King of the road: David Millar gets back in the saddle with new cycling apparel brand

During his professional career, the French cycling press nicknamed David Millar ‘Le Dandy’, acknowledging not only the Scottish rider’s distinctively aggressive souplesse in the saddle, but also his sartorial elegance off the bike. Now retired from professional cycling, Millar’s thing for clothing lives on with the debut collection of the Chpt III (representing the third chapter in Millar’s cycling career) apparel brand that he has launched in collaboration with Italian manufacturer Castelli.

Rendered in a palette of colours inspired by a Ben Nicholson painting, tops and shorts are made of gossamer-thin, super-light, high-performance Lycra that is, maintains Millar, actually better quality than than stuff the pros use on the circuit. ‘Its weave and unique construction means it can’t be printed with sponsors logos, but having spent my career dressed as a human billboard, this is now of no concern to me.’

Conceived by Millar and designer Richard Pearce (also a keen cyclist) with some help from British tailor Timothy Everest, Chpt III’s minimally modernist garments tip a chapeau as much to Savile Row as to the Alpine cols.

The short-sleeved jersey has a slanted, front ticket pocket, the bib shorts feature robust-looking braces, and the gorgeous, short-sleeved ‘Rocka’ jacket (green with an orange lining, MA1 bomber-style) can be secured at the neck by a storm fastener just like you’d find on a classic trench coat. ‘When it comes to being on my bike, I like to feel like a rocker, not a mod,’ says Millar.

As originally featured in the October 2015 issue of Wallpaper* (W*199)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Chpt III website (opens in new tab)