BLOG

Through Kickstarter, OORR is launching its new generation ‘OORR Café’ and ‘Frog Skin’ cycling and fitness apparel with benefits such as permanent odour control and designs created to enhance rider safety, as well as a commitment to the South African charity Velokhaya.

OORR, an acronym for 'Out Of the Rat Race', is committed to the use of sustainable and recycled materials in it's garments, with a vision to challenge its competitors to follow suit. The introduction of coffee enhanced cycling and fitness apparel, targeting the more technically minded athlete goes a long way to achieving that goal. Add to that the use of 'frog skin' nanotechnology in their cycling bib shorts, and the gauntlet has well and truly been thrown.

Coffee? Really?

The new generation cycling jerseys and athletic tops created by OORR all have Coffee in them. Yep. Coffee. Used coffee grounds are taken from cafes and combined with polyester through a patented process to create the yarn. When the fabric is knit, this yarn is blended with 30% polyester made from recycled plastic bottles to create 'OORR Cafe' fabric. This recycled content can be more than doubled should funding surpass $350K.

With the inclusion of coffee grounds, on a microscopic level the yarn becomes textured and porous –offering more UV protection through refraction, and drying 50% faster than competitor products. Plus the very nature of coffee acts as a powerful deodorant.

Frog Skin Nanotechnology Basics

‘Frog Skin’ is the name given to the fabric used in OORR cycling Bib Shorts. No frogs are physically involved in the process – but it's where the science was born.

Scientists discovered a frog living healthily in bacteria-infested water. They discovered the frog secreted peptides that instantly killed bacteria, keeping it safe. So, they developed a man-made nanoparticle to mimic those peptides. The particle has a positive charge, attracting negatively charged microbes and instantly killing them due to its thorny structure and opposite charge.

What’s the overall benefit of this kind of tech? Permanent Odour Control. It’s more effective than silver ion technology, and won’t wash out over time. Other advantages include:

• The manufacturing of this nanotechnology is eco-friendly.
• The Frog Skin nanotechnology kills 99.99% of all microbes, only where it is applied.
• During the process of making the fabric, all excess product is reclaimed and reused to keep the process as sustainable as possible.

Cyclist Safety

While OORR garments fit and feel perfect for cyclists, the use of shape and color on each Pro Cycling Jersey is based on research of attention grabbing patterns, and intended to make drivers take more caution when passing cyclists. Founder Tim Christian attributes the concept for this design to his 17 years as an airline pilot. “Sitting in the cockput staring at those switches got me thinking.. These switches are designed so they can be seen in all conditions; smoke in the cockpit, turbulence, sun glare and darkness – but they're also designed so you think twice before you touch them”. The three new designs, named “Panache,” “BOORRdroom” and “Dazzle” – give riders a powerful piece of leverage when negotiating with loved-ones to buy their new, OORRsome kit.

OORR – Our Mission, Our History

OORR is a company that prides itself on a concept we believe in: we must be the change we wish to see in the world. Instead of waiting for fashion to be revolutionized, we’re standing at the front lines via cycling fashion that’s eco-friendly.

We hope that we’re only the first in a long line of eco-friendly clothing brands that have a strong focus on sustainability and philanthropy. Our model isn’t one that we covet. In order to make the world a better place, we hope that other brands and individuals take inspiration from our message and become the spark of change needed to globally revolutionize all fashion industry subsets – from high fashion couture gowns to every piece of clothing on every athlete in the world.

This kind of thinking has always been present within the OORR company model. Originally launched in 2013 with a limited line of men’s cycling jerseys, founder Tim Christian put the brand’s focus on both sustainable practices and an unwavering attention to detail. Backed now by more experience, and an greater drive for change, he's ready to make an impact.

Tim is the father of three boys, and credits his business model inspiration on trying to make the future a better place for them and others.

Through sustainable fashion that’s breaking barriers with concern to technology and eco-friendliness, as well as a model and business approach that puts the consumer, the globe and safety first, OORR is looking to kickstart a fashion revOORRlution.

The question must be asked: what is the point of buying and wearing fashion in a world that’s rapidly declining because of the production of said fashion?

On one hand you have some really beautiful, unique fashion – on the other, you have beautiful unique fashion that is more highly functional, kinder to the planet and contributes to charity. For the same price, which would you choose?

Don't miss the launch - visit our pre-launch page now, and enter the chance to win your choice of kit ahead of the Kickstarter, plus get a free copy of our exclusive article '6 Tips from OORRsome athletes to help you ride faster NOW' www.kickstarter.oorr.com.au