On Aug. 12, Minneapolis-based women’s cycling team Human Powered Health Cycling will head to France to race in the 2024 Tour de France Femmes—where, alongside their athletic prowess, the team will be showing off a fresh changeout kit (cycling jersey) by the acclaimed L.A. fashion label Maisie Wilen. The unique collaboration marks the first time that an emerging female fashion designer will debut designs in the women’s pro peloton.
Oskar Scarsbrook/Circuit Sport
“It means a lot to be able to work with a female-founded fashion brand like Maisie Wilen,” says Sam Wiebe, Human Powered Health’s Chief Creative Officer who worked closely with Maisie Wilen on the kit designs. “A lot of teams do changeout kits, but the ones I really enjoy have a reason behind the design, a purpose beyond just form and color. Working with Maisie allowed us to get to that place.”
Founded by Maisie Schloss in 2019, Maisie Wilen has quickly risen to prominence as an innovator in women’s fashion, known for its bold, empowering prints and breathable fabrics, a combination Schloss likes to call “basics for maximalists.” Maisie Wilen presents biannually at New York Fashion Week, and has gained attention for being a favorite among prominent celebrities, including Bella Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Charli XCX. When the brand was approached by Human Powered Health Cycling for a collaboration, it was a no-brainer for Schloss, who was eager to jump into the world of women’s athletics.
“I was so instantly like ‘absolutely yes,’” Schloss tells me over a Zoom call last week, during which she was proudly outfitted in her Human Powered Health Cycling x Maisie Wilen jersey. “It’s something so fresh that you don’t often see from fashion house collaborations. And the athletes are just so incredible. I know that this race is a huge deal for them—it’s something they’ve trained their whole lives for—so to be able to even have a little piece of it is an honor.”
Schloss kicked off the design process with extensive background education led by Human Powered Health Cycling and apparel partner Pactimo, during which she learned what goes into creating a functional racing jersey that aids in riders’ peak performance. Schloss then selected a dynamic print from Maisie Wilen’s library, which was rendered to reflect Human Powered Health’s color gradient. The process took a little over six months in total.
“My goal was to offer a fresh aesthetic while never impeding any of the functionality that’s so crucial to the riders’ performance.” Schloss shares.
The final kits feature a bold print inspired by flowing aerodynamics and the aesthetic of fish scales, pulled from a previous collection by Maisie Wilen and represented in white, orange, purple, and navy blue. The pattern acts as a “second skin” for the seven women selected to race in France.
provided by Maisie Wilen
“We’re for sure going to be more visible with these kits,” says Human Powered Health Cycling rider Romy Kasper, who is scheduled to race next week. “You can tell that they were worked on by a fashion designer because they have such a beautiful yet cool style.”
These eye-catching kits do not just carry the power of visibility but also have the capacity to create an intersection between the realms of fashion and women’s sports. For Wiebe, who feels that the support and excitement surrounding women’s sports is at an all-time high, this was a major factor in the decision to work with Maisie Wilen.
“We hope to get our team, and the sport of women’s cycling, into some new channels and make new fans from this,” says Wiebe. “In the world of fashion, where Maisie does runway shows, produces lookbooks, and more, I think our collaboration will function as a bridge between these two worlds.”
Aiding this effort, Schloss will be featuring the changeout kits in her lookbook for New York Fashion Week this September, offering the fashion world an exciting dip into the realm of professional athletics. Amid the cultural momentum created by the Paris Olympics, Schloss feels it’s the perfect time to unveil a project like this, as she believes “sports are trending in fashion in a really big way right now.”
As these riders head to France in their high fashion changeouts, the goal is to bring home a podium placement for Human Powered Health Cycling, a Minnesota-made team that maintains a management firm in Minneapolis and a performance lab in Edina. The company devotes significant energy toward the enrichment and visibility of female cycling, which Wiebe has seen rewarded in recent years. The unprecedented collaboration with Maisie Wilen is another exciting milestone in this growth, as Human Powered Health races toward a bright future for women’s sports.
“In recent years, we have seen explosive, long overdue growth in salaries, viewership, and followings for women’s sports,” says Wiebe. “A lot of health care decision makers are women—they make healthy decisions for their families, and for themselves. So, we also believe that our women’s team speaks to this valuable and underserved audience.”
For fans who want to get the look, Maisie Wilen’s Tour de France Femmes changeout kits are now available to shop on Pactimo.com, Human Powered Health’s official apparel partner.
Oskar Scarsbrook/Circuit Sport
