Café du Cycliste French in Quebec City
Very few sportswear companies stand out as admirably as Café du cycliste. Based in Nice, the company shares so many similarities with Vélo Cartel that, after talking with one of its founders, Rémi Clermont, we quickly understood why we like their clothes so much.
Founded in 2009 in the Café du cycliste in Châteauneuf-Grasse—owned by the other brains behind the brand, André Stewart—the company launched its first jerseys in 2010.
And already, the spirit of the brand was there.
"We wanted to create a brand that would allow cyclists to ride without dressing up, while remaining themselves. Before, when we sat down at a café after a Ride , surrounded by people, we felt like astronauts in our outfits," says Rémi Clermont. So the idea was to remedy that by creating our own clothing that wouldn't be a costume, a jumpsuit just for sports. Because for us, cycling isn't just a sport, it's a lifestyle. We wake up and we're cyclists. We ride for fitness, but also to go to work, run errands, take the kids to school, or go for a drink with friends. We wanted to make clothes that affirm this identity, without solely focusing on athletic performance. "
Look elsewhere for inspiration
The result is strikingly different. From Jersey iconic horizontalJersey reminiscent of a sailor's shirt to the stunning thermal vests and jackets that look like they came straight out of a ski catalog, nothing is ordinary at Café du cycliste.
"Our clothes are designed for cycling," Rémi insists, "so they meet all the necessary technical requirements. But we want to go beyond the technical aspects. We draw inspiration from the French Riviera, where we are based. From French tradition in general, as with our striped jersey, which was one of our first designs and is still one of our most popular. And then we like to think that we are also an outdoor company. Because ultimately, what we love about cycling is getting outside, discovering small, isolated mountain passes with no cars, and setting off on adventures. That's what inspired our quilted jackets this winter, for example. It's the spirit of the mountains, in a way."
Form and function
The cuts are impeccable, the tailoring always meticulous. The focus is both aesthetic and practical. A kind of perfect marriage between form and function.
This led the two friends, who had moved to the seaside town of Nice, to search for fabrics that would allow them to enjoy this wonderful combination. New, more effective fleece fabrics, for example, are behind the latest collection for mountain-style road warriors.
For men, and perhaps even more so for women, Café du cycliste to break away from an industry that, for too long, has been producing sportswear that forces people to adopt a look that doesn't match their personality.
"Four or five years ago, if you were a Women wanted to buy cycling clothes, they were all purple with butterflies on them. But I've never seen anyone leave H&M or Louis Vuitton wearing clothes like that. Except for seven-year-old girls, I've never seen women wearing that on the street either. We make clothes so that people can be themselves on their bikes."
That is to say, elegant and proud. Refusing to compromise on performance for the sake of style. And vice versa.
Where we ride, what we do... a glimpse of our AW collection in its natural habitat. Riding and filming on the Col de la Bonette, La Moutière, and La Lombarde. Just a stone's throw from Nice, the mountains inspire our designs.