TukTuk Clothing

TukTuk Clothing – Makers of horse riding attire for women with style.

We are a small Australian company owned and run by women, based in Beechworth, in the beautiful North East of Victoria.

It all started back in 1997 when our Head of design Cornelia Selover got fed up with the then prevalent ‘beige Princess Anne Jodphur’ look. There really was no alternative horse riding pant on the market then that wasn’t a mostly unflattering jodhpur or riding breech. She wanted a pair of riding pants that were comfortable, yet sturdy and stylish and versatile enough to take her from the saddle to having lunch on High Street straight afterwards without having to change. So she took her inspiration from the American Cowboys riding mostly in denim jeans and combined that rugged look with the elegance in the attire of riders of Andalusian and Vaquero background. From there the current TukTuk style evolved.

Our principles are still simple:
We think about how women feel about their clothes – on and off the horse.

Our designs are created by us from scratch based on this. We really look at the female form and consider what would make a woman riding a horse feeling comfortable. Starting with making getting into the saddle easier, not having to put up with buttons digging in and making sure there is minimal chaffing. In short, our aim is to create riding pants that you forget you wear when you’re in the saddle. We make sure nothing is digging in or restricting your moving with the horse. And that there is no hopping about just trying to get the foot into the stirrup either. All of these considerations result in practical designs for purpose-built, comfortable and flattering horse riding pants.

Because we value comfort, we choose natural fibres and use four-way stretch woven fabric for our riding jeans and trousers. Once you’ve tried our pants, you’ll notice the difference and never go back.

We also hear from our customers that they spend a lot of time out in the cold, wind and rain, riding and looking after their horses. Because of that, we have come up with a range of practical and 100% waterproof riding jackets and full length riding coats.

Riding pants and waterproof riding jackets are our main thing, but we make pretty things too.

We have a range of shirts fit for the competition pen or a casual trail ride, all featuring our own print designs. Our belt buckles feature our original designs and complement our Australian made leather belts.

Our wild rags and scarves add colour and style to any horse riding outfit, be it western or English.

So, why buy from TukTuk Clothing? There are a number of reasons:

We come up with all of our own designs in-house.
Buying in ready-made clothes and just sticking our label on is not our thing. Our styles are created from scratch at our design studio in Beechworth.

The quality of our make

TukTuk Riding Pants
Our horse riding pants and jeans are fashioned exclusively from woven four-way stretch, cotton-rich fabric. We’ve tried the alternatives, the more ‘technical’ materials, mostly made from man-made fibres and didn’t like them. Once you love the feel of natural fibres against your skin, there is no going back.

Why is a four-way stretch significant?
It means all our horse riding pants will stretch along the warp (this means ‘up and down’ your leg – particularly at the knee and bum, where you need it most), the weft (across the pant) and on the diagonal. It stretches FOUR ways courtesy of the exclusive weave and the fifth and sixth ways (called ‘the cross’) because… that’s what woven fabric does!

So, how does the four-way stretch help you riding your horse?
To start with, our super stretchy fabric will help get your foot up into the stirrup without going “Ugh” and hopping about. The fabric stretches like that of a pair of yoga or dance pants, whilst being strong and supportive. These pants lend themselves to be worn on a long air travel and you can even sleep in them, that’s how comfortable they are.
Once you are in the saddle, the pants feel like a second skin without restricting your movement in any way. And lastly, the four-way stretch and sturdy material will support you in all the right places and shape your curves for a smart look that you can take to the shops or pub.

TukTuk Waterproof Riding Coats

Remember when you got caught getting drenched on a trail ride and still had to make your way back home totally sodden and miserable? Or when you had to wait for your turn to compete and the heavens opened, and you ended up wet and cold to the bone? That’s when you wished you had one of our genuinely waterproof riding jackets to keep you dry and out of the wind.
We use fabrics, which are used to make snowboarding geat. It’s sturdy, yet pliable, even in the cold.
When we design our riding jackets, we pay particular attention to making the seams waterproof. Often, even if the fabric is waterproof, the stitch holes at the seams let water seep in regardless. We make sure all our seams are sealed, and therefore we can promise that our riding jackets and coats are entirely waterproof. And we test them to within an inch of their lives.
On and off our horses.

TukTuk Shirts
What could possibly be so special about a shirt?

We choose the best quality 100 per cent cotton fabric to make our shirts because, without a great fabric, you can’t make a superior shirt. Some of our shirt fabrics are mercerised. So what does that mean?

Mercerisation is the process of treating cotton thread in a solution under tension, which causes the fibres to swell. Mercerised cotton absorbs dye really well, and holds colour stronger and for longer than non-mercerised cotton. It also increases the lustre and strengthens the thread. The Mercerised fabrics we use have a silky, vibrant look that sets them apart from non-mercerised cotton.

We print or dye the cotton to our custom colours. Our shirts match our pants, which match our scarves, which match our coats and vests. Then, for the right look, we add our own quirky print designs. The designs are hand-drawn and then either digitised or cut from a solid block of wood and printed on the cotton. Totally unique and 100% TukTuk.
We like a bit of fun here at TukTuk Clothing. Serious about quality but lose when it counts.

Our Makers
We employ a small artisan team of fabric printers in India who hand-cut timber printing blocks to our designs. These blocks are then used to print our designs on cotton fabric by hand. Accordingly, every shirt made from this fabric is unique; no two are exactly the same because of the printing being done by hand instead of a machine.
Our riding pants and jeans are made by three family-run companies based in Kanpur, India. The manufacturer’s team of pattern makers, merchandisers, machinists and stylists are highly skilled and have been making riding breeches since the 1970s. Their production is quality controlled, the workers are fairly paid, and their workplaces are safe.

www.tuktukclothing.com.au