When Trager Met Delaney

• 2 August 2013
• Sarah Karmali

TRAGER DELANEY is the new young London label making waves for autumn/winter 2013. Helmed by Central Saint Martins alumni Kim Trager (from London) and Lowell Delaney (born in Denmark), the brand has an undeniably British aesthetic - with an added edge of Parisian elegance - all chic suits, liquid skirts and nipped-in waistlines. But, in their own words, how would they describe the Trager Delaney woman?
"She's curious, uncompromising, functional, professional, interested and interesting," they explain. "And she loves food."
Indeed, one wonders if she's possibly a little like Arizona Muse - a friend of the pair and who stars in their autumn/winter 2013 look book. It seems a nice fit - as are, obviously, Trager and Delaney.
"We do every part of the business together," they told us. "Our design aesthetic is actually quite contradictory, but combined it becomes something that we are both interested in."
With stints at Celine, Haider Ackermann and Sonia Rykiel peppering their combined CV, the duo have trained alongside some of fashion's biggest names - acting as the perfect base on which to launch their own womenswear label (and most probably, where that French-feeling aesthetic comes from). But what was the most important lesson that they took away from their time at the big Paris fashion houses?
"Whenever shit hits the fan with everything else you have to sit back, maintain your sense of humour and remind yourself that they are not saving children's lives," comes the unexpectedly honest, and somewhat refreshing, response.
The pair launched their first collection for spring/summer 2013 to critical acclaim from press and buyers, and is now stocked at Matches and Joseph.
"We hope to build a strong brand and company slowly - we're adamant about moving forward and growing very carefully and without compromise," they told us. "There is no space or time for mediocrity anymore and therefore we hope the moves we do make will be executed beautifully and thought through thoroughly."