Diana Ra was born and raised in Brazil and then moved to the US with her Korean parents when she was 10yrs old. After earning her bachelors in fashion design from Otis college of art and design, she worked as a designer for Arden B, Lucky Brand and Patterson J. Kincaid, until in 2015, she met with Shawn Azad to partner on dRA clothing.

What inspired you all to create this company?
There was a time when I used to hear “resort line” and thought of chic caftans in Santorini. Over the last few years though, I feel like “resort wear” began sounding dated and a little missy. But I don’t think people are traveling less. If anything, I think people are traveling so much more. Maybe they’re not all going to Santorini but a quick weekend in Ojai or a few days in Palm Springs… traveling has become more accessible and inclusive…. and I think that’s what dRA is about. Every dRA collection has been rooted in the idea of travel. Our collection titles “Biarritz”, “Todos Santos”, “Laurel” etc… they’re all locations I found inspiration in and the pieces were a reflection of my time there. dRA is aspirational but accessible.

What distinguishes your company and product in the market?
dRA’s team is small and diverse and together, our experiences and cultures create a special and unique brand. Diana is korean but born in Brazil so the direction of each collection is a mix of tailoring and bohemian. Vlada is Russian and as our associate designer, she brings elements of her culture into each collection. Shawn is our president and Diana’s partner. He is 1/4 Indian and 3/4 Persian. His father has been in the textile business for 40+ years so dRA uses his connections in India for a lot of its production. The list goes on.