Fashion; Helping One Woman Cross Religious Boundaries

Teaneck, New Jersey, October 4, 2010- For twelve years now, Beverly Luchfeld, President and owner of Raza Designs Apparel has been crossing religious and political boundaries to sell her collection of modest, elegant women’s clothing. The very fashionable evening gowns, hostess gowns, and caftans are designed to accommodate the different religious standards of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. To accomplish this task Luchfeld has designed a multitude of different lines, which take style, size, length, and even fabric into consideration. Dress lengths vary from anywhere below the knee (a requirement for many Jews) to down to the ankle (as required by many Muslim communities). Sizing of the gowns is also key since many religious women cannot where fitted clothes.

The “special interest story here” is not that the company does its utmost to cater to the special needs of each target group - but in doing so has had to unite the different factions by accentuating their similarities rather than their differences. Luchfeld believes that people in conflict can resolve their differences and coexist once they identify a common ground.

Raza Designs opened its doors in 1994. Originally, the business catered almost exclusively to religious Christian and Jewish women. But at some point in 1996 a small Saudi Arabian importer seeking modest gowns for its customers - extremely religious Muslim women, approached the company. Since then Raza has expanded and serves Muslim communities in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the U.S.

To help achieve her goal Luchfeld has written several articles for both Jewish newspapers (e.g. the Jewish Press) and the Muslim press (e.g.Azizah magazine). The articles discuss the importance of properly educating today’s youth to recognize the similarities between them and their “ enemies” rather then highlighting their differences. In addition, Raza designs have sponsored trunk shows in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities nation wide. Profits from the show are earmarked for children’s education or women’s career development within the community.

Luchfeld believes that it is the mothers of the world who have been most harmed by the religious destruction occurring. Quoting Julia Ward Howe (abolitionist, pacifist and creator of Mother’s Day) Luchfeld emphatically states:

“ Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,

For caresses and applause.

Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn

All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.

We, the women of one country,

Will be too tender of those of another country…”

In other words, if a lasting peace is to be achieved, the mothers of the world must step up to the task.

Areas where the three cultures overlap are in the U. S. and the Middle East. The bulk of Raza’s business is done in these two areas of the world. More details on Raza Designs and its products are available online at WWW.RAZADESIGNS.COM. Catalogs are available upon request (Call 800-715-2195 or 201-3574305).

BEVERLY'S DREAM

Dear Oprah,    

            I’m writing in response to your show on body image. I am the owner of a small business in Long Island City, N.Y. that makes women’s lounge and eveningwear. There are hundreds of such companies in N.Y. but what differentiates my company from the throngs of others is mine specializes in elegant full coverage gowns. I began my business in 1994 after a friend requested I make her a full coverage hostess gown. She traveled in circles where women were expected to dress modestly and desired something that both fit this criteria and was also classy and fashionable. I was happy to be of service but it wasn’t until I saw the finished product that I realized the full potential of the garment. From this one moment my company, Raza Designs, was born.

The original piece, which was made to fulfill a religious requirement, became the marketing concept for my line. The collection would not only cater to religious needs but to older women, plus sizes, and those women who were just fed-up with and uncomfortable in today’s “bear-all fashions”. These women make up a large part of the consumer market yet very few companies to cater to their needs. Here are just a few examples of my clientele;

1.Religious Christians, Jews, and Muslims who consider modesty to be of the utmost importance.

2.Older women who do not wish to reveal all.

3.Plus size women who know how to do so but can rarely find their size.

4.Women who have been ill or recently undergone surgery, and wish to camouflage any sign of illness.

5.Young modest adults are also turning to modest fashions. They are uncomfortable, mentally and physically, in tight and skimpy clothing but can’t find anything “cool” that isn’t either one or the other.

I find your show  an inspiration specifically because it takes us forgotten women into account. No subject is too taboo for your show. You seek to help all women feel comfortable and happy with themselves, inside and out. If they are not happy you encourage them to change. The Raza Designs Inc. has the same has the same goals in mind. I would love to have the opportunity to introduce our elegant, beautiful collection to  your audience.

Sincerely,

Beverly Luchfeld

President Raza Designs

800-7152195

            WWW.RAZADESIGNS.COM

Oprah, Please help me fulfill my dream.

Dear Oprah,

            My name is Eta Flamholz and I am 17 years old. I am writing you on behalf of my mother.

Every girl’s dream is to have her own personal fashion designer on hand 24/7. Well that’s exactly what I have. Her name is Beverly Luchfeld and she is my mother. While we don’t always get along (which mother and daughter do) I admire her so much. I realize this sounds like one of those fourth grade reports that start “My hero is…” but I mean this statement in the most sincere sense. She has accomplished so much in her life and shows no signs of slowing down now.

My mother began her career in fashion around 30 years ago. She has been the Vice President of a major swim wear company, won awards for her designs, and started her own business. She is smart, creative, and incredibly good at what she does.

If all that weren’t enough she is a great mom. She always encourages me try new things and supports me in all my endeavors. She has let me dye my hair unnatural colors, given me free reign over redecorating my room, and, most recently, paid for a rather expensive experiment in glass blowing. She also trusts me implicitly, which is much more than I can say for many of my friends’ parents. I want to tell her how thankful I am for all she’s done for me, show her I love her with all my heart and soul but nothing I could do would truly ever portray these feelings sufficiently. Therefore I write to you with the hope that there is a slim chance you will read this letter and feel compelled to help me.

As I mentioned before my mother started her own business. She began her company, Raza Designs, in 1994. Her goal was to produce women'a eveningwear that was elegant as well as modest. I love her dresses for exactly this reason. Everyone from young to old, slim to plus sized looks gorgeous in her dresses and, even better, feels physically and mentally comfortable. As a teen surrounded by todays less than conservative fashions take it from me, this is a rare thing to find.

My mother has been relatively successful in past years but sex sells, and it is hard to get exposure for beautiful but not sexy. I believe her concept is a great one and that if more people knew about it they would agree. I don’t how to ask what I want without it sounding like soliciting but here it is anyway. Oprah, I would love to introduce my Mom's creations to the world. I know people would love her gowns if they just knew about them. 

No one can do that better than you Oprah! Thanks for taking the time to read this,

                                                         

Eta Flamholz

P.S.- I have included some pictures of dresses from the website. 

Another year.....

It's been an exciting, and terrifying year. So much has happened all over the world - In Iran,Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel- and right here in  USA. I come to work every day and question, "Who needs another suit, or dress, or another robe"? I am not in the mood to purchase anything. I'm afraid for tomorrow, and yet I find more and more new orders on my desk each morning.

Thank G-d I am not part of the majority. People either do not listen to the news or they try to escape reality by treating themselves to a new trinket. It is a very Israeli approach to life. "If there is no tomorrow, let's splurge today."
Or is there money out there to burn?

I question if I can feel the pulse of the nation by examining my own business? Is the economy really on the upswing (unbeknownst to the Treasury Department, and the unemployed?). My business was healthy as I went into this season. The orders were nice- but the reorders have been phenomenal. The store buyer bought the goods and the targeted consumer liked the merchandise. Nothing is left in the stores. Similarly the website www.razadesigns.com has had a growth spurt. We deliberately do not enter the spring, summer merchandise on the site before the Holiday. We do not want to hurt the sales of our retail stores and we cannot physically get out the orders in time. But those web orders kept coming in. People didn't care that everything on the site was velvet. They ordered velvet or they wrote in the Comments, "make it in any summer weight fabric."

We know from past experience, if the market is good now, we will have multiple orders after Passover. The extended family will be spending 8 days together in "Shabbos Robes". Many women come to the Sederim in an elegant robe, but even if they don't, they are lounging together the rest of the week. They are so tired from the cleaning and cooking that they cannot possibly get dressed and go to Shul. The day after the Sederim they will be hitting the website or going to the stores to find that robe they saw on their cousin.

I then question is the Religious Jewish Community a microcosm of the state of the nation? I do believe that the economy is better. I am feeling an improvement in my sales in the general community at large. Better Specialty stores, catalogues and websites are definitely showing signs of growth. The Midwest and the West Coast seem to be struggling but Florida, Texas, the Georgia's and the Carolinas are beginning to buy again. Many Discounters did not show the gains that Wal-Mart and Target showed. And the Department stores are worse off than ever.

Is the Jewish Community feeling the early signs of economic improvement or are their purchases separate and apart from the mainstream? There is no doubt that Passover opens up our purses. We have to buy an enormous amount of food to feed our extended families Glatt Kosher food for Passover. We feel the need to dress the children and ourselves to meet and greet the family and the Hag. And we redecorate our dining and living rooms to impress the guests.
We always spend more on this Hag than any other but did we spend more money this year than the last two years? Do we have more money?  My stores confirm that people are buying more. My Website orders confirm the growth pattern is not only here in the US but in England, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Canada, Denmark, and Holland.

Now what can we learn from this? I feel I can explain the increase in web orders easily. Time is on our side. As ecommerce proliferates, web sales will increase. People have learned to browse the web, they trust certain sites, and they like to be able to shop at will- even if they have to pay more. Each satisfied customer will return to your site and pass on the word by mouth or email. The more people visit your site, the more the search engines will recognize your site and promote it.

In terms of the question, do we, the Religious Jews, have more money in our pockets?" I have no answers. I do know that the culture of the Shabbos Robe is spreading quickly everywhere too young, and old, - petite, missy and plus sized women. I do know that Secular Marketers and Media Planners are targeting "the Religious Jew" in their Ad campaigns more than ever. Either we have more money or we are very susceptible to media manipulation. Buyers beware.

If you have any answers please do not hesitate to let contact me at: razadesigns@gmail.com attn: Beverly Luchfeld

HANUKAH-A Time for Giving

Would you like a Shabbos Robe as your Hanukah gift?

My sales trips require of me to travel the Jewish World Map frequently. As we all know, each community has it's own Minhagim. Many of these Minhagim are very new, and I enjoy listening and comparing different communities' customs. Recently, I learned, for example, some local communities require the Hatan write in the T’naiim that both the Kallah and her mother must wear Shabbos Robes on Erev Shabbos and Shabbos. The Shabbos Robe Stores and Manufacturers should be thrilled with that built-in requirement! They owe a tithe of their profits to those Rebbeim!

Another interesting custom I've discovered in my travels deals with the different attitudes towards Chanukah gift-giving. In the New York area Chanukah tends to be a time for giving gifts and “ Gelt” to the kleine kinderle (the small children). But in“ Galus” – Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore, Montreal, Florida, Toronto, Los Angeles etc., Chanukah is a time for giving gifts to all good Jews- adults and children alike. Shabbos robes for the women and Smoking Jackets for the men are very much in demand at this time of year out there in America (and Canada). 

I had an inkling of this tradition over 10 years ago when I began to get reorders on Yom Tov (Rosh Hashana) robes for Chanukah. Most of the reorders came from the Midwest -Chicago, and Detroit. In addition to the robes, Chicago customers pleaded for smoking jackets - a Modern kapote for their mates. Moreover, they sought out coordinated outfits for each other- matching robes and smoking jackets in velvet and/or tapestry.
Ten year ago days, Brooklyn was the center of Jewish custom and style. I,therefore, didn't pay attention to the different attitudes toward Chanukah and gift giving. Now more and more, I am impressed how many Brooklyn residents have moved throughout North America, Europe and Israel. The transported Brooklynites have greatly influenced their neighbours, but they in turn have been influenced by their neighbours.  Chanukah Gift -Giving to Adults is catching on all over. Even exiled Brooklyn Jews are capitulating and buying their mates gifts. How do I know ? The Internet tells me so. Every day I receive urgent requests from both men and women for robes to be gift wrapped and sent to a dear one. --- and that smoking jacket  is a close second! (FYI; the smoking jacket is not on the site www.razadesigns.com! )
I am very jealous of the women who receive gifts from their husbands. These men take such an interest in their wives and they are so proud of them. These men know their spouse's taste,size,favorite color,etc. I have men that return each season to buy their wives a new robe. We often conduct 15 to 30 minute consultations to decide on the right robe.The men are so diligent and want to please!
If I fail to find the right gift there is always the "gift certifcate" as an alternative.  Most people do not go that route. They rather buy a robe and have the person exchange it for something else.  The gift giver feels a gift certicate reflects a certain laziness and indecision on their part - and they love the element of "surprise".
At Chanukah, many Jewish communities request that I help organize fundraisers in their town. They know that they can raise funds for their schools,shuls,and sisterhoods by selling robes as gifts to families. The profits go straight to their preferred charity. At this very minute,there are Chanukah Fundraisers going on in Cleveland,Cinncinnati, St.Louis, Washington Heights,and Elisabeth, New Jersey.
The name "Raza" comes from the Erev Shabbos prayer (Nusach Sephard) "Raza DeShabbata"-- the "Secret of the Sabbath". The secret of Sabbath is the Secret of Chanukah, of Rosh Hashana, of Pesach and of every good marriage. Treat your husband royally. Give him good food and good drink. - And your wife . Treat her royally! Give her trinkets and gifts. Show your love, reinforce your love. "Raza DeShabbata- the Secret of the Sabbath" is to give your spouse a gift a Shabbos Robe, A smoking Jacket, - anything - but show your love!

Beverly Luchfeld
President
Raza Designs
www.razadesigns.com
Work: 201-3574305
Home: 201-9280785
Cell; 917-5861146
Fax: 201-4431205