Brilliant or what? The Brompton bike-to-boardroom cyclist's jacket
You'll see it above, in all its slightly varying permutations, modelled by my colleague Jason, who's a bit of a cycling nut and, bless him, incredibly excited about its launch, for reasons that'll soon become apparent.
Now, I'm no cyclist myself, but such is the genius of the Oratory that I am itching to go out and buy a bike, or at least finally activate my Boris bike membership, so that I can wear one too without feeling a fraud.It's made by Brompton, of folding-bikes fame, and was designed by Will Carleysmith, head of design at the company, to take the cyclist 'from bike to boardroom to bar'. What this means is that it's smart enough to wear to work while being waterproof - the baby cord is Epic cotton, which repels rather than absorbs water.
And there's more, much, much more: namely a storm collar and adjustable cuffs with reflective undersides for protection against the elements and visibility; an 'action back' to give freedom of movement when in the riding position; a pull-out hi-viz panel at the back; discreet armpit zips for ventilation around the most sweat-prone bits of the male anatomy; and secret pockets inside for valuables.
As I say, genius - and, I'd hazard, a prime candidate for a future design award. Accessorise with a Brompton bike for full effect, though of course anything two-wheeled will do.
Posted in: Jacket
