RQL Furs Offers Luxury Experience With Personal Touch

RQL Furs is a luxury boutique brand which offers made-to-order fur-lined jackets.

Photo Credit: RQL Furs

Raquel Ghadamian, founder and owner of RQL Furs, recently spoke to Haute Living about her company’s growth and success.

Haute Living: Tell us a bit about how you launched your company.

Raquel Ghadamian: I have an extensive history in production and product development on multiple levels, from Neiman Marcus to Walmart and everything in between. That said, I previously worked for a financial holding company which owned 75 distress companies. One of the brands that I was working on was called 180s, they hold the patent technology for the ear warmers that go around your head. At the time, they were expanding the brand into a lifestyle brand. One of the concepts I had initially pitched were these fur-lined parkas and bombers, which always spoke to me but I could never justify the high-ticket price on some of the brand-named jackets.

They passed on the idea and the opportunity presented itself for me to do something on my own. So, on a whim, I decided to create a small brand on my own, and that was five years ago. I began with just parkas and bombers for women but since I have expanded the collections, I sell an assortment of different jacket-types, vests, rabbit, mink all kinds of options.

It has always been about a great product for a very reasonable price. Everything is made to order. I don’t carry stock and that’s how I am able to offer the eclectic collections at such a great price point.

The entire client experience goes through me and I take every order myself. I speak to every single customer and walk them through sizing, color options, I send photos, we FaceTime and this way they can really understand their options depending on what kind of jacket they’re looking for. One of the reasons I have kept my business ‘close to home’ so to say, is because I really enjoy speaking to every customer and going through the entire design process with them.

HL: You conduct a large portion of your business through Instagram. What benefits have you observed from that experience?

RG: I’ve essentially taken the organic route in building our brand. I started with less than one rack of samples and today, I have a full line of jackets, coats, parkas, vests and more. The best advertising or marketing is when someone wears my product. There’s just nothing you could compare that to. I’ve realized that the majority of my business comes from prospective customers seeing the product not only on Instagram, but on their friends, family or co-workers.

Hearing or seeing the product advertise itself because someone just genuinely loves wearing it and people around them recognize that, that’s why I do what I do. I let my products speak for themselves and that’s with what I credit our success.

HL: Does your personal style heavily influence what your collection looks like?

RG: To some extent. When it comes to outerwear in particular, comfort is king. There’s nothing worse than wearing a jacket or a coat that constricts your movement. I focus on fit a lot when it comes to both my personal style and my collection as well.

When it comes to style, I think about functionality first. That said, it’s always fun to spice things up. So, we do offer the different colored furs, or the pattern furs along with the muted colored furs or natural ones. Over time, you being to notice the different personality traits of your clientele and you provide options based off what you observe. I try to offer a little bit of everything to everyone.

HL: What are some of your favorite pieces from the collection?

RG: I live in my parkas all winter long. There is absolutely nothing better than getting to the city, zipping my parka, throwing the hood and walking up 34th street. It’s basically like walking around in a blanket. To me, it’s a way to put a smile on your face during the dreary winter months. It allows you to look forward to wearing your jacket because it’s so cold outside.

Another piece I love is one of the very first hooded mink jackets I produced. In no way whatsoever is this your grandmother’s mink. It has such a youthful feel and it’s warm, comfortable and easy to wear.

HL: What are some of the trends you’re attracted to this winter?

RG: I’ve been seeing a huge push for tonal colors. I have a tan shearling jacket that has been doing phenomenally well. Overall, the shearling is just super trendy in the market right now. What I love about the shearling styles we offer is that it never seems like the jacket is wearing you. The customer never seems overtaken by the jacket.

While we offer these classic looks, it’s still always on trend which allows for the timeless look because, naturally, fur jackets are not necessarily disposable items you wear for just one season and toss them out.

HL: What is your vision for RQL in the next five years?

RG: I’d like to continue to allow the business to grow organically, customer by customer. I don’t think I’ll take it into brick and mortar or to retail stores. I like that I am able to contribute to each purchase and that’s really important to me.