Raphael is the heir and nephew of Alexandre Narcy, one of the most renowned French shoe makers of the 20th century and former shoe studio director at Charles Jourdan and Yves Saint Laurent shoe couture studio in Paris. Recognized as a visionary by the press and the industry he has always

demonstrated great ability to define new codes and anticipate upcoming trends to create new brandings/products. Consciously aware of markets needs and costumer’s expectations Raphael has

successfully managed to turn creative concepts into marketable collections for all the maisons he has lent his talent to. Before his career in fashion, Raphael followed a more traditional educational path

joining the French Navy after dabbling in both engineering and physics. Raphael explains of the diversity of experience; “We all work with the same fundamentals when you break it down – balance, volume, density and lines of forces.” Inspired as much by Plato as he is by Le Corbusier and societal anticipation, Raphael culls inspiration from architecture, music and product design.

In 2009 Raphael launches his eponymous label following his experiences at YSL and other Parisian and Italian couture studios. Superior quality craftmanship coupled with inimitable style quickly propelled

Raphael’s designs into buzzworthy territory. After creating shoes for YSL, Manish Arora, Elie Saab, celebrities such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, Raphael also designed an Aston Martin race

car. In parallel to his successful brand, 2011 marks Raphael’s move to New York to head the creative direction of Calvin Klein Collection accessories.

This experience in NY influences Raphael to specialize his creative talent into counterculture products and luxury high street brands. As Raphael’s custom creations become some of the most wanted go-to on Hollywood red carpets, the designer decides to move his studio in the world’s accessory capital: Milan. “Despite my love for New York and my impossible attraction for the city’s magnetic energy I felt the need to move closer to the heart of shoe making artistry: Italy.

Ever since opening his Milan studio in 2013, Raphael has served as creative director for many luxury maisons such as Off White c/o Virgil Abloh, Jil Sander and Jil Sander Navy, Paco Rabanne and Fendi.

Raphael is also currently a creative advisor for maisons such as Tod’s Men and Redemption among other famous studios.

July 2018 marks the beginning of Raphael’s creative endeavour with Onward Luxury Group: F_WD. This project close to the designer’s heart was born from Raphael’s vision to create the ultimate, eco-responsible and positively activist streetwear label, taking inspiration in hybridization of styles from streetwear to futuristic urban outdoor.