Rapha film
M.Rushton
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Comments
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How appropriate that they went with Ridley Scott Associates.
Can you buy a Rapha (TM) bespoke Paul Smith (TM) Delivery Boy Jersey made in China for £500 to ride up Gold Hill in?
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Strava is not Zen.0 -
Interesting but they keep having to push the brand.
Plus I can't help wonder aloud if Museeuw is the wrong character to associate with. A roll of the dice perhaps, but allegedly some PFC and "wasps" too. His courtroom appearances reveal a shifty bloke. That said, Rapha aren't interested in the actual facts, they just want the "Flandrian" myth but the more you play up fairy tales, the more your actual products can disappoint.0 -
Kléber wrote:Interesting but they keep having to push the brand.
Plus I can't help wonder aloud if Museeuw is the wrong character to associate with. A roll of the dice perhaps, but allegedly some PFC and "wasps" too. His courtroom appearances reveal a shifty bloke. That said, Rapha aren't interested in the actual facts, they just want the "Flandrian" myth but the more you play up fairy tales, the more your actual products can disappoint.
I suspect 10 minutes after the fixie craze is over in the big smoke no one will remember them..
The directors will be rich though, and good luck to them I guess.___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
calvjones wrote:I suspect 10 minutes after the fixie craze is over in the big smoke no one will remember them..
The directors will be rich though, and good luck to them I guess.
As someone who lives, and cycles, in and around the big smoke, I see a lot more roadies wearing Rapha than I do fixed riders.
But don't let facts get in the way of your argument.
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andyp wrote:calvjones wrote:I suspect 10 minutes after the fixie craze is over in the big smoke no one will remember them..
The directors will be rich though, and good luck to them I guess.
As someone who lives, and cycles, in and around the big smoke, I see a lot more roadies wearing Rapha than I do fixed riders.
But don't let facts get in the way of your argument.
Oh, OK, we're just as likely to be swayed by the seduction of a neat £200 cagoule, cut on the bias, as the fakenger crowd, I admit it.
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Strava is not Zen.0 -
I think they've got a good business model. After all, a city type cruising on his Serotta and Lightweights also wants the clothing to match. Besides, there's nothing wrong with people wanting to look "spiffing" on the bike. It's not to everyone's tastes, but then it'd be boring if everyone looked the same.
And at least they are "putting something back" through the pro-team and cycle club. For that reason alone, if I was looking for an overpriced piece of clothing I'd go for Rapha rather than Assos or some Italian brand, who have no input into the UK scene whatsoever.0 -
Please no don't open the Rapha can of worms.0
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I don't know about anyone else, but I'm eagerly waiting for a Rapha Power Balance bracelet in salmon pink or tweed.0
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Hibbs wrote:I think they've got a good business model. After all, a city type cruising on his Serotta and Lightweights also wants the clothing to match. Besides, there's nothing wrong with people wanting to look "spiffing" on the bike. It's not to everyone's tastes, but then it'd be boring if everyone looked the same.
And at least they are "putting something back" through the pro-team and cycle club. For that reason alone, if I was looking for an overpriced piece of clothing I'd go for Rapha rather than Assos or some Italian brand, who have no input into the UK scene whatsoever.
It's admirable to bring that sort of thinking to kit purchase (rather than cheapest is best).
But if Shutt VR can manufacture in Yorkshire, I'd rather give them my money I think. Or indeed, Santini, Kask or Sidi who at least have to abide by EU employment directives. I do worry that the investment in the racing scene is only possible because a £150 Gillet costs them, erm, substantially less from a country where unions are illegal.
However, I am making a HUGE assumption here that Rapha purchase from Asia and have no ethical procurement policy worth the pixels its written on and if I'm wrong, someone please tell me because then I'll buy some ___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
Gone now but once a part of the secrets of the peleton site:
Crapha 2007 City Boy Collection
Gimpboy Insert.
Sourced from no lower than 2500m, there are only 45 known breeding pairs of the little photographed Haute Savoie Chamois and after we've got our 2007 stocks there'll only be few left. Each insert is hand moulded to the exact dimensions of Eddy Merckx's scrotum and stitched with thread strong enough to withstand forces of up to 5000 newtons or something. With discrete, understated comfort, the inserts will be hung up to cure for 10 years so reserve yours early.
£850.00
Bellend Oxygen.
Bottled at source from at the worlds greatest archeological sites, the air contained is around 1000 x purer than today's polluted atmosphere. Ready to be used to insert your favorite tyres, Crapha Bellend Oxygen provides a ride quality that lends itself to a feel not dissimilar to cycling during its belle epoque.
£200 per 120psi.
Creme de Knackers.
For episodes of heightened soreness, Rapha creme de Knackers with its patented blend of 3000 herbs and minerals will gently sooth the derrieres of even the softest City Boy. The carbon fibre cap of the tube provide unparrelled security whilst the bladed spout gives precision application.
100ml - £75.00
Turtles Head Toilet Roll.
Produced from 2,000 year old Egyptian papyrus, this bathroom accessory gives unsurpassed wiping power reminiscent of a time when all our stools were more solid. Guaranteed not to smear yet gentle enough not to cause any unnecessary bleeding.
£200 per roll
Recycled Jeresy Pad.
A throwback to a simpler age, place this up your jersey for warmth and style on those long down to the shop mountain descents. All pages contain hand written material by award winning authors and is printed using the ink from the sought after North Atlantic squid.
£50 per sheet 0 -
I take it you once had a black softshell that went purple and you couldn't get a refund over the phone.... Spring!
Singlespeeds in town rule.0 -
my mate now works for rapha marketing. Whilst I won't deny that their clothing is horribly expensive it's incredibly well made and you get quality with your money. A huge amount of research goes into the material and stitching and so on.
so there
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dave milne wrote:my mate now works for rapha marketing. Whilst I won't deny that their clothing is horribly expensive it's incredibly well made and you get quality with your money. A huge amount of research goes into the material and stitching and so on.
so there
Dave, could you ask yor mate where it's made? I'd be interested but the website gives no clue___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
I will - watch this spacecalvjones wrote:dave milne wrote:my mate now works for rapha marketing. Whilst I won't deny that their clothing is horribly expensive it's incredibly well made and you get quality with your money. A huge amount of research goes into the material and stitching and so on.
so there
Dave, could you ask yor mate where it's made? I'd be interested but the website gives no clue0 -
Some is made in China, the soft-shell jacket for example. Other items in Vietnam.0
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That fact that the site gives no clue for most items is a clue in itself!calvjones wrote:Dave, could you ask yor mate where it's made? I'd be interested but the website gives no clue
It appears that a one or two items are made in the UK, those being the ones where the marketing department actually mention the country of production. For example, their £120 (!) leather gloves. Some few others use cloth produced in the UK and then knocked up an an Eastern sweatshop somewhere, again in this case the marketing will specifically mention where the cloth was produced. I think it is a fair bet that most of the rest is knocked up in China / the Far East. For these items the marketing department will have come up with terms such as 'Inspired by British sartorial heritage' in order to gloss over the fact they are not actually made in the UK. For example their 'Gentleman's Cap' (£50).
'Inspired by British sartorial heritage, the Rapha Gentleman’s Cap is designed for the urban riding dandy. Available in three unique styles, each cap combines innovative fabrics with exquisite finishing.'
What I would like to know is whether their marketing costs are actually higher than their manufacturing costs. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this was the case.0 -
I read an interview with Simon Mottram, Rapha head honcho, where he explained why they used China to make most of their kit rather than the UK, it basically came down to the fact that the quality levels they asked for couldn't be met in the UK.0
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He would say that.
But Chinese textile manufacturing can be very high tech with a lot of investment in plant. The real sweatshops are in India, Burma, the Philippines, Indonesia etc and let's not forget that places like the East End of London or Bradford have sweatshops too, employing staff on the black market to produce clothing for several big high street names and the same is true, and often worse, for places like Italy.
If you're concerned about worker welfare, the country of origin doesn't tell you that much.0 -
I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the quality/volume/productivity aspirations couldn't be met in the UK - it's not just Rapha who bang this drum.
Personally, I think it's high time the company split their offer between fashion and technical cycling aparel, as it seems a little silly to to have a pair of bib-shorts sat next to silk hankerchief etc.
I understand the derision to some extent, but the gear I do have from Rapha (a sofshell, some shorts and a jersey) is functional, comfortable, well-fitting and exceptionally well-made. Then again, they were gifts over the years, so I didn't pay for them!0 -
What Kléber says has a lot of truth in it, but in even the most 'reputable' Chinese-based manufacturing facility workers are highly unlikely to have have EU-style rights and conditions. China no longer means 'low quality' either. However, it remains the case that the main reason companies like Rapha manufacture in China is to add an often small slice to their profits, even when they could manufacture at home or in the EU and still remain highly profitable. (Especially at their prices). Rapha simply follow the golden rules of conscience-free capitalism - charge whatever the market will bear (marketing is your friend) and ruthlessly cut your costs wherever possible.
What annoys me about companies like Rapha is that they are effectively are pulling a confidence trick, endlessly selling the 'image' of traditional British and European manufacturing whilst having the stuff made elsewhere, and they know it. If they believe in the quality of their suppliers so much, why don't they place as much emphasis on the 'Made in China' or 'Made in Vietnam' labels as they do on the 'inspired' by 'British sartorial elegance' one?
In many industries where margins are lower such outsourcing has led to the death of home based manufacturing, with no advantage to the consumer either. I worked for a while in outdoor retailing when a lot of stuff was made in the UK by companies such as Rab. Reps would come in for competitor companies who had their stuff knocked up in China and would offer perhaps just an extra 5% margin, or slightly better account terms. The owner would then stock their stuff instead - which sold at the same price as the UK sourced stuff, or even higher. In the long run such pressure saw companies closing their UK facilities or also moving their manufacturing abroad. What me made me laugh was that my boss would rant about people who, instead of buying from him, would buy on-line in order to save themselves a few quid!0 -
I asked a colleague who specialises in worker abuses in clothing supply chains about this: she did make the point that country of origin means little.
When I asked her what clothes I should buy she said 'nothing, and especially never shoes'. Even accredited factories will quietly subcontract stitching and assembly to who-knows-who when clients agitate for lower prices + quicker delivery.
I suppose however it must be better to have this:
http://www.howies.co.uk/content.php?xId=612
Than nothing at all.
So, back to eBay for proper vintage jerseys it is then, and Oxfam for the rest....___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
pedro118118 wrote:I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the quality/volume/productivity aspirations couldn't be met in the UK - it's not just Rapha who bang this drum.
Personally, I think it's high time the company split their offer between fashion and technical cycling aparel, as it seems a little silly to to have a pair of bib-shorts sat next to silk hankerchief etc.
I understand the derision to some extent, but the gear I do have from Rapha (a sofshell, some shorts and a jersey) is functional, comfortable, well-fitting and exceptionally well-made. Then again, they were gifts over the years, so I didn't pay for them!
When Burberry shut in Treorchy a few years ago there was nothing wrong with the quality; they just couldn't make (enough) profit at £45 per polo shirt with UK labour costs, whereas manufacturing of waxed jackets at £300 a pop stayed open in England.
Anyway BB, what have I told you about hijacking threads in Pro Race to make social comment ___________________
Strava is not Zen.0 -
Were the films made in Britain?0
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Er, it was someone else who did that, at 3.59 on Monday.calvjones wrote:BB, what have I told you about hijacking threads in Pro Race to make social comment 0 -
There's some info on the website here http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-products
Depends of the items but yes the synthetic fabrics are made in China because it's impossible to get the same quality/price ratio anywhere else.
He's hunting down the ethical trading policy which may shed some more light...0 -
There you have it.
"...Rapha products produced in a responsible way..." and the merino wool is, "...ethically sourced and non-mulesed". To be fair to them, they make no secret of the fact that, in general, production goes where the quality/expertise is - ie the majority is done in the Far East and it says so on their website - plain and simple.
As with many of these threads, it seems to me that there are a large propertion of people who get wound up about Rapha gear and will seek out any issue/element which privdes an opportunity to critisise - not that they are beyond critisism, of course. I think their approach of harking back to a 'golden age of European road racing', 'Country Jerseys' and 'Italian Knee Warmers etc' is at odds with the image of Chinese sweat shops and some of the 'fancy-goods' are completely ridiculous, but then again I just don't buy 'em.0 -
I just don't get the issue with Rapha.
If you don't like the products or the company, don't buy the gear. Simples.
Funny how Castelli and Assos are never brought to task..........None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
Right, I've watched it and it's a nice piece of arty b0ll0x imo but it captures the Arenberg area nicely and reminds me of how good Musueew was despite his 'history' Good of Rapha to make it I wonder if they got the Mapei kit from Prendas
I look fwd to next weeks filmM.Rushton0
