Trovata - A Guide to Trovata Jeans and Shirts

The Trovata jean brand is now well known in celebrity and couture circles.  However, very little about Trovata has been run of the mill.  The brand was started by four friends in college, headed up by Jeff Halmos.  Other innovators included John Whitledge, Sam Shipley, and Josia Lamberto-Egan.  The company turned heads and ruffled the few feathers when it won the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America Fund Award, a prize worth $200,000 dispersed over a year.

That this Newport Beach jeans and prep wear company bested more than 150 other fashion design competitors (some of them haute couture) is a testament to its founders' entrepreneurial spirit and sense of what's sexy and hip.  From their college dorm, the Trovata founders managed to sell to the likes of Barneys--and sell out.

Perhaps one reason why the brand has risen is that the designers focus on "stories" about their garments.  They often talk about how their clothes are syntheses of East Coast and West Coast (primarily California surfer) aesthetics.  This is no surprise--the founders, particularly Jeff Halmos, have had ample experience in both worlds.

The casual jeans, soft, almost New Englandish polos, and fun sweaters all in a way declare rebellion from the fancified couture that often dominates contests like the CFDA.  The guys continue to turn heads.  Their recently announced 2006 collection was rolled out with a story called "A Mountain Spelled M-U-R-D-E-R"--and insiders predict many new revolutions to come from this brand.