CYCLE FASHION #01
―The cycle items designed by fashion brands.ー

Trends exist in various industries and categories. Among them, the fashion industry is particularly notable; it cannot speak of its products without trends. From broader aspects like mood and region to finer details such as colors and textiles, the scope of trends extends widely.

Current major trends include responses to environmental issues, LGBTQ+, and wellness. Wellness is a term widely used to define not only physical health but also mental well-being and the intent to live better. Clear examples include mindfulness and sports. With such backgrounds (trends) in mind, the fashion industry is closely eyeing the sports scene. Following yoga and running, particularly in the recent Japanese market, golf has gained significant attention. And the next impending wave seems to be bicycles.

From the official agnès b. website:

The French brand agnès b. released cycling jerseys for the spring/summer season this year. Their collaboration partner was the French outdoor brand “Cafe du Cycliste.” Sportswear demands high expertise not just in design but also in fabric, stitching, and details, all varying across different sports. If a fashion brand genuinely aims to design athletic wear, it’s natural to collaborate with brands specializing in those specific sports. In the summer, the women’s brand Shrimp, with its playful taste, collaborated with Rapha to release a cycling wear collection, following this trend.

From the Shrimp official website:

Recently, the outdoor apparel brand Gerry has launched a bicycle helmet. While it’s an American brand, the helmets are manufactured by a Japanese bicycle parts manufacturing company and are set to be sold in Japan ahead of their release in the United States, starting this month. With the mandatory effort for wearing helmets initiated this year, there’s an inevitable demand for gear and helmets that don’t appear too serious for riding around town. The matte texture and ventilation with sporty yet not overly conspicuous details embody the finishing touch characteristic of an apparel brand’s creation.

I’m looking forward to seeing how fashion brands will approach cycling wear and bicycle items in the future.

Text_ Mayumi Kamura

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Mayumi Kamura
I’m a Global Ride editor. My expertise lies in visual expressions like design, art, fashion, and more. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted me to focus on my physical and mental health. I started playing tennis and resumed taking contemporary dance lessons. Considering that bicycle-related accessories often boast high design quality, I have a feeling I might become a fan during this experience.

CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #04
“The Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo)”
The boy abandoned by his father searches for hope on a bicycle.

“The Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo)” (2012, directed by the Dardenne brothers) is, as the title suggests, a story centered around a boy and his bicycle. The protagonist is Cyril, a boy living in a Belgian foster care facility. One day, his cell phone with his father suddenly goes offline. When he contacts the apartment manager, they claim that his father has moved away. He can’t believe it. His father wouldn’t just move without telling him. Moreover, his precious means of transportation, his bicycle, is still in his father’s apartment. Cyril runs away from the facility and visits the apartment, but as the manager said, his father has already moved, and there’s no sign of the bicycle. Cyril has been abandoned by his father.

#Column #Cinema
CULTURE
CYCLE CINEMA #09
“Kramer vs. Kramer”
The moment I first rode a bicycle, who I was with.

There was a film movement called American New Cinema. It consisted of films released in the late 1960s to the 1970s such as “Easy Rider,” “The Graduate,” “Midnight Cowboy,” ” Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Apocalypse Now.” Perhaps one of the reasons for the frequent use of young directors was the incorporation of messages or somewhat critical perspectives on society and politics, taking a different approach from traditional entertainment films. American New Cinema was enthusiastically supported by younger generations and had a significant influence on subsequent films. “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) is also a prod […]

#Colunm