Maker Series - James Raphael - Vancouver Is Awesome

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Name: James Raphael

Title: Founder | Designer | Creator

Company: RAPHAEL QUALITY GOODS CO.

Tell us a bit about your background and how you came to design.

I was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. About eight years ago, during my senior year of high school at Sacred Heart College, I was fortunate enough to receive multiple awards for my design & brand identity portfolio work. Within four weeks of graduating High School, I was offered a full time position with Expanded Graphics, it was a phenomenal opportunity for a 17 year old, that opened up a lot of doors, ultimately leading to me designing and laser cutting for a living, as I completed my Bachelor of Design Studies / Architectural Design degree at the University of Adelaide. During those years, I was privileged to have access to four laser cutters, I experimented with materials and began to create bespoke jewelry. By viewing the use of the laser as an initial step in a much larger process, that involved form work, liquid metals and 24k gold electroplating, I taught myself the basis of how I create products today. I began to incorporate leather in my jewelry designs and instantly fell in love with the material and ultimately with leather-craft. By the time my wife (who is from BC) and I moved to Vancouver, leather-craft was my passion project, I experimented with designs and refined my skills and eventually bought my own laser cutter. At that time, I was working with the amazing team from Make at Granville Island, which was another incredible opportunity, but the time had come for me to step out on my own and Raphael Quality Goods Co. was born.

Congrats on your last KickStarter project. What made you start a KickStarter campaign and how was your experience with the process?

Thank you, I had followed the journey of KickStarter for years. When they finally announced they would be accepting Canadian based projects, i embraced the timing, having always wanted to create a project, I had been carrying a prototype of the LEAN™ Essentials Wallet for months, so I set about building the project with a focus on that design. During that time, I was constantly being asked about the wallet. One night, we were out to dinner in Gastown and a server literally walked passed the table, picked up my wallet and said "What is this? I want this! Where do I get this?" The LEAN™ Essentials Wallet project launched soon after, met by an equally positive response. From there, my experience with the Kickstarter process was incredible, I learned so much and those who backed the project remained very engaged and that really drove me. It took a huge amount of hard work and 90 hour weeks to finish the Kickstarter production. Ultimately, the project was fulfilled within 14 days of the original estimated timeline, with an overwhelmingly positive reception that led to the follow on success that has positioned the LEAN™ Essentials Wallet as the cornerstone of the brand.

You have just recently started another KickStarter project, the SLOT™ Penny Strap Wallet. Could KickStarter become your business model going into the future?

After experiencing the reach and power of the crowd, it is certainly possible that I will continue to introduce new designs and products to the market through Kickstarter, just as I have with the SLOT™ Penny Strap Wallet. Kickstarter is also a fantastic platform to convey the design process and depth of thought and concept behind a product. The SLOT™ project, which offers a design, completely unique from the LEAN™ project, will be another invaluable learning experience, and to almost be funded after 5 days, is a really positive sign.

What's your personal design philosophy?

Be original and design honestly, you have to extract that idea from your mind right now, in its purist form, before it's too late, while it is still vulnerable. If your idea doesn't have the freedom to fail, then it doesn't have the freedom to flourish.

Can you describe your process?

I have a thought, that sparks an idea, which I extract immediately, usually by cutting, folding and modelling paper, followed by an annotated sketch. If I believe the idea is of merit, from that point, a pragmatic response guides the process toward a thoughtful and considered design. In order for that design to manifest in to a product, that although simple and minimal by appearance, it must respond to an infinite number of design and prototyping challenges, to become a useful, functional, high quality product that is a true reflection of the inherent idea.

What made you start designing wallets?

Wallets want to be designed, that is why there are so many on the market, how and what we carry as currency has significantly changed and is continuing to change. I feel that people are receptive to new approaches and designs because of this. I also love to create them, wallets, in particular those made of quality leather are incredibly beautiful to hold, when they are original designs, there is a certain, yet indescribabl authenticity about them.

What parts of your work do you do by hand?

Everything other than the laser cutting, the thread is hand- waxed and hand-sewn with a saddle-stitch, the edges are sealed, burnished and wax slicked by hand and the final applications of waxes, oils and polishing is done by hand.

What is your most cherished tool?

That would be a tie between my Epilog laser cutter and my wooden edge slicker.

Are there any makers you like and recommend?

Absolutely, my good friends and now neighbors Josh and Jules from Love Jules Leather Shoe Co. are constantly coming up with incredibly beautiful and bespoke creations. LAB DE STU, a design collective out of Melbourne, Australia, they produce stunning furniture and fixtures, often incorporating natural veg-tanned leather. I also really appreciate the work of Wilburn Forge, out of Redding, California, Aaron is a Master Blade-smith and Francesca is an Apprentice, their work is outstanding and it's such a beautiful process to witness in its various stages of creation.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your design process?

Only that I greatly value this process, to the equal amount that I value the quality of the product that is born from it.