Atelier: Océ An’ and Christoph Dorego

Step aside, Louis Vuitton. Since hitting the Chinese market this year, Rfactory’s affordable luxury handbags have racked up quite the following. We recently spoke with founder Océ an’ and creative director Christoph Dorego.

What does the “R” stand for?
O: Rare, Recycle, Rebel, Reach – “R” stands for whatever you want it to be. My personal favorite is Revolution.

Why “factory”?
O: Factories contain a lot of possibilities. I’m not a huge fan of Andy Warhol’s work, but I like the world he was building. He had a gathering space where the funny and interest ing and f**ked up people came and went; he made “factory” a charming word. I want Rfactory to capture a similar spirit. Your creative team has many international designers.

How do you judge talent?
O: I’m the kind of person who never reads a resume, I read people. Don’t give me your f**king cliché, don’t tell me where you’ve been working. If I give you five covers and you can tell me which one is the best one, you can be in my team.
CD: I don’t like to follow rules. You don’t need to be a painter to paint, a designer to design. If you feel something, just do it.

How many purses does a woman need?
CD: I like this question. The better question is: How many men does a woman need? Some women are okay with one. Some have to try, try, try until they find the right one.
O: Sometimes you want a soulmate, other times you want a f**kbuddy, a husband or a boyfriend.
CD: Buying a bag is like dating. You have to figure out whether you want it for a night, a week or for life.

How hard is it to crack the handbag market in China?
O: I’ll tell you a secret – we put special recipes in our bags.
CD: It’s all in the smell [winks].
O: [laughing] To be honest, I spent years researching marketing and brand-building. I mean, within the first two days of being stocked at BNC, we sold nearly 50 purses. Right now we are the number one seller.
CD: We must be doing something right.

Buy Rfactory’s accessories at Brand New China (BNC) or online at their Taobao store.

Click here to see the October issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Courtesy of Rfactory