Vulpine Clothing

Rapha came onto the market in a niche and have spent a decade making high quality kit. Vulpine was always going to be compared to it because were trying to move in the same circles right from the beginning without having a particular selling point other than 'not-Rapha'.

And Rapha also has some bizarre products whose very existence I can't fathom. Designer leather Paul Smith collab 'town gloves' for £300, anyone? Or perhaps some Rapha-branded Bang & Olufson headphones at a 33pc markup on the regular price?

As a regular purchaser of off-piste Rapha products I'd have bought both those tings. And I don't even work in finance.

What you wrote reads like the first comment on every Rapha social media post on the lines of 'omg £500 jacket' etc.

Vulpine's failure has nothing to do with Rapha if they hadn't positioned themselves as 'shit Rapha' and then further devalued the brand with flash sales.

There are plenty successful brands that do their own thing in the same space and still manage to thrive.

Its a classic failure of not identifying the market gap.

Vulpine was shit from day one.

GF was put off Vulpine by the lack of sizes that would fit anyone female except anorexic models.

I'm not sure if I have seen that as a criticism of Vulpine on here at all?

Apart from Vulpine trying to hit the premium end of the market, not much else is comparable. Rapha make quality well designed cycling kit and also do a city range, Vulpine made expensive commuter clothing which is not particularly good for cycling, except maybe to the shops.

Most comments in this thread on the kit itself is not exactly glowing (except people seem to like the socks).

She said they were listed as display bikes and "not rideable" so if they are missing wheels that chimes.

@dubtap Only one of the bikes has one wheel missing, as it was sent back for a rim change, as there was a manufacturer recall, so the women's bike is 100% ready to ride.

It's just the snobbery against the brand for not being Rapha is something I've never really understood.

@h2o
what you describe does not exist.

Lift the rock and suddenly you see what is scuttling around down there. Hope other small business in the industry won't suffer trying to raise funds on the back of this.

Rapha make quality well designed cycling kit and also do a city range, Vulpine made expensive commuter clothing which is not particularly good for cycling, except maybe to the shops.

I thought the niche that they were aiming for was clothing that you'd ride to the pub/shops in and not feel like a tit in. Yes, Rapha does some of that too (and recently quite well).

Also, @amey - LOL that anyone would buy the Rapha B&O headphones at 33pc markup because they're pink. Just, why? What's wrong with the normal ones?

But yeah, the responses are pretty much exactly what I was expecting - there's a lot of tribalism in your brand choices, and Rapha has done a great job of milking that tribalism with some products which objectively are frankly ridiculous, alongside some really very good stuff.

what you describe does not exist.

Tell me why Rapha marking up B&O headphones extortionately is fine and Vulpine marking up bikes extortionately isn't, then come back to me.

I mean, they're both dickhead business practices. But Rapha gets a free ride.

Rapha does some of that too

Rapha invented it. It's their market, so if you want a piece of the pie you don't start by making similar products.

Tell me why Rapha marking up B&O headphones extortionately is fine and Vulpine marking up bikes extortionately isn't, then come back to me.

The headphones were a collaboration. For sale for the same price from both Rapha and B&O. The Vulpine bikes, he hadn't even told August Bicycles that he was trying to sell some, let alone that he'd marked the price up loads.

Rapha invented it. It's their market, so if you want a piece of the pie you don't start by making similar products.

I seem to remember the likes of Swrve started making similar clothing earlier than Rapha, but sure, let's not question the Rapha origins mythology

The Vulpine bikes, he hadn't even told August Bicycles that he was trying to sell some, let alone that he'd marked the price up loads.

Okay, that bit is uniquely cuntish, I agree. I still think rinsing your customers for a pink version of your product is a dickhead business move, but nobody wants to question the Rapha orthodoxy, clearly.

Rapha - 2003.
Swrve - 2005.

Rapha - 2003.

Swrve - 2005.

Rapha launches cycling-specific jeans: 2011. Edit - sorry, late 2010.

Sure, Rapha was making cycling jerseys and the like before that, but are you going to claim they invented those?

.

Jesus christ. You've got an obsession. The fact is the Vulpine was always seen as a Rapha copy cat, trying to cash in without putting in the innovation. In my opinion this has been proven by the very low R&D costs in the accounts and the fact Nick was paying himself a massive wage when the company wasn't even close to making any money. Also in my opinion he wanted the lifestyle without actually building a working business first.

Really glad to find this thread, some interesting insights on just how broken a business can be an yet extol the outward virtue of increased valuations. Could someone please apply some of these lessons to the tech industry? Ta.

I can't quite understand @Sumo's needless protection of his favourite lifestyle brand. Are they paying you? :D

Are you on drugs?

Is £90k pa really that much?!?!
I do have friends in tech who earn more and are 'simple' senior devs?

Are they paying you? :D

I wish.

I'm not saying they're faultless or that every product is perfect and perfectly priced. You can thank H2O for getting into the weeds to try and prove a point.

Again, and I repeat - nothing I've been saying is intended to excuse cuntish business practices alleged to have taken place at Vulpine.

But the kneejerk defensiveness over some of Rapha's dickhead business moves is exactly the thing I said I found befuddling. Great to have such a clear demonstration of precisely what I meant.

In my opinion he wanted the lifestyle without actually building a working business first.

I see this so much (in my industry). Spot on.

You should write an article on "Dickhead Business" moves.