Rafe Loves...Danielle Vincent

Raison d’Etre:  To learn to enjoy the journey, live with appreciation, and since no kiddies yet, to care for my sweet puppy-dog 
Job:  Founder of Kimiko Beauty ; smart makeup that treats your skin while you wear it, for a better complexion sans makeup (Kimiko in Japanese means Energy, Beauty and Youth) Live: West Village, NYC
Happiness:  Being with friends and family, spending time alone, getting outdoors for anything sporty/beach-y
Brunch:  Café Cluny – cozy and close to home.  I love the finishing touch of gourmand chocolate that comes with the check 
Drink:  The drinks at Little Branch never fail.  I love big red wines and chardonnay 
Eat:  Jewel Bako, I love everything about this place, including the hand-grated wasabi at your table. Perry Street. (try the rice cracker crusted Tuna) 
Escape:   I adore travel and experiencing the exotic or new, I love Chile, the Amalfi Coast (Capri!), Tokyo 
Read:  I tend to have a business/communication book on the go, alongside something more right-brained (or no-brained), be it a novel or a magazine 
Listen: Where do I even begin?  My tastes range from classic rock to jazz to electronica, but lately I’ve been listening to Miiko Snow, Royksopp, The Whitest Boy Alive, Kings of Convenience, and one of my all-time favorites remains Neil Young (yes, really) 
View or watch: Jeopardy (so nerdy and so good), Arrested Development reruns, 30 Rock 
Indulge:  Massages and a big beauty product budget 
Shop:  Isetan (Tokyo), Otte, Barneys 
Fashion:  I love what Christopher Bailey has done with Burberry Prorsum; Rag and Bone; James Perse and White and Warren for comfy staples. 
Aspire: Angelina Jolie for her clean lines and dress-down ease, Audrey Hepburn for her classic style. 
Charity: Because I’m a founding member and because it’s such a great cause: The Y Society 
Dream:  To look back at the end of the journey and feel like I’ve made a difference (being a mega huge rock star would also suffice) 
Accessory:  I love my Rafe bags because they are elegant, versatile, and can take me from the streets of London to the cliffs of Ravello with ease. This clutch holds my wallet and my Kimiko makeup, yet is easy to carry; and oh, the compliments!…thanks for your fabulous designs Rafe, xx
  

Rafe Loves...Amanda Hearst

Raison d’Etre: to love and be loved (“amanda” actually means “one who is loved”)

 Job: associate market editor at marie claire magazine us

Live: west village, new york

Happiness: is a full time job.  But it’s what makes life worth living.

Brunch: is my favorite meal of the day ;) if I didn’t work, I’d be having brunch at Morandi’s 7 days a week.

Drink: Hierbas Ibicencas in Ibiza....it’s an after-meal drink they serve everywhere there....yumm :)

Eat: Via Quadronno in New York (the veal Milanese! The risotto!)

Escape: Spain, especially Madrid, Mallorca, Sevilla

Read: Marie Claire ;)

Listen: Band of Horses, Broken Bells, Fiona Apple, Shakira

View or watch: I don’t really watch movies



Indulge: massages

Shop: I almost always shop at the designer’s actual boutique so I’d say: Dolce and Gabbana, YSL, Helmut Lang, Philip crangi

Fashion: see above. I’d also like to add Bodkin, their stuff is probably the coolest around right now!

Aspire: (Style icons) Audrey Hepburn, not for her clothes but for her life

Charity: The Humane Society of the US

Dream: to make a difference

Accessories: I love Rafe because his accessories are cool and he’s even cooler!  When I wore his clutch to the CFDA’s this year, literally everyone I spoke to asked me where I got my clutch.

  

Rafe Loves...Jemen Ariola

Raison d’Etre: To live, love and learn. And inspire!

Job: Shopper activation specialist

Live:  Hong Kong

Happiness: FINALLY FOUND IT!!!

Brunch:  Croissant with gruyere, cherry tomatoes and saucisson filling prepared by my fiancé, Frédéric, at his patio in Lausanne, Switzerland. Top that with a cup of hot melted dark Belgian chocolate. Bliss!

Eat: Anywhere in the world as long as there’s wood-fired oven-baked thin-crust pizza with anchovies.

Drink: I was with Johnnie (Walker) for than 10 years. Then had a fling with Macallan (25 yrs old) for a few months. Now I’m giving my liver a break and just happy sipping rosé while watching the sunset with Frédéric in any of my escapes.

Escape: Boracay (Philippines), Lausanne (Switzerland), South of France

Read: I don’t have favorite authors, most books I buy are the bestsellers. I love hoarding books even if I don’t get to read most of them. To keep me abreast with current events, I subscribe to TIME Magazine. If I need some push, Who Moved My Cheese, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be, The Little Prince and The Secret would always be a feel-good read. Always amazing to return to would be Garcia-Marquez, Kundera & Murakami.

Listen: Jazz (Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, Bill Evans, Incognito), Classical (Mario Frangoulis, Mendelsson, Yo-yo Ma, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov), Chill (Hotel Costes, St. Germain, Morcheeba, Buddha Bar), Bossa Nova (Gilbertos), U2, Sade, Tuck & Patti, Eva Cassidy, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, Regina Spektor (love her videos!) and Frédéric's compilation of jazz and chill out music.

View or watch: Italian, French and Spanish artfilms. The Usual Suspects, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Before Sunrise/Sunset. I'm also a sucker for sad/tragic endings; House of Sand and Fog, Once, City of God, Cinema Paradiso. And my all time favorite? Princess Bride 'as you wish' :P Cary Elwes was my first crush .“)

Indulge: Hot bath with champagne and dark Belgian chocolates. 3 hr home service massage from my Thai masseuse. If she has time, she cooks tom yum goong after the massage. She owns a Thai restaurant here in Kowloon City and has a full time job. Being a masseuse is something that she just loves to do.

Shop: Fa Yung Gay! I swear, you can't go wrong with their HKD79 LBDs! Being a serious bargain-hunter, I check out H&M and Zara here in HK. And whenever I get a chance to fly back home to Manila, I visit Anthology and The Ramp. I always find something fab at a really awesome price. Manila designers absolutely rock!

Splurge: 4-inch stilettos! European sojourns!!!

Aspire: To be an inspiration to my younger cousins and make them realize that with resilience, passion, faith, a little bit of luck, and lots of prayers, anything IS possible. Speaking of which, I’ve always wanted to be a fashion model (hence the love of stilettos ha ha) and way back in Manila (ages ago!), I could only drool at the thought of owning a Rafe. So I used to tell myself, someday when I grow up… And here I am, a proud Rafe owner AND a Rafe ‘muse’ - the closest I can get to being a model ;-} Did I say positive visualization works?

Charity: World Children's Fund (I actually have a funny story behind this. The first time I sent them a cheque, I received a letter from the office of the president nominating me for their Distinguished Humanitarian Award, an immensely humbling experience. Except that the nomination letter was addressed to a MR. Jemen Ariola. Oops.)

Dream: The dreams you dare to dream DO really come true!

Accessory:  I love my Rafe bag because it's functional AND fabulous! THE clutch has traveled with me everywhere. And I swear, I always get a compliment whenever I wear it. A travel must-have! And one of my most precious possessions ;-}

Rafe Loves...Isi Pfänder

Raison d’Etre: to travel the world! I try to escape Germany as often as possible!

Job: Student (Hotelmanagement/Tourism)

Live: Now: Freiburg, Germany, next month: Barcelona, Spain!

Happiness: Spending time with my friends and family, especially on vacation

Brunch: The best Brunch is at home with friends after a long night out with way too much food and lots of Nutella!

Drink:  Feeling like a princess at Ábaco in Palma de Mallorca or just having fun at Woody's in St. John, at home in Germany we usually go to the Bar Mille Miglia which is in one of the Hotels of Germany's biggest amusement park, Europa Park Rust. It's a theme Hotel and you really feel like you're somewhere in Italy when you're there!

Eat: Chada Thai in Lahr, Germany, Bona Taula in Calonge, Mallorca

Escape: Anyplace with sun and beach! my favorite spots are St. John USVI, Mallorca, Spain and Belek, Turkey

Read: Glamour, Joy, Cosmopolitan

Listen: I like almost all types of music as long as you can sing along or dance to it! at the moment i'm really into House music and R&B

Watch: I love TV shows!! I did not miss a single episode of Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives or Private Practice (and many, many more!)

Indulge: Chocolate ice cream for breakfast!

Shop:  Zara, Forever21, Vero Moda

Splurge: Shopping in the small small shoe stores in Italy

Charity: Stiftung 100, a German foundation which helps woman and children in Nepal

Dream: to spend a wonderful last year as a student in Barcelona, meet many interesting people and find a great job somewhere abroad (anyplace with sun and beach..)

Accessory:  I love my Rafe bags because they are unique! They give a special touch to every outfit! Especially when I wear them in Germany I get compliments all the time! At the moment my favorite bag is the Chain Embroidery Crossbody Bag which completely enhances every ordinary outfit! I also love Rafe shoes, they are chic and comfortable!

Rafe Loves...Sarah Cristobal

Raison d’Etre: To have an amazing tan. (Kidding!) To love and be loved. (Only child syndrome.)

Job: Senior Fashion Editor at StyleList.com, freelance writer; charitable do-gooder, extreme motocross, mime, professional juggler, globe-trotter (most of these are true)

Live: The Village, NYC

Happiness: Sitting with a glass of rose on a beach in VilleFranche. Oh, and my family and friends being healthy and happy of course. (Wine first though.)

Brunch: Pastis in NYC, Sylvester's in Northampton, MA

Drink:  Elderflower Martini at Hotel du Cap, Penny Drop at Standard Grill

Eat: The Standard Grill in NYC, La Fontaine Gaillon and Brasserie Lipp in Paris, Miramar in Barcelona

Escape: Anywhere with a beach! South of France, Tulum in Mexico, anywhere in Spain

Read: Cat Fancy, New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Grazia, Vanity Fair, Coastal Living

Listen: Hard to pick a favorite. Currently really liking the Karen Elson album and Whitest Boy Alive. Also have a penchant for Yanni.

Watch:  Saved by the Bell reruns, Welcome Back Cotter, Dora the Explorer, you know, the usual.

Indulge: Designer shoes and dinners with friends. Also tanning and Saved by the Bell reruns.

Shop:  Colette, Barneys, Zero Maria Cornejo

Fashion: Peter Som, Costello Tagliapietra, Dries van Noten, Isabel Marant, Alabama Chanin

Aspire: It varies from 1960s era Jane Birkin to Susan Boyle pre-makeover which makes it very hard to get dressed in the morning.

Charity: Free Arts, NYC Ballet, Edible Schoolyard

Dream: To one day get the call that I am indeed a distant relative to Cristobal Balenciaga and therefore will have full access to his archives. Also to star in an off-Broadway production of "Cats" and be a world renowned Scrabble player.

Accessories: I love Rafe accessories because they are organically cool, accessible and lovely, just like dear Rafe.

Rafe Loves...Yeane Keet

Raison d’Etre: My children, my political ambition and my passion for fashion 
      
Job: Sales and Marketing Director for Denpoo Mandiri Indonesia and I am also in the Chamber of Commerce of Indonesia

Live: Jakarta (Indonesia)

Happiness: To be on a beach with a book in a clear blue sky

Brunch: China Doll (Sydney) with my girlfriends

Drink: Martini at Cork and Screw (Jakarta)

Eat: Social House (Jakarta)

Escape: Maldives, Bali, Sydney and Paris

Read: Australian magazine (Instyle,Bazaar,Vouge), Why men love bitches.

Listen: Chill out and anything on the top 10 in I-tunes but no Beiber.

Watch: Tudor and Rome.

Indulge: Bags..can't get enough!!!

Shop: FJL(jakarta), Paddington (Sydney) and Hermes!


Fashion:Anything chic and timeless.

Aspire: Coco Chanel

Charity: An orphanage in Jakarta. There is one organization I am in called PUN (perempuan untuk negeri) which helps unfortunate women

Dream: When I achieve my career goal I want to go traveling around the world with my love one.

Accessory: I love Rafe accessories because they are unique and timeless with edge!