News and Views from Scotland
Findra on A Roll Making Fashionable Cycling Gear
One Scottish entrepreneur is taking on a particular challenge - making clothes for female cyclists that is practical, stylish and comfortable. Her company, Findra, was only formed in late 2014 but is already winning plaudits from cycling enthusiasts and an industry award. (Graphic of Findra clothing here is by Paul Mitchell).The Findra story started with Alex, who is a trained fashion designer, taking up mountain biking as a hobby and needing some new kit - which she found sadly lacking.
"I could see that the clothing suffered from 'shrink it and pink it', where a men's product is just scaled down, and felt compelled to do something.
"When I researched my ideas with focus groups, I got fantastic feedback - women valued the idea of special clothing, and I developed prototypes with Heriot Watt University and the Sporting Chance Initiative.
"I also wanted to create a system of layering that's lightweight, because having enough warm layers can end up being very bulky and when people later take them off, you have a big bulky bag to carry. My designs use Merino wool, are designed for performance and are all manufactured in Scotland."
"Our ethos is about positivity and supporting one another. It's about empowering and encouraging women to look good, feel good and perform to the best of their abilities through participation in outdoor sports."
The formula appears to be working very well and Findra's ethos of combining quality apparel with designs that are stylish and practical has enormous potential.
See also Findra Video.
Please give me whatever feedback comes to mind via david@rampantscotland.com.
David
June 2016Return to News and Views Index
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