Natalie Kupperman, a second year student, majoring in Apparel Design and minoring in German at Oregon State University, is the creator of Simply Rae. She  has a vision to create pieces that give individuals an opportunity to tell their story.

From Murrieta, California, a young Kupperman at a young age was interested in mechanical engineering and wanted to design cars. One day when she was 13 years old, she realized that designing cars wasn’t what she wanted to do for her future career and that she was passionate about fashion and that all things apparel was her niche. She felt that she could help people express themselves through the pieces she creates. 

Currently, she finds herself inspired by South Korean and French culture, she loves how unique they are and how true to themselves they are. She especially loves the creativity that comes from the background of these countries and how they are able to make art and fashion one. This has given her inspiration to create the pieces the way she does today.

When designing her pieces, she uses hand drawn art that she runs by friends, to give her input regarding what they interpret from the drawing. As for the hoodies, they are produced from patterned fabric and constructed all by hand. 

Regarding the future, Kupperman expressed that she is obsessed with anything and everything skateboards, long boarding and snowboarding. She loves board sports, and wants to showcase her passions revolving around skateboards. Deck-art is what captivates her. Kupperman says if her hoodie business takes off, with her own twist she would like to design and sell skateboards, without the wheels or trunks, as wall art.