Rapha , Shutt Alternative ?? (Torm)

The problem with all these
The problem with all these “emulate Rapha” business plans is that they fail in the details.

It’s not just about the clothing, which as someone rightly states could be made by anyone, anywhere. It’s the details. The story labels, the high quality website with clear marketing message, the quality of the packaging, the great customer service, the exclusive feel, the classy photography and above all the price.

If Rapha was half as expensive, it wouldn’t sell twice as much. People buy it BECAUSE it’s expensive, not in spite of it. Exclusivity and brand snobbery are it’s keystones.

…or how about
…or how about these?

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7502589/

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7500367/

Schwag Grab????
Schwag Grab????

Miggers wrote:Hi Hatter… It

Miggers wrote:

Hi Hatter… It not the website or the similarities in design… You’d need to see 2 jerseys next to each other to see why Rapha might be a bit miffed… Miggers

Hi Miggers
I’ve no doubt that they’ve been ‘inspired’ by Rapha and I’m sure the London boys in black are miffed but unless they are exact copies there’s nothing they can do – if there was primark wouldn’t exist.

There’s an interesting thread
There’s an interesting thread on the subject here:
http://www.lfgss.com/thread52843.html

A few members have been talking to Torm.

tony_farrelly wrote:As

tony_farrelly wrote:

As TheHatter said, in fashion, ‘inspiration’ has always been the name of the game – the High St is inspired by haute couture surely?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as the phrase goes. And David Bailey always say that he steals ideas, whether from other photographers, other art forms or anywhere else yet nobody seems to complain.

Copycats and lookalikes are certainly not new, and the chaps at Rapha should be confident enough in their products not to have any sleepless nights. Those of us who feel ~£50 is a more realistic or justifiable expense for a jersey weren’t going to buy Rapha anyway.

Hi,
This is Michael from
Hi,

This is Michael from TORM. I wasn’t sure whether to post but it’s late so what the hell..

We’re a brand new business and are finding our way. We’re certainly not in it for a quick buck. We love Sportwool as a fabric and wanted to bring it to a wider audience but the jerseys currently available were quite expensive.

We also think the Rapha gear is great and I personally think they have done great things for British cycling. They have a great brand and that’s a fantastic achievement to have created it in such a short time.

Just like Columba and ShuttVR we wanted to make SportWool jerseys and since we’re new we’re simply trying to be as competitive as we can. We will be sending a jersey in for review so that will be the acid test! Some people on LFGSS have bought our gear so we hope they will post back what the jerseys are like in use.

Michael

p.s. our web site was custom written which has its benefits but we’ve had problems with emails via the contact us page – apologies.