Mestiza New York and Rafe New York have teamed up, focusing on their shared Filipino cultural heritage to create a range of handbag styles.
“Alessandra and I share a love for color, pattern, embellishment and frequently reference our heritage in our collections, so it was a no brainer to collaborate with Mestiza. I get them, and they get me,” explained Rafe Totengco, founder of Rafe New York, speaking about Alessandra Perez-Rubio Loverde, who cofounded Mestiza.
Totengco said the two creatives met when Mestiza was launched. “Alessandra’s sister used to model for me in the Philippines so we had 1 degree of separation. I’ve always admired how they continuously reference Alessandra’s Filipino heritage in the same way that I do.”
According to the creatives, the collaborative effort celebrates heritage, craftsmanship and innovative design, with a collection of two crossbody clutch bags that blend Mestiza’s signature prints with Rafe’s bag styles.
Perez-Rubio Loverde said she has admired Rafe since her early days in New York. “I first got to meet him back in 2016 at a Christmas party thrown by a mutual friend, and he doesn’t know this but I felt like I was meeting a huge celebrity. Ever since starting Mestiza I always knew I wanted to partner with him in some way, especially since we are both so closely tied to our Filipino heritage and always reference it in our collections.”
The two styles retail for $395 and will be available exclusively on mestizanewyork.com staring Jan. 29.
