Cycling fashion hits the high street
London's TopShop unveils new women’s cycling specific clothing from Cyclodelic
You know when a sub-culture becomes mainstream when it makes it onto the high street, and in this case it's the launch of new women’s cycling specific clothing company Cyclodelic into TopShop's flagship London store.
Designed and handmade by two female cyclists based in East London, the women’s cycling-specific clothing and accessories brand will be available from the Oxford St branch of TopShop from Thursday 9 April.
Says Cyclodelic's Amy Fleuriot; "Cyclodelic believes that girls who cycle don’t have to forfeit fashion over function. With prices starting from £10, Cyclodelic products are filled with functional features, from waterproofing Cordura to reflective seams, and are more colourful than a box of smarties - proof that ladies don’t have to reach for the unflattering or fluorescent when hitting the road."
Cyclodelic was founded by London College of Fashion student Amy Fleuriot and textile graduate ex-courier Sarah Buck with the intention of putting some fun and style back into functional clothes for cycling. It offers everything from beautifully handmade capes, bags and satin cycling caps to customised bar grip tape, colourful mini D lock holsters and jewelled reflective trouser cuffs to stop those pesky trouser legs catching in the chain.
“I am very excited about launching our Cyclodelic range at the Oxford Circus TopShop store," says Fleuriot, "bringing our cycling fashion range to what is the world’s largest fashion store. Cyclodelic has previously taken part in London Fashion Week, but it will be even more fantastic to see our designs displayed next to the Kate Moss collection and bring our take on cycling feminine cool to a new audience”.
www.cyclodelic.co.uk and www.topshop.com
Discuss this story
i don't think the clothes in the photo are what they sell in topshop - they are just selling accessories it seems - i suspect the clothes are just on the models to make them appeal to topshop customers (they look like regular topshop clothes to me) It offers everything from beautifully handmade capes, bags and satin cycling caps to customised bar grip tape, colourful mini D lock holsters and jewelled reflective trouser cuffs to stop those pesky trouser legs catching in the chain the cape and caps mentioned above (and what can be seen on their website) aren't on the models. On balance - any improvement on the current proliferation of pink, pastles and dodgy flower prints is a good thing in my book.
Posted: 30/03/2009 11:40
Whilst I can applaud trying to get more women on bikes I'm not convinced this is the way ahead. A quick straw poll of my female friends had roughly the same reaction to mine ie not in a million years. If they want to improve womens cycle clothing they could do a lot worse than getting hold of people like Gore and explaining that size 8 is not the average size of a woman  . Put it this way I take a size 16 in tops when I'm buying everyday clothes, not because I'm overweight but because of my erm "curves". If I want to buy anything by Gore, Altura, Dhb, Endura etc I have to get the XL sizes, with more than a few ranges only going up to L (Endura I'm talking about you here). If you want people to get on their bikes in order to get fit it would help if clothing was made so you a) didn't end up feeling hopelessly embarrassed/totally self concious as you have to keep asking for bigger sizes in order to find something that fits and b) for those who are overweight.. if they actually made clothes that fitted! Its not much to ask is it?
Posted: 30/03/2009 13:06
If they want to improve womens cycle clothing they could do a lot worse than getting hold of people like Gore and explaining that size 8 is not the average size of a woman .
agree
& i'd like to add; - Make shoes in sizes below Euro 39/40 - plenty of women have smaller feet than this
- Stop using your womens range as titillation for your male customers (assos you know who you are)
- enough with the pink already
Posted: 30/03/2009 13:23
- look at Simona Krupeckaite's pink dolan and pink cycling shoes!! Yes - they were great - but I don't think the Lithuanian colours quite worked with them unfortunately! edit: here's a link - Simona Krupeckaite (but with silver shoes!)
Posted: 30/03/2009 17:24
I'm not sure how old the ladies who frequent here regularly are (and I'm not asking) but IMO if this attracts more younger women into cycling/activity then it will be a good thing. Maybe the people on here aren't the target audience?
Posted: 31/03/2009 09:09
I think your right salmon I don't think they are the target audience but not for the reasons you highlight in fact I think you are a brave man or is that foolish I hope your ready for the backlash. Suggesting that the girls on here are of an older generation. Rather I think the target audience is the it girl who currently does not cycle but who reads too many trashy magazines and follows trends pretty much how the Arctic Monkeys put it the Topshop Princesses. I think these are the types they are appealing to I don't think its an age thing more an attitude outlook on life thing
Posted: 31/03/2009 09:39
. And as for pink, well some ladies (and men) like pink - look at Simona Krupeckaite's pink dolan and pink cycling shoes!!
yeah but some don't (err that'll be just me then) - what we need is more choice - so yeah some pink, but not all pink (and baby blue and lavender)
i'd love it if i could find more red, green, yellow, blue, orange, silver...
Posted: 31/03/2009 11:14
i'd love it if i could find more red, green, yellow, blue, orange, silver... - buy yourself the Lithuanian strip, maybe, plus a blue helmet! 
Posted: 31/03/2009 13:28
Being 20, I can see why a lot of young people turn their nose up at the lycra nowadays. People do care what others wear, more than if they are a nice person so I think it's good. It'll get a lot more younger people to start cycling imo. Must admit, I like the girl on the right of the top photos bike. The green and gold look nice. 
Posted: 03/08/2010 14:30
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