In Conversation: Raffi
Raffi is a US based luxury brand specializing in comfort items for him and her. Cashmere and aqua cotton are the spotlight materials at the core of the brands offering, in a myriad of color ways.
Raffi is a true family business; Raffi, along with his wife and three daughters collectively run the company. They design and innovatively bring fresh new ideas to the market each season creating works of art. Each with their own individual styles and experiences, there is a common thread of versatility, luxury and uncompromising quality that the Raffi brand delivers. Raffi strives to create the ultimate timeless classic “staple in your closet” year after year.
Raffi is known in the industry not only for clothing, but for his philosophies and advice that he would share with his customers. Here he shares some insight with us on the new collection, and what keeps him positive on a daily basis.
Tell us about your daily routine
I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say I love you.
I tell myself – I love you, I love my family, I love my friends, I love my team, I love my community. It’s a moment of appreciation.
I start the day with hot water with lemon and do about an hour of stretch and exercise. It is important to move your body, and I like each day to use it as a gauge of how my body feels, and to connect to my body.
One of my favorite stretches is legs up the wall. Lay with your back on the floor and sit as close as possible to the wall with your feet up on the wall, and stretch your hands out to the sides. It is good for blood circulation and movement. I also do balancing exercises, so any other activities I do, I have movement, flexibility and balance.
With breakfast, I think what new am I going to bring to the day? What new can I accomplish today? I am always looking ahead and coming up with new ideas.
In the office, I connect to our retailer partners to find out how they are doing and stay in touch, service their needs. I have phone calls, meetings with my team and staff, and create new ideas for upcoming collections.
After work, come home and have dinner with my wife (who is not only my life partner, but my business partner as well). We will either we go out or eat in. I like to have a clean dinner, salads, vegetables and fish or chicken. At night before bed, I always end the day with a hot shower, cold shower. I learned this over 25 years ago when traveling in Asia and it is something I practice every day. It cleans off the day from being out, and it gives me peace of mind before bed and helps for a restful sleep.
What pieces from the Spring collection are you most excited about, and why?
I love The Luka, it is one of my favorite sweaters. The cotton is soft and lightweight, it can be worn all year round, and it is a reversible! The neckline is unique with an open v-neck henley, so it looks great with The Marquee or The Linden underneath.
Also The Brad has the same neckline but in our Pure Aqua Cotton Collection. The colors there are fantastic. Beautiful heathered colors, you don’t see in the market.
Which piece season after season, can you not live without?
The Marquee in white. It is a staple in my closet. I love a bright color with the white marquee underneath. Our collection is full of colors, especially this Spring. We have beautiful colors that compliment all skin tones, in soft pastels to bring blues. With a white shirt underneath, it brings out the true color of the sweater.
