The one-off 12 piece capsule collection up-cycles Rapha old stock, returns and surplus fabric along side fashion designer Robyn Lynch's own fabrics from past collections.
The collaboration was born from Robyn's experience of the first Covid-19 lockdown, where she wanted to challenge herself to see what she could make from the fabrics that she had to hand, whilst confined to her home studio.
As a self confessed long term fan of Rapha, she contacted the cycle wear brand to see if they had any surplus materials that she could put to use.
The end result challenges the traditional definition of cyclewear, with a haute couture abstract athletic clothing range.
The 2-in-1 Hybrid shorts made from a Rapha windproof jacket
(Image credit: Farfeatched)
The collection will no doubt divide the cycling community, a position that Rapha constantly likes to court, with it's quirky designs and colour choices.
The range of semi-cyclewear includes shorts, tops and jackets, with prices starting at £115 for the Robyn Lynch X Rapha Panelled T-shirt, £220 for the hybrid track shorts, or 2-in-1 shorts, up to £450 for the panelled jackets.
The Irish fashion designer is best know know for her heavy Irish cultural influenced designs, with the Rapha collaboration building on her forthcoming men's and women's spring summer 2021 range.
The Hybrid shorts will probably have a wider appeal than some of the collection.
The range takes lycra to another dimension, and by the insertion of knitwear panels, additional fabric, pockets and straps, the end result is more roomy apparel. Items include a panelled sweatshirt, which contains two sliced up windproof jackets and reforms them with a panel of her own surplus knit fabric, to create a zip-knit technical sweater.
Most of the collection can be found on the appropriately named Farfetched website, with particular highlights including the the hybrid track shorts, made from a cut up and reformed windproof jacket, reformed, complete with functional zip.
Or the matchy matchy shorts for the bright orange panelled jacket. which also includes a repositioned pocket as part of their design.
An unusual choice for the kit bag, but beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder.
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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.
Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas.
She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.
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