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Fashion loses another bright light

Last week, we lost Sydney-based designer Traudl Troska, who finally lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Anyone who met Traudl, who launched her Von Troska label in the early 1980s, will remember what an energetic, vibrant woman she was. She started her career in Germany, working in the music industry, before making her way to Australia, where she fell in love with her husband Steve. A soft suede neckerchief that she’d studded with metal and stones (very rock and roll), started her fashion career. She had a stall at Paddington Markets in 1982, where she sold her unique luxe-bohemian pieces. After a big order from the House of Merivale, she decided to launch her own stores and the Von Troska brand took off, regularly featuring in Australian Vogue and Marie Claire. In 2006, she sold the Von Troska business to focus on handmade jewellery, under her label Schön. Ask any fashion-conscious Australian woman and she probably has a piece of Von Troska in her wardrobe. I still have pieces from the early 90’s that haven’t dated. But what we really remember about Traudl is her amazing energy and warmth and the way she treated everyone like family. Many of her former staff remained close friends. I remember such fun press appointments with her and her PR Sophie Toohey a few years ago; Traudl didn’t have an ego and never made demands about featuring her designs in magazines. She just loved fashion and print development. She was so excited to discover new designers and craftspeople and support them. Last time I saw Traudl, her hair loss was covered with a quirky little hat, but her face still glowed with energy and that brilliant smile.
KM