FEATURE
GRVL founder Stuart Brooke explains that using the same approach for all other garments is not possible at the moment, and joins other small-brand founders in placing the biggest emphasis on avoiding overproduction. Kostüme, which specialises in endurance apparel, for instance, uses recycled and regenerated plastic-based fabrics across its entire range, without any plan to integrate natural fibres into its business, given that all its kit is performance-oriented and designed to offer compression and marginal gains that cannot be achieved with natural fibres. The biggest environmental issue associated with cycling
apparel comes from overproduction and short-lived products that end up in landfills or are difficult to recycle, so Kostüme founder Ed Bartlett argues that producing kit made to last and avoiding leftover stock are the best ways to manage an eco-friendly brand. Additionally, the small-batch, direct-to-consumer model cuts out all the usual logistics, storage, shipping, and merchandising, reducing resource use further. The direction of travel is clear: materials matter, but
overproduction and product lifespan remain the dominant factors in overall impact.
12 | July 2026
Small batches, no markdown dependency Where these brands diverge most clearly from the traditional model is in how they bring products to market. At the moment, none of them work with retailers, although this may change if the right opportunity arose. LUCA, a UK-based women’s cycling brand, produces in small batches in Portugal and explicitly avoids discounting. As LUCA founder Luca Kuhn puts it, ‘The concept of “last year’s colour” is nonsensical. I won’t discount a product if it is still popular just because it was designed a year ago. I want to encourage more considered buying.’ While neither GRVL nor LUCA exclude working with retailers in parallel to their direct-to-consumer approach in the future, they would only work with retailers under a partnership model where the business partner adheres to the same values and moves away from the bulk-buy and discount model. Kostüme’s strategy is so centred on direct control over
production volumes, pricing and customer feedback that it does not envisage any such partnerships in the near future. According to Bartlett, selling direct-to-consumer is ‘the only way the model really works right now.’ Across all three brands, discounting is viewed not as a commercial necessity but as a structural flaw. GRVL notes
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