Roxy Joubert (photo: Jock)
Growing up as a horsey kid in Cape Town – well, the Western Cape (I think one needed a visa to travel in and out of Malmesbury in those days), there were not too many options in terms of riding fashion.
Lairds was about it (although you did have a choice between the Milnerton or the Wynberg branch). I still recall Andy McPherson personally assisting my mom in helping get me kitted out on my very first visit and I was traumatised when they closed their doors a few years ago. In those days, there wasn’t a great deal to choose from in terms of riding gear – the height of excitement was a pair of plaited (rather than plain) reins and pretty much everything in my (and my horse’s) riding wardrobe came with a Lairds label as standard. Breeches were white or cream , jackets were black (unless you were a hunt master) and leather was available in any colour as long as it was brown (yes I am THAT old).
Forward on about a million years and you now have tack shops open most days of the week (and their websites active when they are not), you can purchase anything you like any time of the day or night, from just about anywhere in the world at the click of a button and not only can you get just about anything you want in just about any colour you want, you can even get it with sparkles – with a price tag to match your poor life choice.
Interestingly, while equestrian leisure (and leather) wear has moved on, it has taken a bit longer for things to change on the race track, but one person determined to change all that, is Roxy Joubert, CEO of Jock Performance Race Wear.
Who is Roxy?
Roxy Joubert (photo: supplied)
Roxy will be familiar to racing fans as the rider of one of Kenilworth’s lead horses and more recently as top class SA jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe’s gorgeous other half. However, there is far more to Roxy than just being a racing WAG. Combining her flair for style and design with her lifestyle as Bernard’s number one supporter, she has designed and created a proudly South African range of racing wear named ‘Jock’, which has recently launched to great acclaim. As it’s always fun to support our racing family, I caught up with Roxy on just how it all started.
Roxy grew up around horses and rode from the age of 5. So far so run of the mill. However, her foray into fashion came via a rather unconventional route. A serious motocross accident in 2008, resulted in serious medical and surgical intervention which rendered Roxy unable to walk for two years.
However, the shy smile and elegant attire that we know from race days hides a deceptively tough and determined streak. Roxy got back on her feet and eventually back on a horse. A grey, off the track Thoroughbred, as it happens, named Ringing Bells, who inadvertently started her on the path to where she is today.
Small Beginnings
With her good looking new mount, Roxy took up showing and had a particular idea in mind for what she wanted to wear in the show ring. “I wanted something very specific for my jacket and there was just nothing around. Australia and New Zealand seem to lead the way as far as showing goes, so I looked at everything they had available and then designed and tailored my own. When I wore it in the ring, everyone loved it and wanted to know where I’d got it from. It got such an amazing response that my mother said why don’t I start making them for other people, so since 2010 I’ve been designing my own line of show wear under the RJ Equestrian Attire label.”
Opportunity Knocks
When she became Bernard’s partner, Roxy’s life and focus underwent a natural shift. Watching Bernard train and ride both at home and abroad, she realised that while the equestrian wear market was broad, there was a definite gap as far as race wear was concerned. “I noticed that there are few really good brands on the market and very few using technical fabrics, so I saw an opportunity for making something more modern with more technical designs, fabrics and colours.”
With Bernard as her product tester as well as her primary client, it took about a year going back and forth, designing, testing and finishing before she hit on the right recipe, but finally, Jock Performance Race Wear was born.
Logo
First, the name. “I couldn’t use ‘Jockey’, but I wanted something relating to racing, so I looked at a few options. Jono Snaith helped a lot and in the end I settled on Jock. It’s beautiful, clean and simple which helps a lot for branding purposes as the more detailed you get, the more limited you are in terms of what you can do. I’m really happy with it and so many people – in and out of racing – have complimented me on the logo.”
In addition to Bernard, Roxy gathered as much help and advice as she could in designing her range. “Greg Cheyne is a supplier for jockey wear as a side business and when I started, I approached him and he offered a lot of advice.”
Range
Depending on your chosen discipline, equestrian riders (and suppliers) have cottoned on to the fact that riders come in all shapes and sizes and that there are advantages and challenges to each. Most of us have our inches a little more unevenly distributed that we might like and jockeys are no exception, so the Jock breeches come in a range of options in terms of waist size and leg length and of course, standard and light weight.
Bernard wears the performance race vest (photo: Jock)
The product she is most proud of to date is her performance race vest, available in either short or long sleeves as well as a choice of colours. “The European market would probably use this as a base layer. Here, under their silks, jockeys usually wear either a lycra or mesh top, depending on weight. If they are riding light, obviously they try and wear less.”
The vest, which can be ordered either with the Jock logo on the collar or unbranded for those who would like to add their own sponsorship details, has been designed with comfort and performance in mind. It is made from a high performance fabric that is hard wearing, breathable and specifically cut and tailored for racing. “One of the biggest factors for jockeys is getting things on and off between races, so stitching plays a big role. We also use compression technology to help prevent muscle fatigue. And everything is 50% UV proof,” she adds proudly.
Roxy personally checks each item and even does some of the packaging herself, adding a personal touch.
It’s a lifestyle
Lifestyle range (photo: Jock)
In addition to her technical range, she has launched a lifestyle range including her popular Supa Fit peak cap and wardrobe staples of cotton t-shirts in black or white, in both mens and womens sizes. “How that came about was that there are a number of big equestrian brands that are so good you can wear them as leisure wear. You get show shirts that are so beautiful you can style them with jeans. I often get comments and people don’t even realise I’m wearing sports wear. With the Jock logo and design, I thought it would make a good lifestyle brand.”
As with the technical range, the designs are clean and ascetic with the emphasis on comfort and shipping is available both locally and internationally.
Roxy is also fine-turning a range of track wear that will be launched in the near future.
Launch
We’ve done it together (photo: Jock)
Roxy did a huge amount of homework as well as legwork before going live, setting up her website and social media platforms as well as having her range professionally photographed – with the help of a few friends. The lifestyle shoot was done at Snaith Racing and they had a studio shoot for the technical wear, featuring Bernard, Callan Murray and Martin Seidl (who will be the Jock flagbearer in Germany).
“It has been hard work, but it’s been a lot of fun and everyone has been so supportive. All the guys have given me feedback and helped me fine tune things and I’ve learnt and taken a little from everyone, so every garment has a story to tell. But Bernard has been my biggest inspiration, sounding board and support. Whenever I got discouraged and said I didn’t think it would work, he’d be there to say no, keep going, so we’ve really done it together.”
Big hit
Karis Teetan in his Jock gear (photo: Jock)
All the hard work has paid off and the range launched to huge demand. “I didn’t expect it to take off so fast – it’s gone viral! People are really enjoying the logo and the pricing, which is attractive to the international market. I’ve had orders from Australia and Hong Kong and just did a big order for Karis Teetan. When we posted the photo shoot pics on Facebook, Martin had about 30 orders straightaway. Then Christophe Soumillon shared some photos on Twitter and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing!” So much so that she sold out her race wear range within a week of going live and is working flat out to produce new stock.
Christophe won in his new Jock kit in Dubai over the weekend and with three European stores to stock the brand from 1 April, it seems the sky’s the limit.
Stock can be ordered either directly from Roxy or via the Jock website (http://www.jockracing.com/) or Facebook page and there are also Instagram and Twitter feeds. Grab yours while stocks last !
