Sales of Bike Accessories outstrip sales of Bikes, says Mintel

La Tour de France 2015's champion Chris Froome of Great Britain in yellow jersey, winner for the second time,  with his Sky team mates cycling to victory on the final day on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 26th.

Speaking from the experience of a concerned wife whose husband has lately exchanged his own car for a bike as his regular commuting vehicle, I can relate to a new research just released by Mintel, the world market intelligence agency, that for many cycling loving Brits, owning a bike is simply the tip of the iceberg as today’s cyclists are splashing out more on the accessories than bikes themselves.

The Trophy Bull Bike Rack from Outline Works, is designed in the silhouette form of an iconic bull head, made from solid steel with a soft touch coating, now available at Bear & Bear.

As the report reveals, it all starts with the bike, but for some, before very long this will be swiftly followed by skin tight shorts, gloves, sunglasses and a whole host of other must have gadgets.

Indeed, the UK market for bicycle accessories, or ‘PACs’ (which Mintel defines as including bicycle parts, accessories and clothing) was valued at £1.25 billion in 2014, running rings around the £956 million Brits spent on bikes in the same year.

Vintage styled 21L durable canvas double pannier bag by Alban with multiple carry options, easily fastens to the back rack of a bicycle, but is also easy to carry thanks to a robust leather handle or detachable shoulder strap. It is constructed from durable 20oz water-resistant coated canvas that will protect the bag and its contents from any weather,
now available at Bear & Bear. 

What’s more, while sales of bikes are set to top the £1 billion mark by the end of this year, Brits will spend an even more impressive £1.35 million on PACs. Over the past five years, sales of PACs have outstripped that of the bicycles market, increasing 28% between 2010 and 2014. Meanwhile, bicycle sales have increased 23% over the same five year period. This year, the average spend on PACs among all 15.8 million cyclists is set to reach £79, while the average spend among the 11.85 million cyclists who ride once a month or more often will reach a wheel spinning £106.

While MAMILs – middle-aged men in Lycra – still rule the roads, there are an increasing number of women now taking to the saddle. Overall, over a third (36%) of Brits ride a bicycle rising to four in ten males (41%), compared to 31% of females, but the number of women taking to two wheels is gaining speed. In 2014, just over a quarter (26%) of women were cyclists. Meanwhile, one in twenty (5%) Brits ride every day, a fifth (21%) mainly cycle at the weekend and some 13% cycle to their place of education or workplace most days.

Michael Oliver, Senior Leisure and Media Analyst at Mintel, said:
“Cycling is no longer regarded simply as a cheap means of transport, a bicycle is now regarded as a lifestyle accessory, an expression of an individual in the same way as driving a premium sports car or belonging to a golf club. This is positive news for accessory suppliers, because it means that many of their potential customers are not buying on price alone, instead brand, quality and product features are also key factors influencing purchase. Ahead, the prospects for the market look extremely positive, given the expected easing of pressure on household incomes and the expectation of further growth in cycling participation levels.”

Magnetic Bicycle Indicators - waterproof
bike lights by Cycl, available at
Bear and Bear.

Amongst current cyclists, lights (27%) and locks (26%) are the most popular bicycle accessory to have been bought in the past year. These are followed by puncture repair kits (23%), water bottles (22%) and spanner or multi-tools (13%). While more specialist accessories such as cycle computers and GPS’s were purchased by one in ten (11%) cyclists, this rose to a fifth (21%) of frequent cyclists who ride most days or at least 2-3 days per week. The same was true of action or helmet cameras which were purchased by 8% of all cyclists, but twice as many (16%) frequent cyclists.

In terms of clothing, the top five purchases amongst current cyclists are: cycling helmets (22%), hi-vis jackets (18%), cycling gloves (18%), cycling shoes (13%) and cycling longs or leggings (13%). Again, purchase rises considerably amongst most frequent cyclists with almost twice as many of these cyclists buying cycling shoes (25%) and cycling gloves (33%).

Exhibition focuses on how Huguenots silk weavers inspire East London textile and fashion designers

From one common source - the rich heritage of the Huguenots silk weavers, 14 designers from East London have been inspired to design and craft unique materials and techniques to demonstrate their creativity and talent in a myriad of ways.  

Latex dress by House of Harlot as seen at the Fabrics of the City exhibition, The Cass.

The result is an exhibition called Fabrics of the City currently being held at The Cass, London Metropolitan University in Whitechapel (a stone's throw from Spitalfields and Brick Lane).  The designers were invited to participate in this unique project by Cass lecturer and curator, Gina Pierce, whose own rug design was also on display at the exhibition. 

Gina Pierce, The Cass Textile Design course leader and Fabrics of the City curator,
standing in front of her own rug design

Fabrics of the City, The Cass - until July 31st.

This Fabrics of the City exhibition – on until July 31^st – is very modest by comparison to the elaborate Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (which finishes on August 2^nd) concurrently on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London’s prestigious Knightsbridge, although much of these designers’ creative work at The Cass would not be out of place at the V&A event.   McQueen’s extraordinary talent to combine tailoring with cutting-edge techniques is well-documented gaining him the accolade as one of the most celebrated designers of his generation.  The common ground that these designers at The Cass exhibition have with McQueen is their ability to push boundaries and taking something historical into the contemporary world.

Close-up shot of one of the "Blankets" designed by Alison Willoughby on show at the Fabrics of the City, The Cass.

To help these designers understand well the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers, they were given first-hand access to archive material from the V&A as well as from Museum of London.  And the result is a broad spectrum of work exhibiting the breadth of their creativity and demonstrating how each designer could take different aspects or stories associated with the Huguenots' life and skillfully develop the ideas into unique pieces of work.  Enhancing the displays are photographs taken by The Cass' own resident photographer Steven Blunt showing the designers at work in their own studios.

Close-up of one of the designs by Rentaro Nishimura using 3D printer.

All Pictures by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

All the designers are based in and around Spitalfields and its neighbourhood.  Spitalfields was where the Huguenots escaping from religious persecution in France during the 16^th and 18^th centuries had settled down during the reign of Elizabeth I because they found food and housing here were cheaper, and there was more freedom from the economic controls of the guilds, according to historians.  And they brought with them their many valued skills, the Huguenots were silk weavers, silversmiths, hat makers and craftsmen of other expertise. The level of design, the range of techniques and skills and the heritage of the area continue to influence and inspire a new generation of design talent.

To read our full story on the Fabrics of the City exhibition, click HERE.

Fabrics of the City is held at The Cass, London Metropolitan University until July 31st 2015.  
It is one of the events during Huguenot Summer 2015 organised by the Huguenots of Spitalfields charity.  To find out more, click HERE.

Pre-paid card expert provides guide in time for the Summer Holidays! And travel in style with Stow London.

Topaz blue see-view pouch from Stow London now available at Harrods
and on line.

Now that school is out and many of us Brits are preparing for a holiday away, we are deciding on what form of travel money should we be purchasing.

One of the latest form of travel money currently on the market is prepaid travellers card, but how to pick the right one?

The International Currency Exchange has warned travellers to check the terms and conditions of Fx cards although experts say prepaid cards provide a safe, secure and convenient way to take your money abroad and travellers may benefit from the best exchange rate available. As with any financial product, it is still a case of considering how you will use the card and reading the small print.

In a bid to aid this process, prepaid card expert Helen Child has released a guide just in time.  If you interested in this, you can view and download Helen's guide.

Please note: The information in this guide does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research  on top to ensure it’s right for your specific circumstances.

Travel-size leather goods for ladies from Stow London.

Meanwhile if travel in luxury is your plan, Harrods is now exclusively carrying the full Stow wander-luxe collection in the Knightsbridge store. 

According to Stow London's Founder and Creative Director Carol Lovell, their wander-luxe designs are conceived in England and handcrafted by master craftsmen and artisans in Europe: butter-soft Spanish leathers in jewel tone hues, united with deep luscious Italian suedes in contrasting colours. 

Men's leather travel accessories from Stow London. 

With unique signatures and an attention to detail, each design incorporates a trademark leather zip pull in Stow orange, and includes a small separate "stowaway" envelope for secret keepsakes and mementoes.

Osprey London Sunglasses feature skilled handwork

It's a lovely day to try out my new Osprey London sunglasses.

This year I've selected this classic-looking pair from Graeme Ellisdon's timeless designs which can provide maximum UVA and UVB protection.

The handcrafted sunglasses are cut by hand and polished for up to 72 hours.  

The frames are made from cellulose acetate, produced from cotton pulp and are so comfortable to wear.  Made with wire to reinforce the arms, their strength and shape can be retained.  Love also the stitching detail on the arms.

I love also the leather box that comes with it which can collapse flat for easy storage in my often over-crowded handbag.

The Osprey London Sunglasses by Grame Ellisdon collection includes a number of other styles including the Hipster (shown in picture below), the Sunseeker, the Prepster, the Safari and Cat Eye.  

Go to the Osprey London website to take a look.  Click HERE.

All pictures by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Christian Dior's recent couture show delights the sensual senses as models walk on a purple stage

Photo by Content Editor Lucia Carpio at Mayfield Lavender field in Banstead, Surrey, UK..

Christian Dior's latest haute couture catwalk show "The Garden of Earthly Delights" set inside the Rodin Museum in Paris was a big hit among the fashion press. The setting was a huge, abstract painted cube of perspex of a conservatory garden that featured myriad multicolored panels — and some even tripped on the giant colored fruit scattered around the floor.

MFFashion.com names it "the best of show". (To view video of show, click here.)

The Guardian newspaper in London referred to it as "both a celebration of beauty and a commentary on the fashion industry's commodification of beauty.  According to Creatove Director Raf Simons. the fashion collection, based on a Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch's painting had little to do with flowers, though models paraded the Autumn-Winnter 2015-16 collection during Paris Fashion Week on a purple catwalk, as if walking in a field of purple-coloured flowers.

As reported in The Guardian, Simons explained: “I was intrigued by the idea of forbidden fruit,
and what that meant now. The idea of purity and innocence versus luxury and decadence and
how that is encapsulated by the idea of Dior’s garden.” This garden, he went on to say, is “no longer a flower garden but a sexual one”.

The feminine collection had a Midieval feel to it, featuring rich and luxurious fabrics ranging from crepe silks to taffetas and velvets with a touch of fur.

Content Editor Lucia Carpio enjoying a personal experiece of a garden of earthly delights at
the Mayfield Lavender farm in Surrey, UK.

On a more personal note, our content editor Lucia Carpio recently visited the Mayfield Lavender farm in Banstead, Surrey, and experienced her own "purple" moment while walking among rows and rows of lavender.  "Intoxicated by the sweet scent and serenaded by the buzzing bees, I enjoyed this tremendous garden of earthly delights on a different level," she said.

The time for classic brogue detailing has come. See O.W.L.'s new Limited Edition watches.

In terms of footwear, nothing can be more British and classic than the Brogue, a style of sturdy leather shoes traditionally associated with business attire and now widely worn with casual wear and jeans.

Jude Antique Tan Brogues 

The Hamble Oak from Clarks has got great reviews.

 According to Wikipedia, brogues (derived from the Old Irish bróg) is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or broguing) and serration along the pieces' visible edges.

Jude Antique Tan Brogues by Agnes & Norman

available on Notonthehighstreet.

And with the return to British-made or designed sentiments, "broguing" is a detailing widely adopted not only in modern footwear but for lifestyle fashion elsewhere.

British watch brand O.W.L. is one such brand that has been adopting the brogue detailing for its new ranges, including the limited edition Caterbury, which is being launched in September.

The latest addition features a 33mm diameter stainless steel case with layered sun ray dial featuring 3 working sub dials combining day, date and 24 hour functions.  The dial is encased underneath a vintage inspired domed lens.

The premium leather straps are made by layering 3 layers of soft, cut leathers and stitching together to form delicate Brogue detail. Note also the two-colour detailing in the new Canterbury watches.
How cool is that?

The brogue detailing on leather straps was first used in
O.W.L. 's Belfast range launched earlier this year SS15.

The O.W.L. brand was founded by Annett Alan who draws inspiration from British Heritage for her collections.

London-based artist turns personal photographs into wearable art

It was a pleasure meeting Jacqui Sinnatt, a London-based photographer cum artist/designer, who was exhibiting her range of beautifully hand-finished silk scarfs under the St Agnes Eve label at the Best of Britannia trade fair held last week (held June 26 - 28) at the Nicholls & Clarke Building on London's  Shoreditch High Street.

Photos above and below by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Her scarfs - made and hand-finshed in the UK - are new canvases for displaying her designs based on her own photographs taken from trips and visits she has made around the British countryside.  The results are statements of her unique creativity, ranging from the bold and dramatic to romantic and intriguing.

Along with flowers and plants, wildlife and animals, she may spot found fragments that no one else would notice.  She then rescale her photographs and images to create unique stories that bring her memories from her travels around Britain to a new medium.  She captures these unique moments including experiences and adventures with writers, musicians, painters and other designers, while travelling through various parts of the UK, from Cornwall to Kent, from London to Scotland, through photographs and transfer them into digital imagery printed on scarfs.
Along with her scarfs, Jacqui has produced a catalogue explaining her stories and insights behind each scarf design.
In the picture below, Jacquis holds up her Nettlebed Blue scarf based on photographs she had made while strolling in the winter through the countryside surrounding the Oxfordshire village of Nettlebed and with the photographs she created a montqge of found objects.

Jacqui explains: "I was walking with my brother-in-law, who asked why on earth I would photograph discarded debris, twigs and leaves.  My response was 'everything' has its own beauty - and you never know when these images might come in useful," said Jacqui Sinnatt whose scarf designs can be found on www.stagneseve.com

Living near Kew Gardens in west London, Jacqui often goes to photograph the plants and discover new beauty in the old trees.  On one visit, a peacock was encountered in the garden and provided inspiration for the Peacock of Kew design.  "A close-up of his feathers, colours and textures inspired the scarf design," says Jacqui.

Here above is one entitled Exmoor Shale that Jacqui designed based on a trip to west of Ashburton with friends of a book club, after enjoying an evening of fine wines and gossips at a local bar followed by a morning walk on the moor.  She said in her catalogue, "Visions of literary spirits past and present accompanied our windswept walk on Exmoor and I was inspired by the complex textures of rock and stone balanced by hints of a clear turquoise sky glimpsed through scudding clouds.

Close-ups and magnified shots of plants and flowers inspired the kaleidoscopic design of another scarf shown above.  According to Jacqui, "The spiky burrs in the Pricklehead Blue scarf design were found on the banks of the river near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.  But when magnified they took on a whole new life reminding me of giant thistles found in the Scottish Highlands."

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty - V&A to open throughout the night due to popular demand

If you still haven't seen the immensely popular Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty which is on at the Victoria & Albert Museum until August 2nd, you may be pleased to learn that the V&A has announced that  the exhibition is to open throughout the night for its final two weekends, releasing additional 12,000 tickets, due to unprecedented demand.

While on-line advanced booking maybe closed, tickets are available on day of visit at the V&A, London.  And it's worth the £16 they charge for standard admission unless you've joined the membership then of course it's free.
For full information, click HERE.

The legacy of McQueen needs no introduction and this retrospective exhibition does not disappoint.

While McQueen's ingeneous work on show are awe-inspiring, throughout the exhibition one feels the presence of the designer by the quoting of McQueen's own words offering valuable insights into the thinking behind his visionary creations.

Here is a sampling of some of McQueen's great words:-

"You've got to have the rules to break them.  That's what I'm here for, to demolish the rules. but to keep the tradition."

"I oscillate between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil."

"I want to be the purveyor of a certain silhouette cutting, so that when I'm dead and gone, people will know that the 21st century was started by Alexander McQueen."

See if you can spot them at the exhibition.

Photos above by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

London's Fashion and Textile Museum extends Riviera Style swimwear exhibition due to poppular demand.

As the temperature soars, you  may choose to stay indoors, or go look at something that can cool you down.
Now here's something for you to admire, if you haven't been there yet, and is the next best thing to going to the seaside.

The Fashion and Textile Museum in London has extemded their “Riviera Style” exhibition until September 13th.

According to the FTM, the Riviera Style exhibition, which showcases 100 years of swimwear from 19th century bodysuits and Fifties’ bikinis to the 21st century burkini and mankini, is attracting record numbers to the Museum in Bermondsey with visitor figures up 19% on the same period last year.

Due to this, the show, which opened on 22nd May and originally scheduled to close on August 30th,  is to be extended to 13th September.

The museum has also seen record sales of exhibition prints thanks to a partnership with UK art publisher King and McGaw, with the most popular image being the Clacton-on-Sea Butlins’ poster designed in 1941 for London North East Railway (top), closely followed La Plage de Calvi by Roger Broders c.1929 (at right ).
Picture credits: (top) Butlin’s Clapton-on-Sea, LNER Poster, 1941. Design J. Greenup © NRM / Pictorial Collection / Science & Society Picture Library
[right] La Plage de Calvi, Corse, 1928 (Colour Litho) by Roger Broders (1883-1953). Private collection. Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images.

The Cass to stage Fabric of the City in mid-July to celebrate the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers

I am very pleased to learn that The Cass, London Metropolitan University is staging a major contemporary textile exhibition called Fabric of the City, to celebrate the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers in Spitalfields, East London coinciding with the Huguenots of Spitalfields festival, taking place during the summer across the capital. 

To be honest, I did not know much about the Huguenots but my interest in them increased recently after seeing British actress Julia Sawalha on the BBC programme Who do you think you are? in which she traced her maternal ancestry through her grandmother and found that she is a descendant of the Huguenots, French protestants who migrated to the UK in the 17th century and settled down in the Spitalfields.

Cass course leader and curator, Gina Pierce comments: “It’s surprising how few people have heard of the Huguenots, as their influence on craft and design was incredibly widespread, with the legacy of the weavers in Spitalfields having a lasting effect on the local textile industry.’’

Pierce added that the upcoming Fabrics of the City exhibition will highlight the creativity of 14 East London-based textile and fashion designers - including CuteCircuit, House of Flora, Jane Bowler and Alison Willoughby to name a few – who were invited to respond to the rich heritage of the Huguenots silk weavers that made Spitalfields a leading textile centre in the 17th Century, and create original work to be displayed in the Cass Bank Gallery.

One example of the stunning designs created for the high society by the Huguenots is The Fanshawe Dress (above), on display at the Museum of London.   An exceptional example of their highly skilled workmanship, this piece features signature silver thread and lace - distinctive features in the Huguenots’ designs, which have served as a starting point for the new designs exhibited in Fabric of the City. 

With first-hand access to archive material from the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Museum of London, the designers carry the legacy of the Huguenot Weavers to their contemporary practices - from the choice of materials to the use of cutting-edge techniques – to craft unique exhibits, celebrating the skills and creativity in fashion and textile design of East London as well as the continued influence of the Huguenots on the textile courses run by the Cass.

Between 1670 and 1710, up to 50,000 Huguenots fled to the UK from France, and particularly to Spitalfields, bringing with them their exceptional silk weaving skills. Spitalfields had always had a silk weaving industry but the influx of such skilled craftsmen, along with the increase in the availability of silk, made the area a leading fashion production centre for the British upper class.

Today, London designers use distinctive features found in the Huguenots designs as a starting point for their creative works exhibiting in Fabric of the City.

Jane Bowler's Copper Dress

One such piece is Jane Bowler’s Copper Dress (on the right here), which draws inspiration from the use of metallic thread.

The Copper Dress has been constructed using hand-cut plastic multiples in combination with soft metallic strips, hand-woven throughout the garment, allowing the material to organically grow over the body of its wearer.

Bowler’s fascination with material innovation, process and craftsmanship – practised by applying traditional techniques with a modern twist – also mirrors the Huguenots’ inventive choice of materials and skilled craftsmanship.

CuteCircuit, The Eliza Dress, Pink and Black

Separately innovative use of materials is also a key aspect of the work of Shoreditch-based designer label CuteCircuit which creates haute couture clothing that has micro-electronics embedded into the fabrics, pushing the boundaries of wearable technology to create beautiful, interactive garments. For Fabric of the City, CuteCircuit continues to push the boundaries of this technology by presenting the K-Dress, a ready-to-wear version of the bespoke CuteCircuit creation worn by Katy Perry to the 2010 Met Gala. The delicate pleated silk chiffon seamlessly merges with the micro-lighting smart textile to create a magical garment that can change colour controlled by an iPhone App.

Fabric of the City runs at the Cass Bank Gallery from 10 -31 July 2015.  A number of workshops and talks will run throughout the exhibition.  These will include a Fabric of the City Symposium at The Cass (14 July), featuring talks by speakers from the V&A and the Royal College of Art, looking at different aspects of fashion-making in the area of Spitalfields, from 17th Century uses through to today.