CHPT3 started in 2015 with a mission to make cycling apparel that a pro cyclist would wear when they weren’t racing. Technical, performance clothing that could perform better and be more technical than what actual pros were wearing when racing. Though you might think the professional scene is where any and all materials can be tried and tested, it’s not true. The necessity for yarns to be sublimated with team logos and sponsors limits what can be used hugely.
It was about a rebellion of sorts. Rebelling against years of not being able to control what was worn, having to stick to the regulations, norms and conservatism of the peloton.
That first collection was a totally pure reflection of the idea. In partnership with Castelli we found materials they had not, and could not, use with pro teams, in colours created solely for CHPT3. We took these ultra-technical materials, some of which are only just starting to be widely used now and applied them to garments that took inspiration from far outside of traditional cycling.
Why couldn’t cycling clothing be stylish. Not in the sense of nice patterns or use of colour, but tailored, designed and finished in a way performance sportswear simply isn’t. Style goes far beyond what something looks like from afar, it’s about how it sits on the body, how it feels and how the details work.
Why couldn’t cycling clothing be luxurious. Not in the sense of being made from wool or being ‘fastest’ or ‘lightest’ but in the sense that from the first moment you touch it, it feels different. You slip it on and it doesn’t cling-wrap you, it makes you feel totally at home, in an instant. When it comes to use, what is more luxuriant than knowing it will do exactly what you want it to, when you want it to. Luxury is knowing you got it right and you no longer have to worry about it.
In 2015 we redefined what performance clothing could be for me. In 2022 we do the same for women. A process started last year with our Head of Design, Ella Tomkins, Biarritz is the culmination of a process led solely by women. The paradigm of sportswear is changing. Slowly but surely, more female voices are emerging, trailblazing what it means to excel in a world that has been to this point a male dominated space. Ella is one of them. This 3-piece capsule is a material manifestation of her belief that cycling kit can be more. It can be a piece of clothing to inspire you, empower you and motivate you to get out there and beat yesterday. Biarritz is elegant and playful, classy and relentless.
The femininity of Biarritz lies in the details, not in stereotypical colours or patterns. Beautiful materials, the finest trims and carefully chosen accessories have been woven together in Italy to create something that does not compromise style for performance, or vice versa. Style? Function? Why not both?
A nod to high fashion in a modern performance capsule. The 3-piece features colour contrasted lines, houndstooth patterning and the use of stripes creating the effect of a ‘cinching waist’ without changing the cut of the jersey or shorts. Designed to work as a kit, Biarritz is available only as a combination of jersey & short.
We wanted to echo our first collection in 2015 with the visual aesthetic of the garments and how we shot them. “When we created the first CHPT3 collection in 2015 I was determined to be different, I didn’t want anything to be what people expected, and that went beyond the fabrics, construction, and colours, it also had to be the photography and styling. I have the good fortune to be friends with Nadav Kander, one of the most celebrated photographers in the world, and so I asked him if he’d help us find our look. I didn’t want any bikes in the shots, at the time nobody was doing this, I wanted it to be all about the person and the clothes. Nadav made it feel more like art, and that was what I wanted, it’s what I believe CHPT3 can be – a meeting between the brutality of sport and the beauty of art yet we see it as being the joining of elegance and play.” David Millar
Only 150 pieces available, launching on April 4th - sign up to be one of the first to know.
