Paria Leeds: Cyclewear brand set to open first shop and coffee house in Chapel Allerton

Paria, which offers cyclewear with a contemporary streetwear edge, will open its first bricks-and-mortar store in Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton. It will stock a range of apparel for both on and off the bike, from performance wear to urban fashion, as well as housing the new Paria headquarters.

The brand’s founder, Leeds entrepreneur and cycling enthusiast Sam Morgan, launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Paria store earlier this year. Donations reached the target of £250,000 in just two hours when it went live on February 28. Donations via Seedrs are still coming in, with the total raised now more than £300,000.

Paria has built up a large following of loyal customers since it launched its online store, and the new shop will sell both men’s and women’s collections. Apparel includes t-shirts, hoodies and a range of tote bags featuring slogans such as Choose Bike, Draft Punk, Push Bikes Not Drugs, and, in a nod to Paria’s Yorkshire heritage, Ey Up.

The brand offers bold designs, as well as collaborations with artists, designers and illustrators, and Sam hopes to promote a friendly and inclusive attitude to cycling. The shop will also include a coffee house, promising premium brewed coffee, smoothies and healthy snacks.

Sam said: “Paria was built as an online brand, but we are massively community focused. We are cyclists, we have to be! There’s nothing better than getting out and being with people. It’s why we collaborate with so many designers and other like-minded brands on events and collections.”

Paria organises the annual ‘Paperboy’, a party of a cycle ride that takes in the rolling hills of Yorkshire, ending with coffee, burger and beers. Future plans for the brand include a forthcoming collaboration with music legends Blur.

Sam added: "We’re extremely excited to be launching our first bricks and mortar store so that we can engage with our customers in real life, and for them to engage with the product before they buy. There was no other place we could ever open the first Paria store than Yorkshire – it’s in the brand blood and DNA and we love it.”