Callahan.: March 2011

F-Troupe is a small, directional footwear brand based in London. Founded in 2003 by Mick Hoyle, in a short space of time it has established itself internationally and is now available in twenty four countries.

F-Troupe loves to use British historical and functional influences to make footwear that is quitessentially British but with an international appeal, through this the brand strives to give good, original and innovative ideas.

Now it came as quite a shock to read the above information about this stylish footwear brand, although I had caught glimpses of some of the products online, it wasn't until we stumbled across this small quirky little shop behind Canarby Shop that I really took an interest. I suppose taking your main influences from the British culture, naturally the classic brogue would be repeated in various collections, I love how they put the F-Troupe stamp on an otherwise very formal sensible form of footwear by the inclusion of bright pink and blue suede and mesh for the summer. Even the more toned down colour palettes, black, grey and tan managed to resemble something different as opposed to the usual plain brogue by the smallest of details such as miniature star detailing as opposed to the small circle effect on the classic design.

Even from the website you get a feel for a classic British designer, but in a different way to older more established brands such as Churches. This is I suppose a more modern take on a traditional footwear brand, by not only supplying one type of style, you also get more up to date modern designs, take for example a new take on the 'jelly shoe' resembling more of a casual plimsoll, a million miles away from the 'original' jelly shoes!

The menswear designs are the perfect shoe, just simple, nothing over the top and individual, no branding needed.

I opted for the boot brogue, perfect with shorts and dresses in the summer....

It's usually me discovering different brands and designers but this one appeared direct into my inbox this morning, Delikate Rayne, even just by the name you can automatically presume that their will be something special about this collection...and let me confirm there certainly is...

The Story:
Delikate Rayne (pronounced 'delicate rain') began as an apparently impossible wish turned reality. Founded by sisters Komie and Meg, the brand's title is an amalgamated translation of our Hindi names and a respectful nod to our East Indian roots. Bored with the redundancies of the suburban paradigm in which we were raised, we felt compelled to offer a different comment as an effort to assert change. Being female and Indian involves a great degree of determinism. Male dominant social norms prevail in our native country, and even in the context of our Westernized upbringing, traditional ethnic and gender expectations linger. For us, this meant that pursuing an atypical career in Fashion was out of the question… But ignoring our love of style and form was simply unacceptable - our appetite to create prevailed.

Enter Delikate Rayne. With no formal industry experience, our only choice was to surrender to what came naturally. As such, we married the spontaneity, grit and haphazard inventiveness of youth trends with the laconic elegance and artistry of high end contemporary design. In the midst of our attempt to make some sense of this union, we arrived at the notion of grunge glam, a motif for the effortless dynamism of the empowered female. Our eyes are on the horizon, and through our designs, we hope to engage and inspire like-minded women to embody an expanding tomorrow. Abandon limits, abandon convention - embrace your own beauty...

I absolutely love reading designer's story, how they started, what their influences were, the mere fact they have taken their own ideas and gone through the process resulting in being in the position of launching a debut collection, undoubtedly a considerable amount of talent needs to be possessed by these individuals to have such a vision, even to have the wording and thinking behind the collection down to such beautiful detail...

"Everything Is What It Isn't, the Illusions Collection:

'Embark on an adventure into the unfamiliar. Breach the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Dare to delve the shadows... Since the dawn of consciousness, mankind has been captivated by the mystery of the unknown. This collection is inspired by our shared fixation on ambiguity and illusion - the allure of what might be. In this effort, we pay homage to our native Los Angeles, tinseled town of fantasy spun real. Our debut collection features asymmetrical cuts, mismatched fabrics and ambigram graphics. What you see is never quite what you get - this is the apparel of your own enchantment.'

To be perfectly honest I thoroughly enjoy interpreting collections in my own in experienced way, however I couldn't of put the brand ethos more perfectly then the creators themselves.

'Delikate Rayne is innovation incarnate. It rejects all that is typical and mundane, and disposes of boundaries in favor of a future lived now. Kindled in the fires of the unknown, Delikate Rayne plays upon fantasy, illusion, beauty, power, and sisterhood. It is the magical grunge glam future, the glittered regalia of women unfettered by their own mystique. The brand is spun in the spirit of the captivating wildcat temptress; the mold-breaking, unapologetic femininity of that girl you think you know, but really don't. Daring silhouettes, asymmetrical cuts and a host of other apparent contradictions celebrate Delikate Rayne's unwillingness to conform to expectation. The line stresses the power of individuality, and its pieces serve as a vehicle to express the natural allure of the unfiltered female. "Style isn't worn, it is embodied. A garment is only fashion forward when the right girl makes it her own. The only woman you can be is yourself."'

The inclusion of such pieces such as one garment that can be worn a number of ways shows how in depth the process was for this collection, Delikate Rayne have created a distinctive look, however they have en captured personal style, the ability to wear pieces in your own individual way, 'When worn as a dress or as a tank top, since the graphic is an ambigram depending which way you wear it, the graphic will read two different things. Wear the graphic at the top for it to read one thing, when you flip the garment upside down, the graphic will appear at the bottom reading another word. Four shirts for the price of one. Different place. Different word. Different look.'