French clothing brand Café du Cycliste setting up shop in London

French cycling clothing brand Café du Cycliste is opening a store in London’s Spitalfields in October.

It will be the first standalone store the business has opened outside its home city of Nice, where it has a shop on the Vieux-Port.

Launched online in 2009, the brand’s clothing is currently available in the UK online and through Mr Porter, Matchesfashion, and via outlets including Torque Bikes in Sudbury, Suffolk and the iconic London bike shop, Condor Cycles.

While its heritage is firmly from the Côte d'Azur, the brand has enjoyed success in the UK, which it says “made London the natural choice for the next stage” of its expansion,

The Nice flagship store includes a café and also hires out bikes from top brands, features that won’t be replicated in London.

However, the company promises that the store “will actively set out to inspire customers to plan a visit to the South of France,” something that will be reflected in the design.

Co-founder and creative director Remi Clermont – a former world class kayaker – said: “My father was really into road cycling, so I grew up in a family watching the Tour de France around 20 years ago when it wasn’t cool – even in France,

“I saw an opportunity to create a brand that was serious about technical excellence but also relaxed enough in approach to capture the pleasure of riding for riding’s sake”

He added: “Our clothing is designed as much to be worn 2,500 metres up, in some beautiful remote places where Le Tour has never been, as on the more familiar strips of kempt tarmac.”