CORDURA® knows a thing or two about making durable fabrics that last, but did you know they also specialize in ultralight, water-resistant fabrics? They recently teamed up with Los Angeles-based cycling apparel company, Ringtail, to create a collaborative, tie-dye windbreaker sure to turn heads on any ride. We talked to the Ringtail founders to learn more about their creative process, and how they kicked off the collaboration with CORDURA®, which launches Fall ‘16.Q. Tell us a little about the CORDURA® x Ringtail collaboration.
A. Ringtail USA was established less than two years ago. Being a new brand like Ringtail has its advantages. There is something rewarding about starting a project like this from scratch and watching it evolve, but we are still a really small company. Our primary goal is to domestically produce quality cycling apparel, and have some fun, too. As fun as it may be–most of the time–there is no denying that small apparel companies like ours have major challenges when sourcing quality materials. The minimums are usually pretty insane. The opportunity for our brand to work with CORDURA® opens doors that we could never access on our own. This jacket will be our first official piece with CORDURA® brand fabric, and we are pretty excited to include more from CORDURA® in the future as well.
Q. What CORDURA® fabrics are you using specifically?
A. We are using a CORDURA® Ultralite fabric. All of our Breeze Breaker Jackets and Breezer Vests will also soon be built with CORDURA®.
Q. Why the windbreaker?
A. The Breeze Breaker Jacket was our first production piece. We wanted a jacket that was functional and lightweight, but most importantly, it shouldn’t look like “exercise clothing.” We live in Los Angeles at sea level, but are right up against mountains in the Angeles National Forest that go up to 10,000 feet. That kind of difference in altitude can lead to some serious changes in temperature. You can start with a warm weather ride in L.A. proper and find yourself freezing a few hours later up on Highway 2. When you’re on a bicycle, a jacket can take up a lot of space, so we wanted to create a no frills, basic jacket that someone could take with them on any/every ride. That way you have it even when you might not think you need it. Both our jacket and vest are under 100 grams and can stow them under your saddle.
Q. Are there more projects in the pipeline?
A. The next year is set to be pretty exciting for us. The line will be growing quite a bit this next Winter/Spring as we get set with our new synthetics lineup.
To learn more about the CORDURA® x Ringtail collaboration, head over to www.cordura.com or www.ridewithringtail.com.
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Five.