Soup Athletica
Brand Identity, Content Production & Creative Direction
Founded in 2013, Soup Athletica was an Australian-based creative collective operating at the intersection of cycling, tourism and lifestyle. As a co-founding creative partner I helped shaped Soup as a platform for online publishing, collaborative projects, events, publications and apparel.
Working across projects in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America, the collective partnered with brands and organisations including Rapha, BMC, CyclingTips, AusCycling and Ride High Country. In 2021, a brand refresh marked the beginning of Soup Athletica’s long-envisioned “Final Act” – a closing chapter focused on celebrating stories of community, adventure and triumph on two wheels, in all its diverse forms.
Chanelling the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement, Soup Athletica placed community building at its core, expressed through experimental collaborations, cycling events, art exhibitions and a hands-on approach to the design and production of technical and lifestyle apparel.
Soup Athletica x REPETE.cc
Soup Athletica were commissioned by Prague-based bicycle maker REPETE to assist in the relaunch of their brand and the launch of their custom paint program titled “Decode Your Individuality”. Through this project, three concept bikes (Repete Verne G2) were brought to life via teaser content during COVID lockdowns in 2020, a dedicated campaign, and using collaborative content, including curated playlists, interviews, and ride guides to showcase the bike, build community, and reintroduce REPETE’s mission and unique voice in the bike-making space. Soup Athletica acted as global ambassadors for the brand during the relaunch and introduced REPETE to its first market outside the EU through B2B and B2C channels.
Soup Bæs CX
Existing under the Soup Athletica umbrella, from 2017 to 2021, Soup Baes CX competed in state and national-level cyclocross and mountain bike races, documented, and hosted or co-hosted off-road cycling events. In their debut season, the team acted as key ambassadors and community storytellers for CyclingTips’ membership platform VeloClub, and commenced a three-year collaboration with Hells 500 on their annual Ol Dirty event. Each season was marked by a new race uniform, teamwear and tone of voice to match the much more energetic atmosphere of the cyclocross and mountain biking communities.
Racing across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, the team was awarded more than 20 race wins, 7 state titles and 1 national title.
Racing across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, the team was awarded more than 20 race wins, 7 state titles and 1 national title.
Apparel
Brand Identity
Campaigns
Content Production
Creative Direction
Digital
Event Coordination
Exhibition Design
Graphic Design
Illustration
Packaging
Photography
Strategy
Videography
Website Design & UI
Website Development
ADDITIONAL PROJECT CREDITS
Pedla (Cycling Jersey)
REPETE (Bicycles)
As the project matured, the final chapter of the brand required a renewed visual identity and conceptual clarity – one that could honour Soup’s collaborative and community-oriented history, while bringing focus and intention to its closing chapter.
This refresh viewed Soup Athletica through an Arts & Crafts lens, drawing on the Viennese Secession as a visual and philosophical reference point. Curved lines and organic forms echoed both the natural landscape and physiological movements of cycling, while a strong brand-led colour palette and layered pattern work introduced rhythm and cohesion across outputs.
While departing from typical cycling symbolism, the activity remained embedded in the visual language through collage techniques incorporating elevation graph silhouettes, reinforcing the relationship between terrain, effort and experience. Content and projects were organised across three core channels – Adventures, Races and Cruises. Each had their own visual distinction to allow clarity across digital, social and physical spaces, while maintaining flexibility for seasonal and contextual storytelling.
Photography-led narratives were supported by simple graphic gestures, composition and subtle motion, with archival content revisited and reworked to sit comfortable alongside new material. This system allowed Soup Athletica to operate fluidly across publishing, events, and product without watering-down the base identity.
The final iteration of Soup Athletica established a cohesive and enduring creative platform that balanced authorship with collaboration. The brand successfully supported international partnerships (REPETE.cc), community-driven events (Sandy Creek Weekender), and sub-projects (An Alpine Summer with Ride High Country) – all while retaining a clear sense of purpose and visual continuity.
As a long-running independent collective, Soup Athletica stands as an expansive body of work defined by curiosity, experimentation and cultural connection – a project that evolved organically over time and concluded with intention, leaving behind a distinct imprint on Australian contemporary cycling culture.