Behind the Design

Creating progressive, expressive and inclusive products, this collection has been developed over three years by an all-female team. ‘We looked to create styles with their own distinctive design language, versatile pieces that could be worn to feel good and ride far.’ says Head of Performance Sportswear Fayrouz Salem who, alongside Road Apparel Designer Lauren Hunt, masterminded the project.

The initial research came from Fayrouz’ (Fay) focus group work and market-wide studies to ultimately make cycling culture more inclusive. This helped identify what women cyclists really needed. These findings helped to holistically shape the project, focusing on the principles of self-expression, style, and clothing tailored specifically for women's bodies and needs. Fay tells us: ‘We really looked at women's products from the ground up and crafted the briefs for each design using customer insights. Like the best way to offer a high level of visibility without compromising on style or placing pockets so they are more easily accessible based on women's anatomies.’

‘We wanted to create cycling apparel for women with Rapha’s exacting levels of performance, comfort and functionality, but in new silhouettes to give the opportunity to express their style.’ continues Lauren. ‘The aim was also to create a diverse selection of styles  that feel more accessible, to break the barriers for women to feel good in cycling clothing and versatile enough for other activities too.’ 

Building on the Rapha + Outdoor Voices collaboration from 2018 that also set out to make products that embodied a positive ethos for women riders without compromising on performance, the collection is about unlocking confidence. The New Women’s Road collection consists of key styles including a Cropped Cargo Top, Wind Jacket and Padded Skort. All these designs were diligently developed and tested to offer form and performance that every rider can wear with conviction.

‘We definitely wanted to blend more traditional looks with new on and off bike styles that you could wear in different scenarios’ says Lauren. ‘Like the Cropped Cargo Top, a sort of zip-less jersey. This also helped when considering material types, perhaps choosing a stretch fabric where previously we would have selected knit as the default.’

The project’s use of frequent, direct feedback from testers enabled rapid iteration and improvements. The team utilised Rapha’s in-house atelier to evolve each design to its optimum, to build a cohesive collection that can be worn as complete outfits. 

‘As we were developing a whole new visual identity,’ Lauren tells us ‘we had to unthink what already existed but still incorporate qualities like reflectivity and cargo capacity in a new way.’ The aim was to reinvent the range with a sharper focus on women’s needs, creating innovative pieces that satisfied the requisite functionality plus self-expression. Designs to feel and look good wearing even when riding at your absolute limit, be it in the mountains, detours off-road or just laidback social spins.

Alongside dedicated wear testers at Rapha's Clubhouses in Mallorca and Australia were members of Cycle Sisters, a London-based Muslim charity and cycling community, instrumental in the development of the Modest Wear products. The range includes a hijab, a long jersey, and relaxed-fit pants, designed to provide coverage without compromising on performance.

The Modest Wear project was driven by the need for better apparel options for Muslim women cyclists. ‘I worked on a big inclusivity project in my previous job’ Fay tells us ‘so I already knew there's a gap in the market for modest activewear in general, let alone cycling. There's hardly any brands tapping into this and as part of my women's strategy I wanted to create products that would enable all women to get on a bike, without having to compromise on comfort, functionality and safety.’

The relationships the team built with Cycle Sisters was a crucial step in the process. ‘We discovered that women had to get really creative with coverage on the bike because of the lack of products in the market.’ These progressive pieces aim to further enhance the cycling experience for every woman out there, whether training, touring, racing or setting out for the first time on a big ride.

‘This is definitely a statement within the industry’ says Fay ‘and I really wanted us to lead by example and set the standard. Everyone should be able to experience the joy of cycling and ensure it’s never just a ride.’