Women-specific clothing from Loeka

Technical design wrapped up in women-friendly style

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada is Loeka (pronounced Low-ka), a company that specialises in women’s mountain bike clothing.

Such brands are few and far between so when we heard that founder Rory Harmse would be in London for a brief stopover, we cleared the diary, grabbed a camera and hot-footed it over to Brick Lane for a closer look.

Each garment in Loeka’s range is designed to perform during the demands of mountain biking with technical fabrics, smart cuts and well thought out features. All this is wrapped up in a cool style and the knowledge that all the clothing has been thoroughly testing by top US women riders and racers.

Here’s an overview of the highlights of the range. The Kasista jersey is available in short, three quarter or long sleeves and is made from 100% Polyester Pique with an hourglass cut for a flattering fit. There’s a zippered pocket at the rear, ideal for sticking an MP3 player in and the materials antibacterial, wicking and breathability properties should see it coping with those sweaty moments. The jerseys are available with either a v-neck or scoop neck.

For jackets the Schutzen Tech looks interesting, with a 320D 100% Polyester fabric that is completely waterproof but offers good breathability too. It’s lined with a Polyester anti-chafe lining and there’s also an MP3 pocket on the inside, or it could be used for the car keys or some change. All seams are taped locked.

On the front are two asymmetrical zippers, one a full length and the other just intended to offer additional ventilation. To avoid overheating there’s a couple of under arm zip vents, the wrist closures are adjustable with Velcro and there’s two pockets on the front and one at the rear.

The All Mountain Oszust Metal baggy shorts are made from a micro-fibre polyester fabric with an anti-chafe mesh lining for increased comfort, and all seams are flat locked. There’s a pair of pockets on the front, a side cargo pocket and zippered pockets on the bum.

That’s just a very brief selection of the Loeka range. There’s much more, and the entire range and all the various colour options can be viewed at www.loeka.com. Loeka is looked after by www.hotlines-uk.com in the UK.

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