Designed by an all-female team, Rapha Women is a new and expanded range of women’s riding apparel. The result is a range of all-new and unique silhouettes, including the Women’s Padded Skort, Women’s Rapha Wind Gilet, Women’s Rapha Jersey, Women’s Rapha Wind Jacket, Women’s Cropped Cargo Top and Women’s Regular Cargo Shorts.
According to apparel specialist Rapha, “for too long, women in cycling have been overlooked, undervalued and made to ride and wear kit that limits self-expression. Rapha is determined to help change that narrative and strives to create cycling apparel that makes all riders feel empowered, comfortable and confident.”
The Rapha Women launch also sees the introduction of the Rapha Women’s Hijab, Rapha Women’s Long Jersey and Rapha Women’s Padded Riding Trousers, developed alongside the London-based cycling collective Cycle Sisters, an award-winning charity that inspires and enables Muslim women to cycle.
Lauren Hunt, Rapha Women Apparel Designer says, “it was really exciting to take on a project like this and work with an all-women team to create a whole new collection that enables women to express themselves and feel comfortable and confident on the bike.
“Working with Cycle Sisters on our modest wear offering was invaluable to our research and development process. During our focus groups, we found that Muslim women were often wearing men’s kit in order to have a relaxed and covered fit, but this created distractions while riding and didn’t enhance their performance.
“We’re incredibly proud to offer a full outfit that offers additional coverage and reduces layering, thus improving comfort and optimizing performance on the bike. We’re continuing to work on projects and innovations that open up the sport for women, so this is just the beginning.”
The launch of Rapha Women is part of Rapha’s commitment to promote and grow women’s cycling and follows collaborations with brands Outdoor Voices and Shrimps.
Additionally, this September sees the return of the Rapha Women’s 100, the brand’s biggest global annual cycling event encouraging women from all corners of the world to come together and ride 100 kilometres in one day. The 12th edition will take place on Sunday, September 8, 2024.
The Rapha Women collection is available to purchase on Rapha.cc and in Rapha Clubhouses globally.
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