DASHING’S CYCLING HERITAGE
In January 2009 a group of like minded enthusiasts converged on Hanover Square to share their love of tweed and bicycles. I was lucky enough to join in the leisurely ride from Mayfair to Bethnal Green on that clear snappy day and was delighted to find myself amongst a whole drove of new Dashing fans.
Zeitgeist is a funny thing, you feel a mood in the air and are driven by personal desires, but before that inaugural Tweed Run I had no idea so many people were riding the same thoughts as mine. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with fellow lovers of tweed, tailoring and bikes all with a slightly different spin on the theme.
Dashing Tweeds was in it’s infancy, Kirsty and I had recently set up our weave design studio and created our Lumatwill reflective cycling tweed which was being featured in the V&A Fashion V Sport exhibition that year. The studio was buzzing with ideas and it now seemed that everyone was interested in looking good on a bike.
Passion is needed to start a brand but you soon realise that the customer is king if you want to survive and so cycling proved to be the initial door to success. We had created our own cycle cape with Davies and Sons and the very talented fashion student Erin Lewis.
So we were excited when the great heritage company of Brooks approached us, keen to expand on their foundations of beautifully crafted leather saddles and accessories for the cyclist. We were asked to develop a cape for them so we matched the talented cutter Jan Cicmanec from Hardy Amies with the Manchester makers Cooper & Stollbrand. We used our raver tweed in combination with timeless waxed cotton from British Millerain and created a very clever rolling cycle cape, totally waterproof, practical and able to hang off the hooks of a Brooks saddle.
Following the success of our capes and bespoke cycle suits with plus 4s, as sported by the famous maker of mountain bikes Gary Fisher (below), we continued to explore urban cycling as one of the key directions for Dashing Tweeds. Brompton, makers of the most successful folding bikes approached us for fabric for an exclusive set of bags and then a whole flurry of followers wanted to use our specially designed water resistant reflective fabrics.
We participated in numerous cycling based fashion shows around town all which have helped popularise chic city riding.
As well as cycling, sustainability and technology was a key message and the modern composer Imogen Heap used our tweed for a cycle powered electronic concert in which riders on fixed bikes provided the power for her tweed flourished musical gloves created with musical tech experts from MIT.
Now in our pandemic times where fresh air is more vital than ever, cycling continues apace. We are continuing with our made to measure cycle jackets and suits for both men and women and we also have a few special reflective tweed Herrington style jackets in our sale. These were made for us in Manchester using British wool woven in the Scottish Borders. A healthier jacket for both you and the environment would be hard to find.
Due to the current lockdown rules in London our store will not be reopening at the moment, however we are sending out orders during the week, so if you have a need for tweed or anything cycling related, do get in contact:
Holly@DashingTweeds.co.uk.
