Alex Ostroy of Poseur Sport Collaborates with Hincapie Sportswear

Inventive, forward-thinking, and experimental, the designs of Alex Ostroy of Poseur Sport never cease to turn heads. His kits have won numerous awards and garnered plenty of press attention, challenging the cycling community to approach apparel as works of art, rather than defaulting to printed lycra covered in logos.

“My own design practice starts with drawing every day,” says Ostroy. “Equally as important is keeping a very open mind as I walk around New York City: a snippet of an Indian package design at the deli around the corner, a tiny gallery on the lower east side, a women’s scarf on the subway … sometimes the most unlikely things can knock loose an idea.”

A long-time cyclist, Ostroy also looks back to historic cycling designs. He keeps thousands of design ideas on file—many snippets and quick concepts. “If I’m lucky, one in 20 will pop up in my head later and be useful,” he says.

Ostroy and the Hincapies have a relationship that dates back 15 years, and the friendship has grown into a mutual business partnership, with Hincapie Sportswear manufacturing several of Ostroy’s kits.

“The cutting-edge fabrics, construction, and cut are spot on,” he says. “I can’t think of anything I’d change. I can’t say that about too many pieces of a kit from any manufacturer.”

“I have watched Hincapie Sportswear grow from a small fledgling business to a very efficient company with a highly organized infrastructure and a broad range of products and services,” says Ostroy. “Yet, even as the company has grown, they have remained accessible and community-minded. They support cycling at all levels, and though they have experienced extraordinary growth, it’s still very much a family business.”

As Hincapie Sportswear began planning the Spring 2017 line, they reached out to Ostroy for his assistance in the designs. He responded with designs that feature bold geometric patterns and bright colors, also including a few simpler, more streamlined pieces for balance.

“The cutting-edge fabrics, construction, and cut of the Spring 2017 line are spot on,” Ostroy says. “I can’t think of anything I’d change. I can’t say that about too many pieces of a kit from any manufacturer.”

“My own design practice starts with drawing every day,” says Ostroy. “Equally as important is keeping a very open mind as I walk around New York City: a snippet of an Indian package design at the deli around the corner, a tiny gallery on the lower east side, a women’s scarf on the subway … sometimes the most unlikely things can knock loose an idea.”

According to Ostroy, his goal is to create a kit with a “definitive identity that expresses the values and core makeup of the organization.” In the case of Hincapie’s spring line, this translates to bold geometric patterns and bright colors, but also some simpler, more streamlined pieces for balance. Ostroy says his favorite piece is the wind vest.

“The cutting-edge fabrics, construction, and cut are spot on,” he says. “I can’t think of anything I’d change. I can’t say that about too many pieces of a kit from any manufacturer.”