Promotional Feature
For over 25 years, British equestrian fashion clothing brand Equetech have brought riders worldwide fashionable and functional riding wear. In this exclusive feature, they discuss the biggest rider trends for the coming season and why bespoke is both affordable and on-trend right now.
Bespoke equipment has been bubbling under the radar for a long time, but for many riders it can be out of their budget. Alongside Equetech’s cross-country shirts and hat silks, the company has added another exciting garment: a bespoke competition shirt. The shirt can also be designed in the ‘Design Lab’ on Equetech’s website. This allows customers to create a unique and bespoke competition shirt for dressage or showjumping with their own logo, sponsor’s logo or image. Customers don’t have to order in volume and the designer skills are in their hands, so they can produce something unique that promotes them, their brand, yard or even lorry — and bespoke cushions are also available.
Custom tailoring in the dressage arena has continued to grow in popularity season after season and creating the perfect jacket is as simple as choosing a jacket or waistcoat: build the perfect garment, choosing from collar type and colour, lining colour and piping colours. There is even a bespoke tailored fit option. Standard orders are generally turned around in 28 days – outstanding delivery time for a bespoke garment.
To embrace the new British Dressage rule relating to competition wear, Equetech has introduced the Piaffe dressage waistcoat to cater for riders who don’t want to wear a competition jacket but prefer not to strip down to just a competition shirt in a dressage test.
Softshell has long dominated competition jackets and Equetech is passionate about incorporating stretch in competition jackets, bringing traditional tailoring into the 21st century with advances in fabric technology. Equetech has blended lycra with jersey in its new cutting-edge competition jacket and dressage tailcoat. The result is a jacket which feels as good to wear as a favourite blazer but looks as smart as a traditional wool jacket, without the weight or restriction.
Riders are continuing to add individual touches to their competition outfits. As well as bespoke, Equetech is also adding small designer touches to jackets; a rose gold badge, an engraved zip pull or embossed silk lining.
The company is continuing to expand its competition shirt offering this season. Among some elegant feminine touches to a few of their styles — such as lace panels, fleur-de-lis detailing, peplum styles and crystal buttons — Equetech has also taken inspiration from mainstream sportswear. The Libertina competition shirt, for example, features a contour stretch mesh panel back which offers greater airflow when riders need it on hot summer competition days.
Visit www.equetech.com to browse the range.
The shirt collection created specifically for the show ring brings the traditional up to date with a range focused on freedom of movement, comfort and performance. The Hexatec capped show shirt carries advanced fabric technology to make this shirt fully breathable with wicking and rapid drying properties, while offering the ultimate in stretch and shape retention.
Equetech’s new Peplum competition/training shirt is pretty innovative! Taking this season’s catwalk trend for flare hem detailing, it combines a peplum hemline and put it on a functional shirt which not only flatters tummies but also works under competition jackets too. Thanks to its perfect length, it’s also hidden under a standard length jacket and the rat-catcher style collar perfectly accommodates a stock. Available in competition or training colours.