Rapha Cycling Club Fashion Show

Welcome to the 2015 Rapha Cycling Club Fashion show! Just some quick announcements while everyone finds their seats. If you are having trouble locating your seat, they are arranged by how much you've paid to be here and how many Instragram followers you have. Those of you with less than 1000, we have a separate TV viewing area for your viewing pleasure featuring a 1997 Panasonic TV.  You'll notice that some of the seats, mainly the ones closest to the cat walk, have a mauve ribbon tied around the left side of the back rest. That's to denote to everyone else you've paid more to sit there. You will also notice that under each seat a member from our cycling club has placed a gift bag. Obviously each row's bags are filled differently. For instance, those closest to the runway received smooth calfskin wallets with an embossed Rapha logo, but let's say, for those of you located five rows deep, you will likely find a Rapha business card or garment tag in your gift bag. I'm going to ask that everyone get situated as quickly as possible so we can roll out our new line up of clothing.

While we are waiting, I'd like to mention that the food is all gluten free and we do have vegetarian options available for first row only. The coffee was donated by a local, small batch roaster from Portland. And the pastries came from a small artisanal baker you've likely never heard of. When you take a photo of your coffee art and food for Instgram, we would really appreciate it if you used the following tags: #rapha, #rcc #coffeeart #fashion @rapha_america. For those of you that didn't notice, we have several distressed butcher block tables situated in the lobby which would be perfect for some overhead shots of your cappuccino. Ok, I see from the dimming of the lights, that we are ready to go. As noted in your brochure, only photograph this event from an iPhone5C or better. And those of you in the lesser rows, if you use a GoPro on a stick, be considerate of the view of those in front of you.

First down the runway is Mitchell (@rccprorider). He is wearing our newest pro jacket in smoke grey with royal accents. The five royal stripes on his arm denote his social standing in RCC. We have options available with various levels all the way down to no stripes. The back pockets are large enough to hold an iPhone 6 and depending on the stripe level, the pockets will or will not be waterproof. On the bottom, Mitchell is sporting our pro bib shorts. These have extra, non functional padding in the front part of the chamois so there's no questions of who's boss when out riding.

Next, we have Daphne (@Daphnesbikes) . She is wearing a modest full zipper turtleneck jersey. We've taken the guess work out of this one, so no one needs to ask "What are you wearing" by placing a small decal of someone giving you the middle finger on the back right pocket, ideal for when passing other riders. There are different levels of this jersey as well. No features change on the jersey, but if you pay more, you can tell your 'friends' how much you paid and they will be that much more impressed. As an option for the top tier pricing, you can get the price embroidered onto the sleeve.

A quick note here. Thank you all for your Instagram tags! All the photos look very vintage and nostalgic. Keep it up!  But, those of you who are using X-Pro filter, please stop.

Just an example. 

Continuing on. Matthew (@CoffeeNBikes) is wearing our tapered cycling jeans. Notice the pink embellishments on the upturned cuff. He is also wearing our premier level cycling cap. We can tell this by the number of stripes and the price tag dangling off the back. He is wearing a deep v-neck in sky blue. This outfit is the perfect choice for your commute to and from your local cafe or whenever you write your blogs. You'll notice he is also wearing our leather mitts. I really want to stress that these are mitts, not gloves. That distinction sets us as a company and you as a person above everyone else. He has thrown our leather jacket over his shoulder. A quick note here, do not turn up the collar while wearing this jacket unless weather actually calls for it. Doing so has become too mainstream and we'd like to shy away from that.

I'm being told by our A/V manager that the wifi is experiencing slowed upload times due to the high volume of posts being made from this room tonight, which is fantastic that you are all posting so much, but I'm afraid we are going to have to ask the people in the five furthest rows to please exit the show so that the others who paid more can have access to better wifi. You can still experience the show by following us on twitter and Instagram.

We are going to conclude our show a bit early tonight, as the golden hour is upon us and #lightbro will be on point within the hour. So we are going to wrap things up with a line of our high end leather  goods and accessories. You'll notice that all the wallets are very similar. The only real difference is the stripe placement, which of course corresponds to how expensive it is. The backpacks are equipped with extra padding along the spine and come complete with extra straps for stability for those times you have to get that Strava KOM on your way to work or class. And lastly, you'll see our newest addition to our apres ride line, the aero infinity scarf. For those cyclists who place a premium on fashion and aerodynamics. Which, let's be honest, is all of us.

Well, ladies and gentlemen! That's a wrap! The show was short and sweet, but hopefully you've had a wonderful time and have plenty of material to blog about. Just want to say thank you to our pro and premier guests tonight. Without your support and need to be better than most, this event wouldn't happen. Please help yourself to more coffee or craft beer in the lobby. Hope to see you all out on the roads or on instagram. Remember, it's better to be talked about than forgotten. Any press is better than none.