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As a new Formula 1 season approaches, fans have come to expect certain things: the roar of the first fire-up, the smiles on Lando and Oscar’s faces as they try on their new overalls, and the rustle of the covers being pulled off the car for the first time… A more recent addition to pre-season bingo has become the release of new F1 fashion to style.

That’s why, on a cold winter’s day in the UK, our team were out on the streets, capturing videos and photographs of models wearing our latest clothing range from Reiss. And it’s also why, weeks earlier, Lando and Oscar had taken part in a secret photoshoot in the auditorium at the McLaren Technology Centre, styling the collaboration. Many of you will have seen the fruits of this labour appearing on your social media feeds over the past few days.

Formula 1 apparel has firmly arrived in mainstream fashion. Whether you’re a long-term fan, showing your support for a specific team, or a casual supporter repping a retro racing look, Formula 1 fashion is everywhere and it’s here to stay. Go into any café, pub or park, and chances are, you’ll see someone wearing some form of F1 fashion. There’s even a distinct possibility they might not be into racing at all, such is the explosion of motorsport style.

Varsity jackets, fleeces, leather trousers, quarter zips, shackets, cardigans, Cuban-collared shirts, polos, joggers, shorts… Long gone are the days of fans all wearing the same hoodie and cap at a race. But it isn’t only about newness or taping into the latest trend, it’s about creating a range with longevity that fans can identify with. Pieces that can be worn in years to come and passed down generations.

“What we didn’t want to do was buy the IP (Intellectual Property) and stick a logo on a basic T-shirt, like has been done in the past,” says Alex Field, Reiss Menswear Director. “I'm so glad we took the leap of faith with McLaren Racing. It seems obvious now, but at the time, as you can imagine, there was some resistance.”

As fans scrambled to get their hands on the latest McLaren Racing | Reiss collection, we spoke with the designers behind the collection to get an insight into how it was designed and built.

Laying the groundwork

Long before the first collection, which landed in early 2024, Reiss had designed our team’s travel wear, a project that was seen as a precursor to a longer-term arrangement.

Reiss were tasked with creating a range of clothes that our team could wear on their way to races as they navigate airports and public transport in different countries around the world. Something inconspicuous enough to go relatively unnoticed, but McLaren enough that it made them feel a part of the team. Comfort was, of course, vital.

“There’s actually a lot to take into account,” continues Alex Field, speaking from Reiss’ office in London, alongside his colleague Alex McCart, Head of Menswear Buying. “People want to be comfortable for travelling long distances, when they’re spending a lot of the time on planes, but they also want to feel smart and a part of the team.

“They wanted something customisable, whether that be hoodies, T-shirts, polos or gilets,” a point that reflects how heavily F1 has embraced fashion.

“Then there’s the smaller details. They don’t want to worry that it will shrink in the wash, they want space for passports, and they don’t want the clothes to rustle or be noisy. There’s so much to consider.

“It has to be functional and that is what builds trust in us as a company, and it’s what leads to the question of ‘could we take this further?’ From there, it became a much bigger conversation.”

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The bigger conversation

Flick through F1’s image archives, and you’ll see photographs of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in the 80s and Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt in the 70s, dressed to impress. Like many of today’s drivers, they were as stylish as they were fast.

No one is claiming that F1 is completely new to the fashion world, but it has never been embraced on this scale before. Racing chic has escaped the insular confines of the paddock and broken into the wider consciousness, making its way down the catwalks and into mainstream style.

The challenge is ensuring these clothes work for F1’s ever-widening fan demographic, from hardcore racing enthusiasts to the less technical, casual supporters. Any look that works on the streets of Milan must also work in the grandstands at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, a few miles down the road.

The range needed to be broad in its appeal, whilst still maintaining the look and feel of a McLaren or Reiss product.

During the research phase of the design process, in addition to using their own expertise, Reiss’ team spent time at the track observing outfits worn by drivers and fans, studied old footage and imagery from the F1 archives, and spent hours on social media.

“In the paddock, we saw someone wearing a classic polo, but they’d cropped it,” Alex Field says. “You think, ‘wow’, she’s customising something old to make it to her taste, she’s feminising it.

“We saw someone else wearing a vintage leather jacket, like a biker jacket, but not a new one. It was actually a Ferrari jacket she had found from 30 years ago. It makes you think. It was a little like being at a festival in that people want to represent their favourite teams, but they want to do it in their own way.”

Reiss also studied the personal styles of Lando and Oscar and used this to influence certain designs.

Race weekend fits have become an increasingly common and iconic feature of a Grand Prix weekend. Each Thursday, drivers turn the paddock into something of a fashion show, and fans want to be able to recreate the fits they're wearing. There are even social media accounts dedicated to helping supporters achieve this, and that’s something Reiss wanted to tap into.

This led to three separate ranges within the collaboration in 2024. The first was Reiss’ play on classic team wear, the second took everyday smart-casual wear and added a McLaren touch, and the third was known as the ‘hype’ collection, a bolder array of items headlined by the now famous McLaren fleece.

It takes a village

It takes multiple teams and roughly 12 months to bring a collection to life, from the designers to the product developers, buyers, merchandisers, garment technicians and some of the world’s leading factories.

“Much like a pit crew, every team member has a vital part to play, ensuring everything runs seamlessly,” says Tahsin, a Senior Menswear Designer at Reiss, specializing in soft cottons and leading collaborations. He was one of five designers who contributed to our latest collection.

“But the process doesn’t stop there. We always over-design and develop, allowing the buyers to select the strongest pieces.

“Meanwhile, our Product Development teams work closely with factories to negotiate pricing, ensuring everything aligns commercially, while our Technical teams focus on perfecting fits and samples.

“Behind the scenes, our Marketing and Digital teams are hard at work preparing for the launch. It’s a huge collaborative effort, with many moving parts, and it takes a dedicated team across multiple departments to bring the collection to life.”

A shift in approach

Following the success of 2024’s drop, Reiss wanted to refine and evolve the collection for 2025, and this steered them towards a shift in approach, with a new capsule-led release schedule.

They had trialled this in 2024 with drops for the Las Vegas and Monaco Grands Prix, but most of the stock was available from the start of the season. 2025 will see more staggered drops centred around key moments.

This would require a different, more creative approach, with each range needing to reflect the country and race it represents.

“By aligning these drops with key races, we’re keeping the energy high and giving fans and customers something new to look forward to with every launch,” Tahsin Osman says. “For one piece, we have collaborated with a manga illustrator to develop a bespoke print. That was a particularly exciting part of the process.”

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Behind the designs

Speaking from a sunken living room on a remote island in Kenya called Shela, Lamu, Tahsin joins us from a rather different location than Alex and Alex. After completing a major project, he likes to get away and explore a new landscape. It’s what keeps his perspective fresh and refuels his creativity - traits that were crucial to creating their 2025 range.

“In our first season, we focused heavily on the hype aspect of the collection,” Tahsin explains. “This introduced a younger demographic to Reiss and resonated with those drawn to a fresh, inspired look. For 2025, we wanted to take things even further.

“During the initial research stage, the Menswear Director and I explored vintage motocross racing jerseys and uniforms, drawing inspiration from old logos and branding, and unique colour combinations, all of which can be seen throughout the collection.”

Incorporating multiple logos and graphics on a single piece isn’t a simple process, but Tahsin and the team were confident in this approach and happy to invest their time in the extensive development required to execute their ideas, coming up with innovative techniques.

“Digitally printing a gradient print onto leather or applying specialized print techniques is incredibly complex,” Tahsin says. “These processes typically take months and require multiple trials to perfect.

“One challenge that gave me sleepless nights was designing a mechanism for a 3D speedmark toggle on a hoodie. It was a process that required multiple moulds to get right. This is where our strong relationships with our factories and mills become essential. Working closely with them allows us to find creative solutions quickly and bring our vision to life.”

It’s this level of detail that will see Reiss’ McLaren collection stand the test of time. Where once fans had to rely on retro-looking hand-me-downs from their parents or trawl through vintage markets and car boot sales to find F1 merch that suited their style, they’ve now got a wide array of options available at their fingertips.

Alex McCart says: “This has allowed us to really push ourselves out of our comfort zone, rather than getting stuck in a ‘this is what we do and what we’ve always done’ mentality. Working with McLaren has allowed us to do something we’re super proud of.”

You can get your hands on the McLaren Racing | Reiss collection on the McLaren Store now. Future generations will thank you for it.