CHPT3 today launches a new women’s collection in collaboration with Garmin, the brand’s first kit designed by women for women. The new Biarritz collection includes shorts, a jersey and a base layer.
The British cycling brand, which launched in 2015, will make 150 of the Biarritz collection kits available and prices range from £55 to £179.
‘It is limited in this first edition because it’s so different and we have no idea what the reception will be to it,’ says David Millar, CHPT3 CEO and founder.
‘Concepts like this will become more standard for CHPT3 in the future, we’ve rediscovered our love of being on the fringe pushing the boundaries.’
CHPT3 Biarritz: Chanel-inspired
The brand says that the collection aims to prove that cycling kit ‘can be femininely stylish, technical and sustainable’ and is the creation of the brand’s head of design, Ella Tomkins.
It is also inspired by the French town of Biarritz, a seaside town on southwestern France’s Basque coast, which is renowned for its royal and celebrity visitors.
The three-piece collection uses recycled fabrics and features colour contrasted lines and houndstooth patterning.
CHPTT3 says the Biarritz kit is ‘fashion fused with function’ which makes sense as the overall design feels very Coco Chanel.
‘It does have a Chanel inspiration, and Chanel herself was inspired by Biarritz, it’s where she had her first atelier and where she found so much of her early inspiration,’ explains Millar.
‘When I was a young professional cyclist settling in to living in Biarritz I almost bought Coco Chanel’s first atelier as my apartment.
‘So there is a connection, yet it’s beyond the brand Chanel as it is now, it’s more about the town that has inspired it.’
The launch of the Biarritz Collection in collaboration with Garmin is yet another example of a cycling brand looking towards fashion (see Pas Normal Studios, Rapha) rather than the standard sport inspiration we have seen in the past.
The shorts feature a yoga inspired wide waistband and a road specific chamois which the brand says offers ‘unlimited comfort’. The shorts are made from 65% recycled polyamide and 35% elastane.
The jersey is also made with recycled materials and CHPT3 says these performance yarns offer excellent breathability and moisture wicking properties, so much so they dry ‘in the blink of an eye’.
As is standard, the jersey has three rear pockets with a zipped pocket for valuables. UV protection and antibacterial treatment also features, as does a recycled YKK zipper.
The base layer is dermatologically tested and has an antimicrobial finish which helps eliminate odour. CHPT3 says it ‘works like a built in deodorant’. If true, deodorant brands better start diversifying ASAP rocky.
The baselayer comes in ‘cannoli cream’ (hello delicious Italian pastry) and ‘cannoli cream/outer space’, which has a houndstooth pattern.
If you ask me, it all feels very à la mode. The collection is available to buy now from CHPT3.
CHPT3 Biarritz pricing
- CHPT3 Biarritz Womens SS Lightweight Jersey: £149 / €175 / $205
- CHPT3 Biarritz Womens 9in Short: £179 / €205/ $239
- CHPT3 Biarritz Womens SL Baselayer: £55 / €65 / $75