For the past few seasons, Café du Cycliste has collaborated with cycling-obsessed designers and illustrators to create casual and performance clothing inspired by the cols we love to ride. For SS26, we worked with Tony Concrete, whose Manga comic books about cycling witches we love. We spoke with Tony and Ludovica Imperato, Café’s creative product manager, to find out more…

How does this capsule collection fit within Café du Cycliste's DNA while bringing something new?

LUDOVICA: Café du Cycliste has always told stories about cycling through places, landscapes, and people. The Col capsule collection fits perfectly within this tradition: it speaks of exploration, memories, and legendary mountain passes. What is new is the narrative lens of manga. We're not simply juxtaposing "art x brand". We sought a true convergence: Tony is a cyclist, his world already revolves around bicycle touring. This isn't just graphic design applied to a product. The capsule collection functions as an extension of our storytelling. It brings a stronger emotional and imaginative dimension, while remaining deeply rooted in our cycling culture and local area.

Did you have the idea to create visuals specifically designed to be worn from the start?

TONY: We wanted to create images reminiscent of manga covers, with drawings and text, but designed primarily to make cool jerseys. Personally, I'm not very good at graphic design, so I focused on the drawings and left some white space so the pros at Café du Cycliste could handle all the text we had come up with together.

Did you start with existing artwork?

TONY: It's a completely original collection! In my manga, I depict many places that actually exist and that you can visit by bike. So I was very excited by the idea of ​​creating drawings inspired by these legendary spots. Ludovica took me climbing the Col d'Èze, and I explored Rue Lepic during a trip to Paris. This capsule reminds me that there are still so many places left to discover! My next goal is to climb Mont Ventoux on my folding bike.

The same character appears on all the T-shirts. Who is s/he? Does s/he have a story?

TONY: It's an androgynous cycling cat character who has decided to conquer all the legendary mountain passes. Like shōnen heroes, he passionately pursues his goal, but he doesn't forget to have fun, eat well and rest along the way. While drawing him, I thought of the manga artist Akira Toriyama, who passed away in 2024 and who was incredibly skilled at drawing animal-human characters, as well as vehicles (he created some legendary drawings of characters on bicycles). I dressed my character in a baseball outfit for two reasons: I'm a fan of Mitsuru Adachi's baseball manga, and the iconic Café Giselle jersey is one of my favorite cycling apparel pieces.

What were the main technical challenges?

LUDOVICA: The main challenge was translating the drawing to textiles. Manga is a world rich in detail, contrasts and nuances of line. On a garment, especially a technical jersey, you have to simplify without losing the intention. We worked on: scale, and maintaining legibility from a distance while preserving the finesse of the design; placement – respecting the garment's construction, seams, pockets, and areas of tension; colour – bringing the illustration into our seasonal colour palette and printing constraints; and printing technique – to ensure precise rendering on high-performance technical fabrics. The challenge was to preserve the essence of the design without compromising product quality.

Does seeing your art circulating in the street or on the road change your perception of your own work?

TONY: Until now, my drawings have mainly existed in books or on screens. Last summer, some of my drawings were displayed on billboards in south-western France; it was the first time my work could be seen in the street. But now, the drawings are moving, carried around the world by cyclists in search of adventure. A huge thank you to those who will bring them to life! Col collection jerseys are available for men and women. Col collection T-shirts are unisex styles.