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An organic-shaped lounge suite, coffee table stacked with books and magazines, espresso machine and a screen showing cycling races all over the world add an unusual air of domesticity to MAAP\u2019s refurbished store in Collingwood.<\/p>\n
The cycling apparel brand, which opened its first store a couple of years ago, now has 10 stores worldwide, including in Berlin, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Los Angeles and, most recently, London.<\/p>\n
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A bicycle attached to one wall is treated more like a piece of sculpture.Dan Preston<\/p>\n
Part of MAAP\u2019s aesthetic, beyond its fashion and accessory collections, is to create a meeting place for cyclists to gather on their bikes first thing in the morning for a peloton ride through Melbourne\u2019s streets before returning for a coffee.<\/p>\n
The brand\u2019s founders have a fashion and graphic design background. Their refurbished store was designed by Clare Cousins Architects, a practice often synonymous with bespoke housing. It\u2019s a long way from being a prosaic cycling shop with a few clothes displayed on racks. \u201cThis space is geared to the cyclist,\u201d says Oliver Duff, director of architecture at the practice. \u201cIt was also an appropriate location for the first bricks and mortar store,\u201d says Duff, pointing out the bike path along Wellington Street.<\/p>\n
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Some walls are concertinaed, while others at the rear of the store have a greater sense of plasticity, celebrating curves.Dan Preston<\/p>\n
The architects inherited a 170-square-metre shell, with 4.5-metre-high walls and concrete ceilings and floors. It now features a new stainless-steel layer. Perforated steel panels add a robust feel to the store, as does the industrial-style lighting that straddles the exposed ceilings with its pipes and services.<\/p>\n
Related Article \u201cGiven it\u2019s a place for the community of cyclists to meet, we also wanted to introduce a softer, more domestic feel to the store,\u201d says Duff, referring to the lounge suite and coffee table. The Italian coffee machine, perched on a concrete bench, also adds a level of domesticity.<\/p>\n The Collingwood store\u2019s colour palette is soft powder blue for the shelving \u2013 originally scaffolding \u2013 and change rooms\u2019 curtains, together with olive green for some of the joinery. Trolley-like units, powder-coated in olive green, also allow the space to be flexible; with up to 25 cyclists arriving in the morning, there is a need for a large entrance\/arrival point.<\/p>\n MAAP\u2019s other stores have their own individual splashes of colour: pink and orange in Hong Kong and Yves Klein blue in Taipei. And unlike most stores connected to cycling, here the approach is more akin to a boutique, with a bicycle attached to one wall treated more like a piece of sculpture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to save most of the colour for the clothing, whether it\u2019s bikewear or streetwear,\u201d says Duff, who points out that the fashion is all designed in-house and exported to the 10 shops worldwide.<\/p>\n Steel walls against concrete aren\u2019t too challenging for most architects to create but Clare Cousins Architects was keen to stretch the genre; hence, some walls are concertinaed while others at the rear of the store have a greater sense of plasticity, celebrating curves and responding to the need to create a more tactile environment.<\/p>\n Cyclists visiting MAAP will certainly be impressed by the store\u2019s aesthetic as much as its performance. You don\u2019t have to settle for a grungy environment just because you are a keen cyclist, and for enthusiasts, it brings the community together in a bespoke space that suits their sport.<\/p>\n The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/6749cc9efb4784e66cd59118dfeb75d101604cea.jpeg\")
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The Collingwood store\u2019s colour palette is soft powder blue for the shelving \u2013 originally scaffolding.Dan Presto<\/p>\n
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