The word ‘paria’ literally translates to an outcast, someone who is rejected by society. This is exactly how the founder of Paria, Sam Morgan, has felt his whole life. Sick of the inherent elitism around cycling culture; unwritten rules from how you should wear your shades on your head, to what kit was deemed to be acceptable and reflective of your riding style Sam founded Paria with the belief of creating a community of like-minded cyclists who like to disrupt the cycling world.

Hailing from Manchester, Sam’s no-nonsense attitude draws parallel with the technical principles of Paria. Their objective is to design apparel which will deliver exceptional performance with no compromises in either technical ability or durability. They’ve made it their mission to design and manufacture top class apparel and kit which will take some stick and still look good.

SHOP THE PARIA RANGE

Drawing inspiration from 90’s rave culture, street culture and pop art, Paria’s design influences are far ranging from the usual colour blocking and logo heavy pieces dominating the current industry. They work with up and coming designers and artists from a range of disciplines; illustrators, digital specialists and bamboo tattoo artists to produce apparel that catches your eye and never fits the usual script, purposely done.

As the brand has started to grow, Paria has branched out into team wear, using their design aesthetic to bring a different, fresher look to what is viewed by some as an “elitist boys club”. Inevitably this led into supporting individuals, teams with kit, and ultimately full sponsorship as they now have with NVAYRK. As Paria has grown, they have kept a key tenet underpinning what they stand for, basically “Don’t be a dick”. Pay it forward. Help them, collaborate, and they will help you. Try and get one over, and they walk (or ride). As Sam says “How can we both benefit from this for the greater good of the sport, and people, not how can I extract maximum return and then f*ck off.”

As Paria have grown their product range has diversified, and they have developed the range adding new lines on a seasonally (if not sometimes monthly) basis. Their styling, detailing and functional aesthetics are born out of riding ourselves, and the feedback we get from our community. There is an element of trends on both on, and off the bike – but we like to mix that in with ergonomic detailing which makes the lives of the rider easier, and the garment more flexible for life on two wheels.

The range features an assortment of socks, warmers and caps as well as men’s and women’s specific bibs and jerseys. Recently they have started working with Rad Race in Germany, and are now retailing to their customer base, as well as working with them on an Aurora/ Rad Race kit – which is one of Sam’s favourites.

One area that Paria is very proud and keen to branch out into is their casual apparel line. Combining t-shirts and hoodies with quirky slogans and cartoon designs, Paria’s off the bike pieces are eye-catching, to say the least. For those who have never felt comfortable going with the norm, Paria may just be what you’ve been looking for!