The Gentleman's Lycra Part II

As a follow on from my post about the Rapha/Paul Smith collaboration from a couple of weeks ago, here are a few tear sheets from New York brand Outlier's latest campaign. As a bicycle commuter I understand the difficulties you can have trying to pick practical, hard-wearing and yet stylish clothes to wear whilst on the bike, and the people at Outlier have tapped into that niche.

I'll leave you with a little from their "Philosophy" sectiom from the website:

"The sun is rising, the air clear, the city unfolds below you as you reach the top of the bridge. Your legs are spinning fast, heart pumping, maybe you are sweating just a touch. It's a magical feeling of exhilaration and liberation that comes from riding a bike in a city. Inside trains, humans are imitating sardines, while drivers stall and stew in their own exhaust. The cyclist however is completely free, in motion, almost flying, a huge smile wiped across their face.

We firmly believe that the bicycle is the best form of urban transit for the 21st century, and our clothing is designed to make that fact even more true. Your clothing should work as well on a bicycle as it does on the subway or in a car, without shouting to the world "I'm a cyclist." We are a clothing company first, not a cycling company. But we're a clothing company that designs simple, good looking and hard wearing garments for a world where bikes are a part of your daily life."

The Gentlemen's Lycra

This autumn sees the arrival of the hotly anticipated Paul Smith/Rapha collaboration. The premium cycling apparel manufacturer has teamed up with the British designer to provide everything the cycling dandy could ever possibly hope for. The collection features silk scarves, merino cycling jerseys and beautifully handmade padded leather cycling gloves.



The two first paired up in 2007, with Paul Smith designing the Grand Départ Jersey, celebrating the British starting stage of the Tour De France, and the main-line follow up has been in production ever since.

Smith has stamped his mark all over the work, from the 2-tone polka dot pattern on the cycling cap, to the high-contrast purple piping tying all the pieces together, the collection proves that cycling gear needs not be entirely function before form.