In Australia, the kit game is strong. Since our first Wild Style Aussie kits story just over a year ago, the number of Australian niche kit brands has grown exponentially. These young start-ups are commonly being referred to as 'Instagram Brands', where their growth has formed through social media.
With these Wild Style brands building prominence, mainstream global brands are taking notice, each season releasing more kits that are a departure from the rolling billboard and Eurocentric styling we're used to seeing.
With each new brand that pops up (and there are many), we're continually surprised by how small operations can stay relevant on the technical aspects of garments. Using high quality, cutting edge fabrics, many of these small brands are offering similar technology to premium brands like Castelli, Santini and Rapha. Style and materials aside, it's worth pointing out that in many cases garments from the big brands still retain better cuts and fit â likely because of the larger budgets and experience they have in research and prototyping.
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We love the things some of these brands are doing, and the others, well, they are unique. We've compiled a long list of the most vocal and 'out there' options, some we have already featured⦠plus a few newcomers. By no means will these suit everyone (many are certainly best suited to Gen Y-ers out there), but make no mistake - these kits will likely influence future designs from the biggest of brands.
With so, so, so many of these niche brands emerging globally, itâs worth pointing out that there are now many custom kit manufacturers that will make you a kit with your desired designâ weâre not saying you should hit the market, but thereâs never been more choice for individuality.
You can read more at BikeRadar.com