The Story
Cycling is an accessible, light, ecological and elegant way of moving around, its limits are only determined by how far you are willing to pedal. Whether rain, wind or clear skies, biking has become an evidence in daily life for so many people worldwide, whether in an urban context or not. For urban cyclists, how to transport one’s personal belongings is an important aspect of the ride. Often, the more sophisticated bags are not adapted to carrying all the items of daily life comfortably on a bike. The more sportive bags may solve this problem but their sportive appearance might not always match a more chic dressing style. The aim of the cyclist is to reunite these two seemingly opposite worlds.
Each item in our collection is designed specifically to fit the needs of busy city cyclists and commuters: both practical and elegant. Our bags hold all your valuable items conveniently and are comfortable to wear while walking or riding a bicycle. Our scarves will keep you warm or shaded. On top of that, they will make you feel stylish and elegant and be a pleasure to use every day again.
But there is more to it. One detail appears on each and every item of the cyclist: retro reflective material. This recurring decorative detail transforms into a functional element in the dark. Why in the dark? Because cyclists and commuters are less visible to their surrounding road users after sunset, making them particularly vulnerable during night time. The retro reflective material lights up bright under the headlight of passing cars or other vehicles, making the person wearing it more visible to surrounding traffic at night. This retro reflective element is the finishing touch on each item from our collection, providing a typical the cyclist look and feel.
All of the cyclist’s collections are designed to blend function and aesthetics in order to fulfill two needs: our accessories are elegant and at the same time very convenient and comfortable to wear. Through our collections that are dedicated to urban cyclists, we aim to contribute and reinforce the world wide urban cyclist culture and hence stimulate this beautiful and ecological means of transport.
Why bags and accessories meant for urban commuters in general and for cyclists in particular? The motivation behind this is quite a personal one, driven by French/Dutch product designer Julie Thissen’s obsession for bags, combined with her fondness for cycling and her strong interest for materials and production techniques. As a city cyclist, she didn't want to choose between a stylish bag or a practical one. And more than rare are the ones which are both elegant and well adapted to a busy city cyclist's life style. Until now.
The first collection was launched through a crowd-funding campaign in late 2014. Thanks to the 200% successful campaign, the funding of the prototyping, development and production phases of this first collection were made possible. The very first orders were successfully delivered in early 2015 and the first collection was available until 2016. Next, the designer returned to the drawing table to prepare the design and production of a second collection of bags and a first collection of scarves. These new collections remain in the same line and spirit as the very first, while putting into use all the experience gained along the way, in order to continuously improve and deliver an even better range of products.
Each piece in our collection is designed with great care and all the materials we use, such as leather, waterproof textile, tarpaulin or wool are selected carefully. The collection is designed in our studio in Rotterdam and produced in Europe by skilled artisans and manufacturers. Our aim is to deliver high quality, appealing and practical products that will be a pleasure to wear and use in daily life.
From our studio in Rotterdam, we design, iterate, test, correct, change, test again, adjust and finalise every piece until we get it just right, down to the smallest detail.
