Rafi Nova is a fair-trade fashion company that began by making travel accessories, specifically backpacks and pouches to make traveling easy for families and to connect global communities. The coronavirus pandemic shifted our product focus to masks that protect and connect communities for social change.
3) Who are the founders:
I (Marissa) co-founded Rafi Nova with my husband, Adam.
4) When was your company founded:
Adam and I came up with the idea for Rafi Nova in May of 2019. We then spent the following nine months developing our product and the brand, relocating our family of six to Vietnam in order to oversee our production and manufacturing. Rafi Nova officially launched in mid-February of 2020. A few weeks later, the coronavirus struck. Our 4-year old twin Eyva suggested we start making masks.
5) Why did you feel inspired to create your company:
Having expertise in manufacturing, we wanted to combine our love of traveling and our love of parenting our two sets of twins to create a brand with a mission that would resonate with people. We wanted to create products that would encourage people to get out and go, to explore, go on adventures and connect communities globally.
6) What do you love most about running your company:
I love the amazing people that we work with.
I love talking to customers who are passionate about our brand and our mission.
I love that Rafi Nova has become a mask manufacturer because we are able to provide people with not only something they need, but also an opportunity to help others. (Rafi Nova donates a mask for every mask purchased.)
7) If you could have one person from history or fiction wearing or otherwise using Ravi Nova's products, who would it be:
If I could have one person wearing Rafi Nova products, it would be Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She is the epitome of a strong female leader who uses her power to fight for inclusivity.
8) How has Rafi Nova adapted for the COVID-19 crisis:
Rafi Nova completely pivoted its production to face masks in response to the coronavirus. When the pandemic hit, we wanted to make sure that our brand was doing as much as it could to help our community.
