Richa Lausanne review | Stylish women’s urban textile jacket

Date reviewed: December 2025 | Tested by: Julie Brown | Price: £199.99 | www.nevis.uk.com

I’ve been using my bike more for nipping in and out of town this year and wanted some kit I could wear on shorter trips that’s comfy on and off the bike, not too bulky when walking around in it, but still waterproof, warm-ish and protective too.

The Richa Lausanne on review here looks like a stylish version of a traditional bike jacket, but not too bulky or too retro or trying too hard to be cool. It has a waisted design that suits a female figure, D3O armour (including a back protector) and although it is described as a ‘mid-season’ jacket, it has a removable thermal lining and is warm enough on the mostly short (typically half-hour each way) rides I do into town and back.

I’ve been wearing this jacket for most of 2025 on my Honda CBR500R and Honda SH300i scooter.

Pros & Cons

Construction and fit

The Richa Lausanne jacket’s outer shell is 100% nylon with large, quilted panels on the body and arms. It looks a bit like an old-school bike jacket and lacks the fuss of many retro-style or adventure jackets (which I like). The tapered waist design fits me well and is a long way from the ‘shrink-it-and-pink-it’ approach to women’s motorcycle clothing when I first started riding in the 1990s.

The inner lining and membrane are 100% polyester and there’s a soft, neoprene collar plus a small circle of 3M reflective detailing on the back of the jacket (which will be obscured by long hair if that’s your style).

YKK metal zips feel like quality items on the main zip and cuffs and there’s a short plastic zipper in the kidney area to connect with your trousers.

Protection and Certification

The Richa Lausanne jacket is only certified to the minimum standard ‘A’ rating under EN17092 which was a surprise to me because it feels quite substantial and there are other, similar-looking jackets for similar money that are AA rated. Most of the time I’m wearing the Richa Lausanne jacket I’m in low-speed, urban environments where I would expect abrasion in a tumble to be less severe. However, I am also aware of the flaws in such thinking and there’s a compromise on my part here between practicality off the bike and protection on it.

Part of that compromise is offset by Richa fitting D3O armour including a back protector to this £200 jacket. The armour is the smaller sized D3O but the fit is snug and feels like it wouldn’t move around in a tumble. Some other manufacturers don’t supply a back protector (which isn’t required for EN17092) claiming that customers prefer to have the choice. I wouldn’t ride without one.

Of course, good armour is only any use if it’s not tumbling down the road behind you, which is why the abrasion resistance, seam strength and tear resistance testing of the outer material for EN17092 is so important. The lowest Level A was intended for scooter riders pottering around Rome in hot weather, so keep that in mind when you consider how and where you ride.

Pockets

The Richa Lausanne jacket has two external pockets, one Napoleon pocket (that sits inside the main zip but separate to the removeable lining) and two internal ones in the removeable lining. The external ones are too small for a smartphone or anything other than keys and coins, and they aren’t waterproof either.

The Napoleon pocket is big enough for a smartphone and is waterproof, as are the ones in the lining.

Fastening

The Richa Lausanne jacket’s main YKK zip feels robust and is easy to use without getting caught on the flaps and excess fabric that makes some textile garments so annoying. Likewise, the cuff zips are simple and offer enough room to go over summer gloves, but not enough for thicker winter items – which isn’t an issue because this isn’t a winter jacket.

The neoprene collar is comfy but fastens with a single press stud and there’s no adjustment.

There is also a short zip in what appears to be a standard size in the Richa Lausanne jacket’s lower back to attach it to a pair of trousers. 

Adjustment

The Richa Lausanne jacket has no adjustment in the collar or cuffs and the waisted design means there’s no excess material to adjust at the waist. There is a zip either side at the hips to tweak the fit over jeans a little and control the wind flow around the bottom of the jacket.

Ventilation

The Richa Lausanne jacket has no external vents and the only way to control airflow on a very hot day is to unfasten the press stud on the collar and open up the zips on the cuffs and hips a little

Warmth

2025 was a warm summer on the south coast and I mostly rode with the Richa Lausanne jacket’s thermal lining removed. I haven’t done too many miles since October in it but on the few short trips I have done (liner refitted) I’ve been warmer than I would have been in my unlined leather jacket.

Liner

The Richa Lausanne jacket has a zip-out, quilted polyester liner that adds a reasonable amount of warmth. It was too warm in the summer, threading through slow traffic, but removing it also removes two of the most useful internal pockets.

Waterproofing

The Richa Lausanne jacket has Richa’s own Aqua Shell membrane. I didn’t choose the Lausanne jacket to wear in heavy rain and 2025 was a particularly dry summer in Sussex so it hasn’t seen a lot of use in the wet. On the handful of occasions when I did get caught in a shower the Richa Lausanne jacket kept me completely dry. The worst occasion was a light shower that turned really heavy for about ten minutes and then eased off again. That was enough to get through the zips on the external pockets, but the inside one was still dry, as was I.

Cleaning

The outer shell of the Richa Lausanne jacket is nylon and even though there’s the Aqua Shell waterproof membrane the labels inside say it can go in the washing machine (with liners and armour removed). So far it hasn’t needed that and I clean it (mostly removing the flies) by wiping it with a damp cloth.

Three alternatives to the Richa Lausanne

There’s still a disappointing lack of clothing made specifically for women, but here are some others to consider…

• Oxford Mondial £299.99. BikeSocial’s review is for the men’s suit, but Oxford make the Mondial in women’s fit too. A new version has been released for 2026 that’s AA-rated. Read the full review of the Oxford Mondial here.

• Spada Hairpin jacket £89.99. AA rated, waterproof and cut for a female figure, our reviewer liked it but found it a bit hot in the summer. Read the full review of the Spada Hairpin here.

• Weise Dakota £189.99. AA rated, waterproof and cut for a female figure, we haven’t reviewed this yet but you can find it here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the textiles we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Richa Lausanne review: Verdict

I wanted a jacket to wear when nipping in and out of town that looked good, was comfy off the bike and had decent protection including good quality armour. Richa’s Lausanne jacket ticks almost all those boxes, only being let down by a low ‘A’ rating for protection.

The Lausanne has been in the range since 2019, meaning there are some good deals if you shop around. Richa kit is well-priced anyway and sometimes feels a cut-above other manufacturers at the sort of prices I’ve seen advertised for this jacket, so overall I’m very pleased with it.

Do you own these textiles? Tell us what they’re like, or ask us questions about them at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.