Often companies get so carried away with trying to find the best way to market and promote their products, that they forget that the best marketing can come from the product itself. This frequently overlooked lesson hasn’t been lost on the four ’surfer-dudes’ from California that started one of the hottest clothing companys in the country, Trovata.

It’s a story thats been told so many times: Group of friends get together, make a product in their basement, product becomes a hit, and makes them rich and famous. Thankfully, this story is different, and the difference comes from the way the men design and select the product mix for their clothing line. Each season, the group creates a background story for the clothes they create for that line. For example, their fall line, “Pompous and Penniless”, revolved around three generations of a French family set in the 1950s, and the clothing is a reflection of the tastes that this fictional family, in that era, would have shared. There is a short ‘film’ that explains more about the french family at the main page of their website.

But the true ‘hook’ comes from inside. Each garment has a small item that ties into the story and the characters involved. A pair of men’s trousers could have a picture of a girlfriend sewn into the pocket, the underside of a cuff on a shirt could have a diagram of the family tree, or the pouch where the extra buttons are kept could hold a note from one character in the story, to another. All these treasures are hidden inside the clothing, unknown to anyone but the person wearing the article.

“The story-lines are to give it a point of view, to make it about a little bit more than the clothing,” Trovata co-founder John Whitledge says. “Once we figure out where the collection will take place, we do a lot of research on that era: what people ate, the music they listened to, the influences on their daily lives. There are a lot of labels that make cool stuff, and there is nothing wrong with that, but when you tie it all together, in a way I think it makes it stronger.”

And it creates a way for the owner to become involved with the story, by tapping into the voyeuristic nature that all humans possess. The placement of the items, out of public view, plays into the ‘I know something you don’t know’ satisfaction for the owner, and likely increases their perceived value of the clothing.

Still, spying on the exploits of a fictional family will only sell so many shirts, the quality must also be there. The preppy/casual style of Trovata has won the foursome fashion accolades the world over. Last month, the group won the prestigous Council of Fashion Designers of America / Vogue Fashion Fund Award.

“It was surreal and completely unexpected,” says Whitledge of the win. “To go from making things in my dorm room to sitting there and having to make a speech in front of all those people in the fashion industry, it was just totally surreal.”

Thanks to four guys from California, who really don’t have time to surf any more, for reminding us that there is always a new way to market and design even the oldest of products.

Filed under: Uncategorized