Founder Stories
Raph&Remy Founder Tiffany Okumu is disrupting the baby gifts and clothing industry and making money moves doing it.
Tiffany Okumu started baby clothing and gift company Raph&Remy in 2019 with $5K and just seven products in her first line. In just 3 years the eCommerce founder made $1 Million in revenue and the brand is still growing from strength to strength and keeps committed to providing high quality, stylish, sustainable and personalized gifting experiences to customers.
We got up close and personal with Tiffany to uncover Raph& Remy’s growth story and Tiffany’s valuable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.
I wanted to create wow-worthy baby gift sets for my friends. I started building the business during my second pregnancy and launched it just three weeks before Remy was born.
Tiffany Okumu
Introduce your business and tell us your story: How did you decide on what to sell, and how did you source your products?
Raph&Remy, named after my two sons, was inspired by my struggle to find stylish, high-quality everyday essentials for my children that were also gentle on sensitive skin. Additionally, I wanted to create wow-worthy baby gift sets for my friends. I started building the business during my second pregnancy and launched it just three weeks before Remy was born. I even fulfilled a customer’s order while on the way to the hospital after my waters broke!
Over the past five years, the brand has evolved alongside my children, and we continue to design and provide high-quality everyday essentials. Recently, we’ve expanded our offerings to include stylish maternity wear for mothers.
Witnessing my product being worn in the real world remains a defining moment, along with the excitement of being featured in Vogue.
Tiffany Okumu
What are the key milestone moments for your business?
Raph&Remy’s growth journey began with a focus on organic channels, establishing a strong Instagram community before launching the Shopify store. This approach led to profitability within the first six months. After two years, we introduced paid channels and opened a Flagship store in Singapore post-pandemic to enhance logistics and brand experience.
A notable milestone was achieving million-dollar revenue in the third year. From humble beginnings in a small bedroom, we expanded to five major retail locations in Singapore and are now expanding internationally with 3PL warehouses. Witnessing my product being worn in the real world remains a defining moment, along with the excitement of being featured in Vogue.
What tools and apps do you use to run your store?
We’re upgrading our tech stack to facilitate our next phase of eCommerce expansion. Recently, we transitioned to Shopify Plus and implemented SlideCart by AMP for our checkout process. While we currently use Klaviyo for email and Eber for loyalty programs, we’re exploring options for better integration between these platforms.
Additionally, we’re in the midst of integrating a new 3PL and developing custom technology for our upcoming website launch to improve the customer experience across our wide range of customisable products.
What are your top resources for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Following inspiring and motivational figures on social media, learning from their experiences and insights. Platforms like MasterClass and Shark Tank offer opportunities to glean wisdom from those who have succeeded before. Additionally, reading books like “The Lean Startup” provides further guidance on entrepreneurial strategies and approaches.
Looking for stylish, sustainable, personalized baby gifts for the new little ones in your life? Check out Raph&Remy.