco’s love of pop culture, literature, art, and creative icons. In one corner one can find images from Slim Aaron’s book A Place in the Sun, Yves Saint Laurant’s muse Loulou de la Falaise, the Fauvist painting Madame Matisse au Kimono by Andre Derain, or Victor Vasarely’s Geometric Art. Despite drawing inspiration from all sorts of sources, the whole look of Spring Summer 2018 undoubtedly works and may be the ideal clutch to match with all your summer outfits. Scroll down to see the latest Spring Summer 2018 collection of Rafe New York for this week’s beauty break…
Rafe is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La and Cebu
