EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
THE WOMAN BEHIND KATE’S GO-TO COUNTRY CLOTHING LABEL
OSIE VAN CUTSEM
ON HORSES, HOUNDS AND HOW HER FAMILY HOME IN NORFOLK IS HER INSPIRATION surrounding Hilborough House, the impressive Norfolk estate where her fashion label Troy London is based. Rosie, who is married to the Duke of Cambridge’s close friend William van Cutsem, a godfather to Prince George, is the perfect model for her chic outerwear brand – loved by the Duchess of Cambridge, Poppy Delevingne and model Jacquetta Wheeler among others. Willowy and naturally elegant, she has the healthy glow of someone who enjoys the great outdoors. “We’re very lucky to be here – the proximity to nature is just fantastic,” she tells hello! on our exclusive photoshoot. “If it’s been a stressful morning, I’m lucky enough to be able to walk with the dogs at lunchtime or jump on a horse and go for a gallop. It’s proper countryside here and I love it for that.” In fact, it was the big skies and wide horizons of the Norfolk landscape that first inspired Rosie, 36, and her sister Lucia Ruck Keene, 33, to set up their business in 2013, after realising there was a gap in the market for stylish country clothing that can be worn just as easily in the city. “We were here with a group of friends, all of whom are quite interested in fashion and style and love buying beautiful clothes. But when we were walking across this field we were all wearing our jeans tucked into our wellies and a collection of boyfriend or dad coats on,” explains Rosie, sitting at her office desk with her rescue dog Scamp at her feet. “There’s nothing wrong with that – old Barbours which we still all love – but we realised: ‘Why does nobody have a waist any more?’ There’s no good reason, just because it has to be warm and waterproof, that it can’t also look good.”
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CHANGE OF DIRECTION With the seed of the idea sown, the pair set out to produce British-manufactured outdoor clothing – parkas and jackets, gilets and coats, as well as knitwear and accessories – that is both chic and practical with a touch of luxury. Since launching their first collection in 2015 their designs have been embraced by the country set, although Rosie, who runs her business while raising her sons – two-year-old Maximilian (Maxi) and one-year-old Hugo – insists they can be worn by anyone, anywhere – “in the park in London or watching the kids play ugby or going for a walk with the dog”. When they decided to set up their business, osie was a headhunter in the City and Lucia orked in corporate research. Neither had any xperience working in fashion so they sought dvice from people who did – including Juan arlos Quintana, who designed Rosie’s bridal own for her 2013 wedding to William, attended y Prince William and Kate. Juan Carlos helped hem with their first design for a coat, and from here they embarked on what Rosie describes as a voyage of discovery”. “We kept finding out more and more, like pecialist leather manufacturers and specialist aterproofing factories, and the help and support f others introduced us to pattern cutters, eamstresses, factories and fabric sourcing.”
GILET: TROY LONDON. DRESS: SAMANTHA SUNG AT FENWICK. BOOTS: HUGO BOSS FROM CIRCA VINTAGE LONDON
henever Rosie van Cutsem needs a break W from the office, she saddles up one of her horses and rides across the fields and paddocks
