BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Italian cycle clothing brand Q36.5 has announced the hiring of a new UK and Ireland sales manager – a move which signals an increasing focus for the brand in the UK marketplace.
Of his appointment, Benjamin Washington said: “I’m super pleased to have joined the Q36.5 team and cannot wait to continue building on the great momentum for this awesome brand in the UK and Ireland.
“I appreciate our industry is working through a significant recalibration. However, this shift provides the perfect opportunity to introduce an emerging brand that can bring unique products and fresh stories to an engaged community. I am super proud to have the support I need to introduce Q36.5 to a wider audience, to build upon the current dealer network, and ultimately, to see more people riding in our kit. Happy partners and happy consumers, for me, that would represent success.”
Walter De Luca, Q36.5 head of sales comments: “We are very proud to have Benjamin in our team. Ben brings significant market expertise along with a great passion for cycling and premium products.
“We are confident this partnership will be a great success both for the brand and for
Benjamin!”
Who is Q36.5?
Based in Bolzano, in the Italian Dolomites, founders Luigi Bergamo and Sabrina Emmasi Bergamo have worked with high-end road clothing for over 20 years. In 2013, after many years working for others, Luigi and Sabrina set out to create a boutique brand that produces products of exceptional innovation, technology, and quality.
Critically, sustainability is also a key pillar, with a short-chain, hyper-local, focus. This means almost all products are exclusively sourced, developed, and manufactured with Italian fabrics, and hand-crafted within a 350 km radius of the Q36.5 headquarters.
The Q in Q36.5 stands for Quaerere, which means research in Latin. The number refers to the temperature, in Celsius, of the optimal body temperature.
Co-founder and chief executive Luigi Bergamo: “The brand name is a mission statement and reflects the spirit and philosophy of the company.
“Our innovation and technology work towards maintaining the optimal body temperature of 36.5°C at all times. Every single product is designed to achieve this goal: all year round, in all weather conditions, during all training intensities. With Q36.5 gear, your body temperature is guaranteed to stay at its optimal level. We are not a traditional company and like to think of ourselves more as a laboratory, to allow unrestrained experimentation and innovation with technology at our core. The goal is an extreme vision of the future of cycling clothing”.
The business has developed a number of industry-leading, and award-winning, cycling innovations such as pioneering woven fabrics, including graphene and silver threads, proprietary Lumbar Support System, Gradual Compression, and Super Moulded Chamois. As just one example, the Q36.5 Unique Bibs are said to be the world’s first 3D ergogenic bib shorts of its kind – entirely made from a single woven fabric – and have won the Red Dot Design Award for their revolutionary design and cut.
UK retailers interested in exploring Q36.5 in more detail can contact Benjamin Washington via +44 077 176 600 89 and ben@q36-5.com
