Californian clothing brand Ornot arrives in the UK

Ornot is a San Franciso-based clothing brand that focuses on producing understated and minimalist clothing that forgoes big logos and heavy branding, following its ethos that “you could be a rolling billboard, or not”. Geddit?

The company manufactures in the US, a rare thing these days, which we can expect gives it good control over the quality of the garment production. And it’s now available to buy in UK. We’re hoping to get our hands on some to test soon, but until then here’s a little first look.

To be fair, there are a lot of clothing brands that follow a similar approach of understated design as Ornot. Clothing style has improved massively in the last ten years. It’s no longer a case of hand-me-down replica race jerseys. Thank god for that.

It’s clear the company founder, Matt Quann, who set out in 2013 to combine his passion for bikes and design, has a good eye for a smartly styled jersey.

Browsing through the Ornot website there are some lovely designs to choose from. There’s the Olive Work Jersey (£105) made from an American milled micromesh fabric with a close fit and nice details.

Or the Gray Line House Jersey (£125) with its horizontal stripes and a lightweight (claimed 113g) construction with mesh polyester back and side panels for tackling hot temperatures.

If you want a bit more colour, how about the Code Citron House Jersey? Quite the statement that one is, but does look better in the riding shots than the posed photos. It’s also £125.

There are matching bib shorts too. The House Bib Shorts (£150) feature a Cytech chamois inside a short made from a durable material with compression for muscle support. Large leg gripper keeps things in place and there’s flatlock stitching throughout.

The company does a nice line in accessories as well, including base layers, caps, bottles, overshoes, Ass Savers, gloves and warmers. The company offers a one year warranty against all defects and a customer crash replacement program as well.

And there’s the Bar Bag (£85) which grabbed my attention. Bikepacking and carrying things on the bike is a lot more common these days for cyclists tackling long rides, and I’ve noticed a trend for bar bags, even for shorter rides.

This Bar Bag is designed for “cold morning coffee jaunts, afternoon burrito boogies and sunset soirées” which enough space for some extra food, some clothing, a few spares, maybe a battery for your computer, and other odds and sods. There are two external accessory pockets and one designed expressly to make getting your smartphone out easier on the move for those critical Instagram moments you don’t want to miss.

Ideal for commuting, adventure, gravel, bikepacking, touring, Audax. What do you think?

You can check out the clothing in detail at https://uk.ornotbike.com/