Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — “I wanted it to feel like my first night in New York all those years ago,” designer Rafe Totengco said, after all was said and done. “There was a point [in the show where] it got a bit emotional for me.”
On a rainy afternoon on October 13, Manila’s close-knit fashion community trooped to the Bench Tower in the Fort for the launch of the Rafe x Bench collection — a collaboration between the acclaimed Filipino designer and the local retail giant. While Totengco is known for his luxurious handbags, the Rafe x Bench collaboration sees the designer putting together a special collection for Filipinos — stylish, well-made, but also accessible and affordable. “Good design should be available to everybody,” Totengco said.
In his homecoming collection for Bench, Totengco pays homage to the city where he found himself professionally and personally. Using New York’s frenetic pace, energy, architecture, and diversity as inspiration, he presented a collection that champions utility and ease. “[The pieces] are meant to be worn multiple times, with as many combinations as possible.”
CNN Philippines Life went backstage at the Rafe x Bench launch and caught celebrities like Gabbi Garcia, Derrick Monasterio, and Diego Loyzaga — along with some of Manila’s top models — preparing for the fashion show. Totengco was on hand to oversee preparations, of course, working with Bench stylist Noel Manapat on the show. Personalities like Chef JP Anglo, interior designer Nix Alanon, and PR professional Charmaine Palermo also walked as part of the fashion show, as a nod to Rafe’s Bacolod roots and life in Manila.
Born and raised in Bacolod, Totengco studied advertising in college in Manila before his professors, sensing his interest in fashion, “essentially said I was on the wrong path.” When he finally fully committed himself to fashion, a career came quickly. In a few years, his company had grown to a relatively robust 30 employees — a great backbone to his constantly thriving ready-to-wear business.
But in 1989, upon visiting New York, he fell in love with the city. Almost immediately, he closed up shop in the Philippines and moved to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology, later joining a manufacturing company as an illustrator and assistant designer.
Eight years later, in 1997, he launched his namesake handbag brand Rafé New York, currently distributed at some of America’s top luxury boutiques like Neiman Marcus.
Through the years, Totengco has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of Philippine fashion’s true global names — a member of the Council of Fashion Designers in America since 1998. His pieces have been seen on the pages of the world’s most prestigious publications, from the New York Times to Elle magazine, and on the arms and hands of celebrities like Serena Williams, Kate Bosworth, and Julia Louis Dreyfus. He also has the distinction of being one of the first accessory designers to explore capsule collaborations with a mass retailer — a collection for Target, in 2005. Outside of his own brand, he is handbag creative creative director for the Nine West Group of Companies.
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Rafe x Bench is available in select Bench stores nationwide.
