In 2017, Rapha was sold to RZC Investments – a firm owned by Steuart and Tom Walton, heirs to the Walmart fortune – which preceded a lean stretch in the brand’s history. It is the current sponsor of EF Education-Nippo on the men’s side, while Canyon-SRAM has long flown the flag in the women’s WorldTour (although that partnership concludes this year).Ī number of inflection points for the brand have also taken place during Mottram’s tenure. Since first coming on board as an apparel sponsor of Team Sky in 2013, Rapha has maintained a prominent presence in the WorldTour. In the process, the brand’s technological prowess has expanded in scope from retro-chic merino wool jerseys to cutting-edge kit. Under Mottram’s leadership, Rapha grew from a niche concern into an icon of the cycling industry, setting a template for fashion-forward cycling clothing and forging a path for other brands to follow.
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Kim is, Mottram wrote, “ equally as passionate as I am about the Rapha brand and our opportunity to inspire the world to live life by bike.” Most recently, he was the executive vice president of global retail and digital commerce at Samsung Mobile, leading the tech giant’s global direct-to-consumer arm.
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Kim is a former CEO of British fashion brand AllSaints, and has held roles at Gucci, Burberry, and Abercrombie & Fitch. William Kim, a Korean American with extensive experience at the intersection of tech and fashion, will replace Mottram from the start of 2022. “I am convinced that it is the right time for me to step down and for Rapha to have a new CEO with the skills and experience to take advantage of the huge opportunity Rapha faces,” Mottram wrote. I will continue to serve on the Rapha Board of Directors and will continue play a role as founder. In an email to industry members Mottram said that he would stand down at the end of 2021, but would “remain very close to the brand. Mottram had been in the role for 17 years, ever since he founded the company in London in 2004. Simon Mottram – the founder and longtime figurehead of British cycling clothing brand Rapha – is stepping down as CEO at the end of this year.