In 2010, I identified a gap in the RF women’s collection; a DH/park short. Most female riders, at the time, opted to wear men’s styles given the limited selection of women’s-specific options available in the market.

Khyber Short: A fabric sourcing trip overseas determined we would develop a custom fabric for this style. The selection of a textured, 2-yarn woven face fabric gave the short a fashionable look, but lacked the structure to stand up to the abrasion resistant spec and the trims required for the garment. Working with a fabric converting vendor, we developed a 3-ply fabric (addition of a water-proof membrane and inner mesh fabric for wicking and comfort) to address these structural and abrasion requirements. A Dupont DWR treatment was later added to the face fabric to act as a stain guard, particularly important on lighter colourways. The Khyber short became a staple in the line with small improvements each season to remove weight and adopt current technology (i.e. replacing the zippered thigh vents with laser perforated venting).

Khyber Jersey: this 3/4 sleeve length jersey pattern rotated seasonally from racing stripes with contrast ribbon detailing down the back, to a reversible version with a conservative solid colour blocking outside and polk-a-dot overall print on reverse offering two jerseys in one, to the current colour blocked patterning offered in the collection today.

Khyber Glove: the Khyber glove originally launched as a highly protective, burly style. As glove trends evolved, with riders seeking lower profile styling, the glove was redesigned to address these emerging market needs. The evolution is a slip on style that features minimal patterning for rider comfort, while maintaining strategic fabric mapping for durability.

My role: Line plan development, short, jersey, glove design and development (including full tech pack production), catalog coordination and build over several seasons, copy writing of tech specs.

Credits: Margus Riga (photography), Travis Bilton and Siupo Low (product development in later seasons).