Brit-Pop, Mod, and a Mission: Interview with Pelo Founder Matthew Ferriday

Team jerseys and bib shorts with oversized sponsor prints, which in no way match your bike and your style and, in fact, do not have much style on their own, have passed as a classic look in past decades. This has changed, and more and more cycling apparel brands have oriented themselves in a completely different direction, offering more aesthetically pleasing and design-oriented clothing. Pelo is the latest brand with a clear design direction and the mission to make you look better on the bike. I have reached out to the founder Matthew Ferriday to learn about what makes Pelo unique and his motivation to start a cycling apparel brand.

Hi Matt, thanks for finding the time to talk to me. Can you explain what makes Pelo unique and separates it from other cycling apparel brands?

Pelo stands for straight-forward Brit-pop and Mod-inspired design and affordability. It’s one person, that’s me, and my taste. The very Brit paisley is a style element I use in all designs, sometimes only on a pocket and sometimes as a tone-in-tone all-over print. The mission is to provide good quality, affordable, and genuinely stylish cycling gear that people can identify with. I wouldn’t leave the house wearing clothes that look rubbish, nor would I spend hundreds of pounds trying to look great. Why should that be any different when I’m cycling?

I wouldn’t leave the house wearing clothes that look rubbish, nor would I spend hundreds of pounds trying to look great.

When, why, and how did you start Pelo?

I founded Pelo around two years back. I had started road cycling and fell in love with the sport. However, when I was shopping for bib shorts and jerseys, I could not find anything that matched my style, was good quality, and was affordable. So I decided to make my own.

Do you have a background in design or textile?

No, not at all (laughs). I am a teacher; I don’t know how to draw and have never designed any clothes.

So how did you get started?

Luckily I was naïve and was not aware of all roadblocks before I started, and I also did not get discouraged by friends and their well-intended words of caution. I had to find my way and employ the help of friends for technical design and finding a good factory. Finding a factory was the most challenging part, but now I have a manufacturing partner that can produce the small quantities I need and deliver good quality.

Initially, I tried to find a factory in Hong Kong, where I live, but this proved impossible. My manufacturing partner is now in China and close enough that once Covid restrictions are lifted, I can accompany the manufacturing process in person. Right now, I have a person who looks after my brand at the factory and has become a significant driver in making the product just the way I envisioned. The process from inception to final sample approval took over one year of fitting, testing, revising, and fitting and testing again.

Tell us about your latest SS2022 collection:

Our 2022 collection currently has three men’s jerseys, and we are working on developing a women’s jersey to supplement this. The classic jerseys have a  retro 1960s look, one that you might expect to see from Fred Perry, Pretty Green, or Sergio Tacchini. We use top-quality, lightweight, breathable fabric that is both recycled and recyclable, and our Italian Ink’s are all environmentally friendly, too. If all of our jerseys look and feel this good, then I’ll be very happy.

What’s your plan for the future of the brand?

Getting into retail stores and growing the collection. The aim is not to develop into a huge mass-market brand and get rich, but I genuinely feel that our products come with a great value proposition, have a great design, and thus my goal is to make as many people as possible aware of my brand. In addition, we use environmentally responsible materials whenever possible, and with more growth, our options to reduce the impact of every single garment grow.

Find the Pelo collection at pelo-apparel.com

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