When Santini launched its Unisex range of cycling kit back in the Spring the Cycling Weekly Tech Team was inquisitive. After decades of championing better technical apparel for women, and finally seeing the tide turn, a gender-neutral kit advertised as progressive was met with - at best - curiosity.
In the interest of open-mindedness, my partner and I duly volunteered as mannequins to see if a one-size cycling jersey really could fit all.
Clearly, we're not the same shape. In the chest, I measure 90cm compared to his 97cm. The waist? I'm 75cm and he’s 82cm, while around the hips I measure 91cm and he is 94cm.
The other important measurement to take into account is bicep circumference. I’ve worked hard to build some decent arm strength, but I’m still outnumbered by 3cm (30cm me and 33cm him).
When is a small not a small?
Studying the size chart for the Ombra jersey, I was disappointed to discover that, in theory, small women aren't catered for.
With Santini's Unisex clothing sizes, the small is precisely the same as the men’s small. The Unisex cut also appeared to strongly correlate with Santini’s men’s jerseys, vs its women’s kit.
So is Santini just rebadging the blokes' kit? The skeptical among us would be quick to point out that Santini’s decision to create unisex kit, at a time when the cycling industry is beset by overstocking, seems convenient.
The proof is in the riding
We can look at all the numbers in the world, but the proof is always going to be in the experience. I grabbed one of the two unisex Ombra jerseys we had been sent for review and pulled it on.
I was ready to be cross about its ill-fitting design, a preconceived judgment that it would be overly loose on the top and way too tight on my hips at the bottom. But instead, I discovered a perfect fit.
My other half, unknowingly trying on a unisex jersey, assumed the other jersey was ‘his’ to try. He too found a great fit.
Not believing both size smalls could possibly fit us both, I demanded a swap. "But that’s a lady’s," he said, looking me up and down.
He reluctantly prized his off, exchanged and, like a shapeshifter, discovered that the two Ombra jerseys fitted us both perfectly.
A myriad of emotions ran. I was somehow cross that I couldn't be cross that a jersey sized for men fitted me, a woman.
I’ve never had a lens placed over my cycling kit prejudices in quite the same way. It appears that after spending my formative cycling years riding in blokes kit, because that was all there was, I was not ready to take, what felt like, a step back. Did I really want to wear “men's” kit again? Or, has material use progressed to the point that there’s no longer a need for such a delineation?
My other half, while impressed at the science behind the Ombra jerseys fitting us both, found the concept of an ultimate kit ‘matchy-matchy’ off-putting. "But why would we want to wear the same stuff?" he questioned.
Perspectives
Of course, when it comes to fit, one person’s perfection is another’s nightmare, so the experiment filtered through the office.
Less convinced by the unisex nature of the kit was digital editor, Michelle Arthurs-Brennan. Trying the unisex jersey in an XXS, and a Small, vs XSmall and Small Santini women’s jerseys, her conclusion was that whilst the unisex gear was absolutely adequate, the women’s cut - Santini being her go-to brand - was favourable.
“The unisex small gives me plenty of room on the hips, but it’s looser on the waist, it’s suited to relaxed rides. I also tried an XXS, which was too small, particularly at the hips, meaning it rides up. But then lots of race aero jerseys do that. I would ride in both and have no issue. However, my Santini women's specific jersey does feel the most comfortable for me,” she said.
Simon Fellows, Cycling Weekly’s tech editor who has a background writing for men’s fashion mags, found the idea “refreshing”.
“The sample Ombra long-sleeved jersey that I tried on in an XL fitted me perfectly, I had no clue it was a unisex fit," he said. "Perhaps, unconsciously, I was swayed by the colour, a stereotypically male navy blue fade. In fact, I prefer lighter hues because I tend to 'run hot', which means I cook in darker colours on summer rides. Provided unisex cycling clothing offers a great fit for everyone, and gives us a broader palette of colours to choose from, then I'm all for it.”
Same fit fits all
Whilst applause for the unisex range, among our team, varied from tentative to enthusiastic, no one felt the jersey was one they simply wouldn’t ride in. So, I reached out to Santini Creative Director Fergus Niland to ask him more about the thinking behind the Unisex range.
"The Ombra jerseys are designed with a more flexible fit that can accommodate a wider range of body shapes" said Niland, adding that "Polartec Power Stretch fabric is used to provide a comfortable fit for different body types. These materials can adapt to the contours of both male and female bodies."
The colour burst choice also helps, and tallies with comments made by Le Col’s Head of Design, Andrea Thomas, back in 2022.
“Men, especially cyclists, have a similar body shape - there's obviously bigger and smaller sizes, but they do have similar proportions, whereas women can be so different,” Thomas said, noting: “really aggressive colour blocking, which you'll see on a lot of men's kit, is really difficult on women because they range in sizes so greatly. You’ll have these really tiny 60kg riders, [and] other girls who might be [wearing a size] Small but have a bigger chest.”
As a result, the brand tended to opt for “something softer that fades through, a design that's not such a clear, prescriptive shape and is much easier and more flattering across everyone.” Exactly like Santini’s Ombra choice. So, while the measurements appear to mirror men’s kit, the colour/pattern is more in keeping with a traditional female approach.
I asked Niland what Santini envisaged the range achieving. "The unisex collection was designed with inclusivity and versatility in mind," he said. "The aim is to provide consumers with more choice while simplifying the product range. By creating a unisex line, Santini seeks to reduce the need for separate gender-specific ranges."
But just because you can, does it mean you should? I’m not sure if I’m ready to open up my cycling wardrobe for my other half’s easy access. And then it struck me. This Unisex kit isn’t about us and how we apply our life filters in making cycling kit choices. It’s about doing away with invisible barriers that some cyclists come up against daily.
Extending the privilege of just being able to select ‘Cycling Jerseys’ from a brand's webshop, without the extra gender analysis, may not suit everyone, but it will be liberating for some. And, the women’s category certainly isn’t going anywhere either elsewhere or at Santini, with Niland confirming that the brand “doesn’t want to replace our male and female collections”.
Santini has added another option to the market. It won’t be everyone’s perfection, but it will be ideal for some riders. The arrival of the Unisex jersey doesn't have to mean our household will condense our cycling apparel to just one capsule collection for both to choose from, or that we can get exactly the same purple hue colourway to ride in.
I’m just going to celebrate the extra option on a pick-down list on a retailer’s website and consider it a step forward in consumer choice.
