Cyclist Fashion Show in Hackney

BIKE tricks and hair flicks merged when Hackney’s Columbia Road was transformed into a catwalk at the Wheels & Heels Cycling Fashion Show.

Rows and rows of parked bicycles lined up in surrounding streets where body guards wore luminous waistcoats with, ‘one bike is one less car’, printed on the back.

As part of London Fashion Week, the event aimed to entice more women into getting on the saddle as research showed more men ride out on the roads than women. The cold crowd gathered either side of the makeshift runway eagerly awaiting the showcase of local independent designers, whose work intended to show how catwalk styles can be fused with practical cyclist clothing.

Floodlights illuminated the street and with the sounds of punk rock the performance began. Sleek models appeared with side pony tails and tight black sparkly leggings, Lycra hoodies and luminous pink, green and yellow cross over bags.

The trends reflected the music, the punk rock style produced chic models who rode their bikes down the catwalk and strolled back to let the audience get a better look at the detail of their brightly coloured zip up tops and accessories. The attitude and stride of the models meant that they pulled off wearing the black elbow and knee shields with a black mouth guard with sophistication.

Moving swiftly into R&B mode, the guys sported low riding jeans and white tees with trainers to match. The male model performed bike tricks, including bouncing on the back wheels to turn around at the end of the runway and as the crowd cheered he turned 360 degrees in the air. The laid back, baggy but smart clothes combination meant that he had room to manoeuvre.
Ikthisad Ahmed, 24 from Hoxton, said: “The tricks were amazing I didn’t expect the models to do anything but walk up and down, but the whole event went against convention. I came today to see just how you can mix fashion and cycling.”

There was some cyclist ballet where two models danced on a unicycle and a bike with no handle bar, they entwined performing no hands tricks, skipping on the unicycle and gliding around each other showing off their black and white capes.

The exiting finale produced an assortment of colour in a retro style. The eclectic mix of dog tooth red and black trousers with black skull printed t-shirts and rainbow trouser suspenders made it hard to imagine women buying into these styles.

Rebecca Dean, 18 from Haggerston, said: “This fashion show was a really fun way of dispelling the myth that cyclist clothes are all about Lycra. It has put cycling in a new stylish light.”
This event kept the crowds entertained from start to end. Even though it was staged outside on a freezing winter night proved to be a successful and informative show. The clothes were seen to be practical as all models rode their bikes while wearing the clothes and there was not one bicycle trouser clip in sight. One bike may equal one less car but if cyclists wear the clothes paraded in the show it can equal to very high fashion on our roads.