It's your story. Wear it well.
Rafael Adón is a true story about the human impulse to create. Our provenance emerges in our ancestors' histories of making begun long ago. Our grand and great-grand parents taught us the noble work of handcrafting made-to-measure garments and goods; the honest practice of ethnobotany for fragrance and well-being; and, the dignified art of horticultural botanical curations. Those truths our ancestors lived we passionately continue today at Rafael Adón.
We Make
RELATIONSHIPS
The Noble Work of Made-to-Measure Leather Goods
There's only one you. So how does your bag measure up to that? At Rafael Adón, your new bag starts with your story. And then begins with our stitch. We create for you artifacts that are as unique as you are, only the very best carriers to engage in the daily rituals of moving from here to there.
STORY & STITCH
There's only one you, so shouldn't your bag measure up to that? At Rafael Adón it starts with your story and begins with our stitch.
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Story & Stitch is our human-centered methodology at the heart of our bespoke services. It is part story-telling methodology and part art and design. Story & Stitch guides us to uncover your lifestyle characteristics and the qualities you desire in a handbag and then build it. We then design and build a luxury bag that's made-to-measure just for you.
Rafael Adón is a design house located in Santa Barbara, California specializing in made-to-measure luxury leather bags and accessories.
Rafael Adón’s provenance in botanical creations, and, bespoke leather goods can be traced to the late 1800s in the lives and works of our maternal and paternal grandmothers: Doñas Enriqueta Reyna de Delgado, and our grandmother, Enrriqueta Delgado de Bernal. The two were respected curanderas and mystical women who healed with their indigenous knowledge of botanicals. Our paternal grandmother, Nicolasa Pérez de Córdova was a self-taught seamstress who made bespoke clothing for the people of the tiny, dusty desert town of Blythe, California on the banks of the Colorado River.
In 1999, Rafael Córdova, the grandson of these strong and spirited women, founded Rafael Adón on an 800 acre avocado ranch, Rancho La Paloma in Santa Barbara, California. Rafael was driven by an impulse to make. Guided by the healing and creative compass of his ancestors, he took direction from nature and indigenous Chumash knowledge of ethnobotany to create the first soaps made with indigenous botanicals. He also took direction from Santa Barbara’s Rancho culture to craft soaps made with cultivated botanicals.
Today, Rafael Adón continues its work in perfumery and skincare creations. Ever the maker, in 2012 Rafael embarked on a self-teaching journey, guided by his grandmothers’ grit and spirit, and learned to become a designer and maker of bespoke handbags and leather goods.
The Story of You
Your bespoke bag-making journey begins with a question: There’s only one you, so how does your bag measure up to that? At Rafael Adón, your bespoke bag begins with your Story and starts with our Stitch. Story & Stitch places the client as the main actor in the drama, the experience, of a creative journey to make your bag; one that goes beyond a transaction. Rather, Story & Stitch engages you in an experience of a lifetime.
NUESTRA HISTORIA
