Down one of the famous De Negen Straatjes, or nine streets, of Amsterdam, the city's coolest shopping district, lies MAAP's LaB Amsterdam, the brand's first permanent shop outside of Australia. If you manage to dodge the bikes, which are so ubiquitous in the city, you find will find yourself in the Melbourne outfit's outpost on this side of the world.
The understated shop, full of plain wood and brushed metal, is a key plank in the cycling clothing company's plans to establish more than a foothold in Europe, to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Rapha. It's more than a shop too, it's a LaB, which stands for Life Around Bikes, a community hub for MAAP to work from.
"We aim to reflect MAAP's commitment to performance, innovation, and community in every aspect of the store design, from the layout to the decor to the community rides, activations and partners," Misha Glisovic, MAAP's chief creative officer, said. "It's about creating a space where cyclists and the creative community feel at home and inspired to embark on a life around bikes."
Even more than being a community hub and a shop, though, it is an expression of the brand's intent in Europe. In Australia, its kit might be fairly ubiquitous, but in Europe, that's just an aim.
"The European market is an incredible inspiration for MAAP," Ian Elliott, MAAP’s chief marketing officer, explained to Cycling Weekly last month, the day of its official launch. "That's both from reverence for the history of cycling, but also seeing how the market is innovative. Our intent is to be absolutely investing more in Europe.
"The store in Amsterdam is the first expression of that, but other expressions include Lifeplus-Wahoo, the way we're investing in our wholesale network across Europe, creating a variety of community experiences...
"As we look to go forward, continuing to invest in Europe is part of our overall growth strategy. Continuing to roll out MAAP LaBs across Europe is something we're going to continue, we're looking at Berlin and London."
The first shop has opened in Amsterdam, not necessarily because the Netherlands is the brand's biggest market, but because of the city's connection with bikes is so deep. It is a place where life on two wheels is just natural.
“There were a few cities across Europe that really stood out in terms of places that we would love to be a part of, and Amsterdam was absolutely one of those places,” Elliot said. "The unique history that Amsterdam has with bikes is something that's special and should be celebrated.
"For us as a brand that was born in Australia and wanted to continue to invest more in the European market, Amsterdam – given its history with bikes and the country's relationship with the Grand Tours and professional cycling – it was a really easy decision of where to start.”
MAAP are a brand with ambition, Elliott says that everyone at the company is "insatiable". The expansion in to Europe is most clear with the physical shop, but it is also present in the deal to supply kits to Lifeplus-Wahoo, the British women's conti team, and a raft of rides that the brand is putting on, including recently for the spring equinox.
"We have the good fortune of being able to build a brand and identity which is contributing to something we love," he explained. "That's how we are going to keep making meaningful investments that are working propel the sport of cycling forward.
"You have to pair the insatiable appetite with a methodical approach to adding value. If you're constantly insatiable, you would burn out. That's something we talk a lot about at Maap, and is something Oli [Cousins] and Jarrad [Smith] our co-founders are really thoughtful about. We can only do so much. The things we are going to invest in, they need to be meaningful and impactful."
"Our goal is to continue growing our retail channel to provide cyclists globally with access to top-quality apparel and an inspired creative community passionate about a life around bikes," Cousins added. "We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to welcoming even more riders into the MAAP community as we expand our footprint worldwide."
While other brands are online only, MAAP's advance into physical space is an interesting one, building something a bit different; it has the usual ambassadors and influencers, but Elliott said it is also interested in the grassroots and community.
"If you're operating exclusively online, then you're really limited in your ability to engage with the local community and the individuals that are breathing life into the culture of the sport that, ultimately, you want to be a part of contributing to," he explained.
"The beautiful thing about the sport of cycling is that there's artists, there's chefs, there's writers, there's journalists, there's designers, there's architects, who all find joy and inspiration through cycling. For us at MAAP, the whole idea of a LaB is to actually engage with the other businesses and other members of the community that are actively contributing to the culture of cycling."
MAAP might seem like a cool brand, which is partly to do with a level of scarcity, but the company is keen to grow to a level to challenge the big beasts of European cycling clothing, while retaining its ethos.
"Cool is an incredibly subjective idea," Elliot said. "If we move away from the idea of cool for a second and think about values. MAAP's ambition and aim is always about adding value to the spaces and places that we're participating in and allowing others to feel welcome to take ownership over the direction, and to be able to bring their identity to MAAP itself. That's a large part of why we're playful with designs.
"To be a resonant brand requires you to be a participant in the community, requires you to be curious. You have to be actively listening, and asking questions about how we can add value."
"MAAP is very involved in wanting to grow the sport of cycling," Elliot added. "Inviting people into it. If we can help somebody see that there are all sorts of people in the space of cycling, and it invites them in, then that's amazing. If we can achieve that by celebrating life on bikes, that's the ultimate aim."
Through the LaBs, the community rides and other projects, MAAP aims to grow itself, as well as cycling, in Europe. Don't be surprised to see a few more people in Melbourne-designed jerseys this summer.
