It is so entertaining to scope for new products to bring on board to totsnstyle.com.¬†¬† As a mother and a business owner I have come to appreciate the stories behind beatiful fashion creations.¬† Here is one I wanted to share with you.¬† I love the Felix Rey Diaper Bags and I know you will too.¬† Beautiful designs with a mix of trendy and classic accents that are unlike others in the “baby market”.¬† Here is their story.
Sulaika Zarrouk and Lily Rafii, the design duo behind Felix Rey handbags, joined forces in March, 2001 to design accessories for the smart and stylish girl-about-town, one who longs for colorful bags that add the perfect finishing touch to any outfit and excessive collection of shoes. Lily and Sulaika know all too well from personal experience that their customer had probably gone a tad over-budget on one too many Manicures and Manolos so the pair set out to offer affordable luxury in their handbag collection.
Prior to the launch of Felix Rey, Lily, a Georgetown graduate, worked at Morgan Stanley gaining a crash course in finance. After graduating from NYU and FIT, Sulaika landed a job in Collection Design at Donna Karan. In 2001, Lily took a dramatic turn from finance and joined Sulaika to create Felix Rey. Their feminine and flirty designs quickly gained a cult following, flying off the shelves as soon as they landed at Bergdorf Goodman, Takashimaya, Neiman Marcus, Henri Bendel and Kitson, to name a few. Felix Rey accessories take a fresh and feminine approach to vintage inspiration, including touches such as bows, ruffles and hearts. The bags are in a class of their own – it’s no wonder that the collection has been touted as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” meets “Sex and the City.” It is perfectly suited for the modern girl with a whimsical flair for style.
In just five years, the company has become hugely successful, scoring coveted placement on Sex and the City and gaining loyal customers in celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Style-making celebrities aren’t the only people who have taken notice of their darling bags. Luca Orlandi personally commissioned Lily and Sulaika to design bags for his clothing line Luca Luca. They also do private label for the trendy boutique Scoop.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the pair continues to arm themselves with experience to keep their hold on fashion success in a fickle industry. Last fall, Lily enrolled in the executive MBA program at Columbia. Judging by their consistent progress and growth, the best is yet to come for Felix Rey. A steady rise to fashion triumph with staying power was, after all, their careful business plan.