TROY London: Timeless British Clothing That is Designed to Last

TROY London is an entry in our Great British Brands 2024 book. 

TROY London: Great British Brand 2024

‘My sister Lucia and I started TROY London because we couldn’t find outerwear that performed well in the outdoors and also looked stylish. Our initial focus was on womenswear, but we’ve since launched capsule collections for men and children, which we hope to expand in time. We’re a small business, so any growth has to be planned meticulously.

Our aim was to create a heritage brand that represented our values and met the demands of our own daily lives. We wanted those who bought our clothes to wear and love them for years – decades even – and to feel special in them. We prioritised quality, performance, style, timelessness, sustainability and small-batch production in UK factories, mainly because the workmanship is outstanding but also to keep our carbon footprint down.

We design on paper, the old-fashioned way! We love creating moodboards that we can refer back to during the creative process. Design software has an important role to play too, particularly when we are evolving initial creative sketches into technical drawings and samples.

Technology is essential, and the list of benefits it delivers is endless: algorithms bring our brand to the attention of people who might like our clothing; social media enables us to establish and maintain an on-going dialogue with our customers, and to create a community for them; and video content brings our clothing to life. People can get a clearer idea of how it fits and moves, how it performs in the rain, and so on.

We’re tentatively stepping into AI. It’s shaping our lives so it can’t be ignored. It can give us insights into our customers, help us to enhance their shopping experience, and speed up innovation. At the same time, our brand’s voice is unique and deeply personal – warm, British and, above all, human. I can’t imagine AI ever being able to communicate our values, but I’m prepared to be proved wrong.’ 

Rosie van Cutsem, co-founder

TROY London founders Rosie and her sister Lucia. Image by Nicole Hains

Five Proudest Moments

1. Launching the first TROY London collection in 2015 with a series of small events and trunk shows.

2. Hitting the global press by 2016, with fans of the brand including HRH the Princess of Wales, Poppy Delevingne and Jacquetta Wheeler.

3. Designing capsule collections of luxury outerwear for men in 2020 and bringing out wax jackets trimmed with Liberty print fabric for children in 2022.

4. Adding America and Ireland to our list of where our collections are stocked in 2023.

5. We are growing internationally, with tours of the US and Europe planned for 2024.

What I’ve Learnt

• To cherish and celebrate the rich heritage of British clothing design. We’re proud to add TROY’s voice to the chorus.
• Never surrender our commitment to sustainability, quality and unique detailing, even in challenging financial climates.
• Laughter is essential. While building a brand is fun and exciting, it requires grit and determination on a daily basis.

TROY LONDON

+44 (0)20 3457 8549

troylondon.com

@troylondonuk