Rapha (sportswear)

Rapha Performance Roadwear is a cycling lifestyle brand focused on road bicycle racing and mountain biking clothing and accessories. Rapha has its headquarters in London and a United States office in Bentonville, Arkansas.[1]

History

The company was started in London in early 2004 by Simon Mottram[2] and Luke Scheybeler.[3] Its first products were launched in July of the same year. The name Rapha was taken from the 1960s cycling team Rapha, itself named after the apéritif drink company Saint-Raphaël (drink).[4]

In 2007, Rapha partnered with British designer Paul Smith to create a range of cycle clothing and accessories.[5] In 2016, it collaborated with bikepacking designer Apidura on a range of cycling luggage.[6]

In August 2017, RZC Investments, a company set up by Steuart Walton, announced that it would buy Rapha for £200m.[7][8]

In February 2020, Rapha announced that it would move its North American headquarters from Portland, Oregon to Bentonville, Arkansas.[9]

In the same year, Rapha collaborated with Palace Skateboards on a cycling kit for professional cycling team EF Education–EasyPost at the 2020 Giro d'Italia.[10]

In 2021, Rapha entered the mountain bike market, launching its first range of mountain biking clothing in collaboration with Smith on a line of helmets.[11]

Organizations and venues

In 2015, Rapha developed an international cycling club called the Rapha Cycling Club (RCC), whose members get benefits with the company. Today, it has over 20,000 members.[12]

Rapha has about 21 international stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. They are called "clubhouses."[13]

The Rapha Foundation was created in 2019 by Rapha co-founder Simon Mottram and shareholders Tom and Steuart Walton to fund various non-profit cycling organizations, and to introduce cycling to a wider audience. It provides $1.5 million a year in funding, and supports non-profits in the UK, United States, Germany, Australia and Japan.[14]

Sponsorships

In August 2012, Rapha announced that from 2013 it would be producing the clothing for the British cycling team, Team Sky.[15] On 3 November 2015 it announced that its Team Sky sponsorship would end after the 2016 season.[16]

In 2015, Rapha announced it would begin supplying clothing to the UCI Women's WorldTour team Canyon-SRAM.[17] However, in 2022, Canyon-SRAM said it would drop Rapha as its clothing outfitters.[18] EF Education First started wearing Rapha clothing in the 2019 race season,[19] alongside UCI Men's WorldTour team EF Education–EasyPost.[20]

In 2022, Rapha became a supporter of the UCI Women's WorldTour team EF Education–Tibco–SVB.[21][22]

Rapha also sponsors UCI Continental cycling teams L39ION of Los Angeles[23][24] and Roxsolt Liv SRAM,[25][26] and professional cyclists Lael Wilcox, Maghalie Rochette, and Sarah Sturm.[27][28]

See also

• Sportswear (activewear)

External links