Trovata, which means “discovered” in Italian, is a surfer-meets-prepster collection straight out of – where else? – Southern California.
Launched in 2002 by four college pals (John Whitledge, Sam Shipley, Josia Lamberto-Egan and Jeff Halmos) out of a dorm room, the brand is quickly becoming the go-to brand for guys who like California-casual clothes, but prefer classic tailoring. And unlike many of their competitors, which are aimed at a younger crowd or way too overpriced, Trovata is very reasonably priced and invoke more of a Martha’s Vineyard feel than frat boy on a date motif. The guys were also recently selected for the very prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award. Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor and a member of the CFDA prize jury, said this about the label: “I think that they very much understand that they need to stay with their own point of view. I’m sure that they will vary it and move forward, but they’ll stand within that aesthetic.”
And that’s exactly what they plan to do. Each season the collections are inspired by a fictional story line. The four designers dream up an original cast of characters, each with their own personal style, and the entire season revolves around them. The guys are also expanding their horizons by collaborating with other brands like Vans to create limited-edition items.
