Not just another activewear brand...
Our Ryderwear products are much more than just a few slivers of fleece fabric stitched together.
They’re a signifier of your seriousness towards fitness, and a symbol of your passion for pushing your limits. When the velvet-soft fabric touches your skin, you feel powerful, motivated and ready to train harder than ever. This is no accident. This is by design
Our Ryderwear products have been created for performance. Every seam sewn, every hem cut and every inch of fabric has been handpicked to level up your lifting and take your training to the next level.
It’s all about the 1%. Seeking out every little edge, so you can push past plateaus and crush your PB’s represents the Ryderwear mentality, and this is reflected in the gym wear we make.
We thought it was time to put some facts behind the feeling, which is why we spoke with our Ryderwear fashion designers to better understand the tech behind our clothing and footwear, and how a Ryderwear collection evolves from a blueprint to a bestseller.
The Design Process
The first rule of fashion design: There are no rules. At least this is the mantra the Ryderwear fashion team tries to follow when they’re sourcing inspiration for their designs. They don’t just confine their influences to the world of fitness and fashion. From vintage 90s nostalgia to a desert oasis, the inspiration behind our Ryderwear collections can be found anywhere and everywhere.
“There’ no rule book when it comes to design and that’s what makes it so fun. Having a design team means we can bounce ideas off each other and make sure we are giving our customers the best high-performance ranges possible”
Once they’re found their inspiration, the fashion team will use mood boards, CAD designs and colour palettes to refine their idea. But to truly evolve our gym wear from a concept to a beloved collection, it takes a serious understanding of what materials and fabrics are going to help our Ryderwear community take their training to the next level.
To get an insight into this decision-making process, we looked at a classic Ryderwear product that has stood the test of time, and remains a groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind product in the fitness landscape.
Behind the Design: The Ryderwear D-Mak
The D-Mak is a labour of love, with the original design worked on for over two years, and every element of the shoe handpicked and perfected for performance.
“All materials we choose for our D-Mak’s are to give the best support possible, while also offering a detailed design. All fabrics are durable and can be pushed to their limits for the best training session possible”
These fabrics include the lightweight mesh, action leather and suede leather fabrics, all of which have been meticulously chosen to outlast the toughest workouts.
While many lifting shoes offer an elevated heel, the D-Mak defies trends and has been designed with a thin, flat rubber sole specifically designed to grip to rubber gym floors. Engineered for maximum grip and traction, the soles provide a stable surface for a greater transfer for force, helping you generate more power in heavy lifts like the squat and deadlift, while being thin enough to compel lifters to break old habits.
“We know a lot of lifters love training barefoot, so we aimed to replicate that while offering increased support and stability. Having that thin, flat sole will bring you closer to the ground and give you more power in those foundational leg movements like squats and deadlifts, because the energy you’re exerting doesn’t have to travel through a thick, chunky sole.”
The high-top design offered by the D-Mak’s gives the ankle and achilles support that barefoot lifting can’t deliver, helping to prevent ankle rolling and spreading the floor for maximum drive when you’ve got five plates stacked on the bar. Like all aspects of the D-Mak, performance was at the forefront of the design process.
“We always go for that high-top profile to offer high ankle support and essential support on leg day so you can push yourself to your limit. When you squat, your feet tend to flare out a little bit. When your feet flare out in a pair of low cut shoes, there’s barely any side support surrounding the ankle and above the sole. The high top profile of the D-Mak’s is the perfect antidote to anke rolls.
Confident, cutting-edge and created for performance, the D-Mak is the quintessential Ryderwear product, whether it’s the Lauren Simpson D-Mak or the latest Carbon Fibre edition.
“It’s our OG lifting shoe, and owning a pair means you look the part and feel the part. It signifies you as part of the serious lifters club!”
The New Collection on the Block
For our latest men’s collection set to make waves in workout wardrobes, the fashion team drew their inspiration from the vintage lifting era, and the days when Muscle Beach was the centre of the bodybuilding universe. Block represents a back to basics collection for guys who take their training seriously, but like the D-Mak, it didn’t arrive as a fully-realised collection.
“We spent countless hours working on Block (which wasn’t even initially called Block). We really wanted to strike that balance between being a collection created for guys who take their training seriously, but also having that mainstream appeal fashion-wise. I think a lot of that comes down to the range of colours we used”
As the team explained, a lot of thought goes into the colours and shades of our Ryderwear products.
“Take Block for example, we always include your blacks and grey marl for guys who tend to be a bit more conservative with their fashion choices. Then at the opposite end of the spectrum we have a vibrant red, which tends to symbolise power, confidence, boldness, energy. Exactly what Ryderwear represents. The Forest Green is also something we’re excited to bring to our audience. Darker shades of green tend to be very calming yet compelling, and pair really well with achromatic colours like your regular blacks and greys, so it’ll allow guys to express a bit of personality and individuality while still keeping that toned-down, conservative style.
Beyond colour swatches, Block was created with serious sweat sessions in mind, which guided the fashion team and their decision making when it came to the fabrics.
We went for a lightweight, stretchy fleece fabric. These fabrics can be pushed to their limits while working out and lifting, but also mean we can offer that raw edge look, which aligns with that rugged, functional aesthetic. It’s functional for training, without all the frills, and is transeasonal for worldwide comfort all year round.
Like all other Ryderwear collections, these pieces feature a sweat-wicking fabric which helps to move sweat off your body, and onto the garment's surface, preventing you from overheating when you’re training.
‘The fabric flexes with you, so for guys who do a lot of functional training or just want maximum freedom of movement, this collection is perfect’
Searching for that edge? In pursuit of the 1%? Behind the scenes, our Ryderwear fashion team are continually innovating, creating and pushing the limits of fashion and fitness, so you can continue to push your limits at the gym with our high-performance activewear.
