A word on Fabric
Stories

A word on Fabric

von {{ author }} Stephen Turner an Feb 14, 2023

We’re passionate about fabric at Lusso. Really passionate. 


There are so many options out there for cycling kit - and we’ve got no problems saying that most of it is just fine. There’s options for a load of different budgets and riding goals and we’ll never try and be all things to all people. We want to be really great at what we do - and finding the right fabric to base our pieces on is a big part of that story.

How does putting so much time into sourcing great materials impact who we are and what we do?

 

Finding great suppliers means we can be excellent to the environment.

We stand for creating cycling clothing that is kind to the environment. We do this in a few different ways. Firstly, we work with specific mills that have internationally recognised practices in green fabrication that we can trust. The mills we use are all currently in Italy and they spend considerable time and investment on reducing energy consumption and water usage whilst increasing recyclability. Where possible and where there is no detriment to performance, we opt for recycled materials. Fabric that uses plastic bottles and fishing nets destined for landfill. It’s a myth that utilising these recycled elements diminishes the performance of a piece. A mill that knows what they’re doing can create pro level technical fabric for us that is just as breathable as virgin fibres. It’s all then shipped to us by road - no unnecessary air freight here.

Bringing in fabric, rather than having our kit made abroad

When you receive any items of kit from Lusso, you can be safe in the knowledge that it has been made by someone in Manchester, with love. Having first hand quality control over what gets produced is so important to us - but it also means that we are refining and developing our products on an almost daily basis. Using different stitches in different places, changing the angle of the fabric, utilising different layering techniques. They’re all things we can trial and test in house. We don’t have to rely on the theory of something working, we can make it and test it with our own hands. Which brings us nicely to our next point…

 

We get to use top quality fabric.

It can be difficult to see how a fabric might feel on t’internet - we’re working on ways to give you a better idea on that front, but know that some of the stuff we use is luscious. The lycra we use on our Terra Bib Tights, for example. It’s a rich, soft lycra with a thick but flexible roubaix fleece lining. Our Perform Winter Jacket, it’s a technical 3-layer waterproof and windproof fabric but in the hand it has the depth of neoprene without any of the weight and water retention. 

 

We can price more competitively.

We’re a manufacturer, not a marketing company. We bring in raw materials and we turn them into beautiful kit. We’re not a middle man taking a cut. The buck stops right here in Manchester! Whether you go for our one of the core pieces from our Perform range or you want pro team performance from our Paragon range, you’re getting some of the best materials in the world at what we think are fair prices. In fact, we happen to know that the fabric we use is almost twice as expensive as the fabrics that some of our closest competitors use, but you’ll notice our prices don’t reflect that - We price fairly and sustainably.

There’s probably more here that we could waffle on about, and we probably one day will. But for now simply know that whenever you buy a Lusso piece you’re supporting great new habits in the technical clothing industry as well as getting a belting bit of cycling kit.