Rosti – Designing in Style

by Robert Thorpe

ROSTI Cycling
Beyond Expectations

The Cycling Subculture

Cycling isn’t simply a sport, it’s a way of life and yes, even a subculture. And, as with all subcultures and their members and followers, cycling has its specific cool icons that through no reason other than their uniqueness and quality sit at the very top and radiate their emblematic presence to others. ROSTI is one such iconic brand within cycling and its subculture, and their designs are works of art in themselves. When you’re not riding and wearing a ROSTI jersey, you feel as though it ought to be hung on the wall for all to see.

Take for example two of their most recent designs: the ROSTI Pop Art jersey, with its references to the art of that influential period and artists such as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, with their use of media and comic book inspired images that depicted a new dawn of colour and vibrancy. The ROSTI Pop Art jersey will undoubtedly become as iconic as the famed La Vie Claire team jersey from 1984. ROSTI design is not only at the forefront of cycling style, the clothing produced by this small but growing Italian brand are pieces of fabric art in themselves, and are also finished to the highest possible standards. When I pull on my my own ROSTI Road Warrior cycling kit, I truly feel very special indeed, both for the quality of fabric and finish and for the amazing design that I’m wearing.

Design Beyond Boundaries

Elsewhere, the average social cycling peloton is simply that – very average indeed, as most leading clothing brands simply decide on what shades of colour they’ll choose for the next season. Yes, they may add a line or two, and if we’re lucky they’ll generate a line cutting across the jersey, or fade a colour in; while the design team at ROSTI are hard at work creating unique designs that earn their right to be printed onto the very best Italian fabrics and to be worn by you – because you too are unique. Yes, ROSTI understand the cycling heart and it’s rhythmic beat, which is why they’ve become THE design brand within world cycling. The early club and team jerseys produced by ROSTI had a vibrancy of colour and design to them, and many are still sold as vintage or retro cycling jerseys on worldwide forums.

Even within custom team jerseys and kits, and at the highest level of our sport, ROSTI have managed to change thinking, taking a very bland AG2R team kit and for 2022 in particular, producing what is one of the most modern and stylish designs within the peloton. Chic and cool are just 2 words that spring to mind, and yet the design is in itself so simple, drawing on the name of the team and building this and the team culture into the simplicity and yes, modern beauty of the stand out design. Yes, ROSTI can and do produce vast and busy art jerseys, but they’re also experts at subtly and simplicity too. They seem to truly understand the various needs of the wide cycling spectrum and its palette.

Heading to the Future

For 2022 there’s new designs coming, and I’ve been testing out the new Short sleeved jersey HYPNO, along with bibs, gloves and matching cap and Vega Hypno summer socks. The design is hypnotic and cryptic, as the HYPNO code activates the vibrations buried in the concentric lines below the surface, signs of natural intelligence, of a cyclical type. It is a true masterpiece of modern cycling wear design. First impressions are that it’s a great design, certainly unique and carrying the typical ROSTI artistic design elements – I love it and not simply because it’s also a high performance kit choice (review coming soon).

Another new design is their mountain bike jersey: the short sleeved jersey GERA, which is in ROSTIs own words, influenced by the thought that ’Once upon a time, and maybe still, there is a dirt road that leads into the wood and drops down steeply to the river: and, if you ford the river at speed, dancing over the clattering and rattling pebbles, you will discover the sources of ROCK.’ And yes, the soft patterned of colour strips that merge across the fabric do indeed take your mind’s eye into the wooded hills.

Looking ahead, the future is definitely colourful and bright for this iconic Italian design brand. Every cyclist deserves to have their own uniqueness celebrated, and ROSTI seem to have the right artists within their design team to help you and your own cycling friends and teammates to celebrate in style, as you wear the feelings within your heart and your spiritual self on this amazing clothing. With ROSTI, performance and quality is always a given, but at the heart of this design orientated brand is the thought that ‘style is simply not optional.’

Summary

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