When you look at the names Monty has worked for, few will have had such a storied career, starting out in fashion, with Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green, then running the first clubhouse for Rapha, before a return to fashion with Paul Smith.
With a host of other cycling roles in between, today Monty is the Product Line Manager for Castelli.
This brief intro gives some sense of the unique journey Monty has been on, and the influence he’s brought to the brands he’s worked with.
Here we explore the journey in a little more detail, whilst also discussing his arrival at Castelli, and the work he’s doing with the brand.
Monty, let’s open the conversation by talking about your journey. Can you share a little about this? How does Pretty Green, Liam Gallagher and all lead to cycling?
Yeah, seems crazy now, but I was working for Liam Gallagher, for his clothing label, Pretty Green – which launched in 2009 and opened its flagship store in Carnaby Street in 2010.
It was a real ‘of-the-moment’ experience. How else do you explain meeting people like Bradley Wiggins and a couple of his friends through a rock star’s clothing label? And it’s through these meetings that they were all like, you know, you should get into the cycling world, it needs a bit of a kick up the ass, a bit of rock and roll.
I already knew cycling. I was a fan. At the time, I didn’t have a bike, but I loved watching the racing. Through Lance, the sport had gained mainstream visibility. He got me into the sport, sitting in high school reading his autobiography – I did a report on it. Probably the only time I actually ever applied myself at school.
When the suggestion to work with Rapha was made, it was along the lines of, “Oh, you know, Rapha would be a good place for you.” So I had my job interview with Simon Mortram – I gave a long presentation on Marco Pantani, which, I think, really tugged his heartstrings. I got the job. Went back to Glasgow, packed up the bags and then moved down to London.
I look back on it now and smile. I went from going from you know like gigs, living a pretty rock and roll lifestyle, to then the Rapha clubhouse. Brewer Street is also an interesting location for two worlds collide type conversations. You know, there’s one part of Soho which is very much rock and roll, and then there was this little spot where it was really weird to see people getting up at 6:00 a.m.- the whole shaved legs and being early to bed the night before and stuff. So yeah, took took a bit of time for me to get my head around it. A new world, and very different from my old one.
And post Rapha, your world takes another famous, cycling-related step, which also leads to future opportunities.
Paul Smith. A year working here means I’m asked to head out to Dubai for the Tour, which we sponsored. It’s Dubai which shapes what follows. I leave Paul Smith when offered the opportunity to work at Wolfi’s – which changes my world. The biggest development of my character. A major challenge and growth opportunity. I knew apparel, but not so much the bike tech.
At Wolfi’s, you were there dealing with very, very, very high levels of customers – people with very high expectations. You needed to have a very good level of product knowledge. The demands were massive.
As a person, as a human being, you know, being exposed to different cultures, people from different countries, was, in those four or five years that I was there, probably the biggest growth as a person.
In-store, I always gravitated towards the clothing area. When people come in for road or mountain bike, I made sure they got a member of staff with top knowledge. Because that, in truth, wasn’t me.
At the time, I’m riding one of the coolest bikes in Dubai – you know, I had the MTN Qhubeka Cervelo S5 at the time. So, I was one of like three people in the world with one of those bikes, apart from the team. Cool in one breath, and funny in the next. I wasn’t, quite rightly, trusted with tools. The mechanics used to get in trouble if I was seen with so much as an allen key in my hands.
Making sure your team plays to its strengths seems so obvious, yet isn’t always the way things are structured. Connections with people made things work for me. Building relationships.
And it’s these connections which see me working for MAAP, establishing a European presence, then for Basso, establishing the Bassano Club House – a unique space that blends brand storytelling, a ride hub and boutique hotel, along with workshop services and retail offering.
Which brings your working journey to the door of Castelli. You shared a little peek into life at the brand with a LinkedIn post, which I think is well worth sharing here:
Day 1 in my role at Castelli HQ – wind tunnel testing with Pippo Ganna. Watch, Understand & Learn.
Day 2 in my role at Castelli HQ – a meeting with Polartec to discuss all things AirCore. The biggest fabric technology innovation in the cycling/outdoor industry for 40 years. Ask the correct questions, receive the perfect answers.
Day 3 in my role at Castelli HQ. The question was asked to me, “this jacket is the spiritual heir to THE GABBA. It’s the jacket people should be wearing, in the conditions they are currently using the Gabba. It needs a name and a design language. Can you manage that?” No biggy! Just follow up on the most recognised and iconic jacket in the history of the sport.
Looking to 2026, what can you share, what’s to come in the next few months, which you might only be able to hint at?
I’ve delivered the FW26 Castelli Cycling collection at the International Sales Meeting. Not remotely nervous. Honest. In truth, I was beyond excited to showcase what we have been working on.
For me personally, it has been truly incredible and a proper “pinch me moment” to work on the iconic Gabba & Perfetto products.
My daughter always starts shouting “papà papà” when she sees the red Castelli Scorpion on cyclists when we’re out and about. It’s cool that she connects her dad and the brand.
Now the winter team training camp will see a number of things which will catch the eye, both for racing and training kit. We’ve been blessed to work with a team – Soudal Quick-Step – that is fully engaged and has plenty of requests when it comes to kit, design, materials, and the look.
Beyond the team training camp, the cycling world needs to wait until February ‘26 to see all the amazing stuff we’ve been working on.
One thing you can take as read – the quality and innovation which Castelli has always been known for – that will still be present, will be what the future is built upon, just as it has been what the brand’s legacy and story has been built on. We see the way fashion-first brands have made hay with style and aesthetic, and know that we are well-positioned for a future which engages a new-to-Castelli audience. I can’t say more than that…. For now.
