for the LOVE of bikes' FLOWER POWER @ MODEL CITIZENS NYC

 

Oh, New York Design Week - one of my most favorite times of the year! I'm pleased to be launching for the LOVE of bike's

FLOWER POWER: REFLECTIVE AND MAGNETIC accessories @ one hot NY Design Week event >>> MODEL CITIZENS NYC taking place as I type. More about both...

FLOWER POWER: REFLECTIVE AND MAGNETIC are accessories for riding your bike night or day / place on your bag or bike basket / wear as a brooch. These reflectors attach to anything made of steel due to a mighty strong magnet embedded inside. They even attach to a simple metal hair pin!

 

The third annual MODEL CITIZENS NYC is a 3 day exhibition, open to the public, showcasing the work by 90+ designers international and American independent designers and design studios including the Dutch collective Duran/Vanderpoort. Work displayed includes furniture, products, ceramics, jewelry, glass, textiles, home décor and art objects. FLOWER POWER accessories are being sold in the event's Pop-Up Shop!

Chelsea Art Museum 556 West 22nd Street / at 11th Avenue, Manhattan {map}

Friday, May 13 - Sunday, May 15, 2011

Event Cocktail Party: Saturday, May 14th  / 4 - 8PM

{Free Shuttle to and from ICFF (Jacob Javits Center) and the Chelsea Art Museum will be provided every half-hour from on Saturday, May 14th 2:30 - 6:30PM}

stella glows in the dark

Last fall I posted about the amazing longevity of litoenergy -- and what a great application of similar material in Stella McCartney's new Glow in the Dark athletic apparel for her Fall/Winter 2010 Adidas collection. Would love to see more crossover with her current cycling line...

soft(er) impact

As my love for cork and vintage designs runs deep, this helmet concept by French designer Kévin Goupil caught my attention... while the form is based on an old steel French army helmet, the material of choice gives the helmet a gentler (soft to the touch) side.

+ if you looking to incorporate the shock-adsorbing and ecological aspects of cork on your bike, here are some options

via NotCot / via Stilsucht (in German, but translated here)

Dargelos launches w/ Lightning Vest

check out this super beautiful video of the vest in action...

I'm thrilled to be sharing the recent launch of Dargelos - a cycle fashion brand - "encouraging the integration of cycling into city life by creating flexible garments for the growing demographic of bicycle commuters". Brooklyn-based designer, Audrey Robinson (my lovely + uber-talented ♥ sister ♥) created Dargelos to bridge her longtime enthusiasm for urban cycling and sustainable practices by the fashion industry. The minimal and unique Lightening Vest is the first item - stocked / ready to ship...

The Lightning Vest is a hand-netted, highly visible safety vest made from 3M reflective ribbon that can be worn all year, day or night and layered over jackets or t-shirts. Neck opening is wide enough to pass over your helmet and netting is large enough for your hand to access pockets. The Lightning Vest is very strong, lightweight and compact enough to fit in your Belt Pouch or pocket without getting tangled.

Follow Dargelos on their blog / twitter / facebook to keep posted when new items are added!

for the love of bikes: cycling gloves

A project from my industrial design graduate thesis...

Hand signaling is a form of communicating with motorists and pedestrians. Communication is key in being respectful to fellow cyclists and motorists as well as staying safe - by combining highly reflective material with fluorescent calfskin leather, these gloves greatly increase a cyclist’s visibility.

The gloves greatly increase a cyclists visibility from a good distance, day or night, when signaling. Each incorporate reflective piping increasing reflectivity from every direction and has a single metal snap fastener. The palm of the gloves provides a good opportunity to have a fluorescent surface - and increase visibility from the front and back!

Thanks to cyclist Ivey Lian + outdoor photos by Steph Mantis

www.vanessamarierobinson.com

carbon dioxide detector

images of Climate Dress via Ecouterre

Another interesting use of the Arduino Lilypad... Diffus, a Danish design company, has created this beautifully crafted Climate Dress which monitors and responds to the amount of carbon dioxide in the air:

The Climate Dress is made of conductive embroidery, over hundred of tiny LED lights inserted into the embroidery, a CO2 sensor and an Arduino Lilypad microprocessor. The LEDs visualize the level of CO2 in the nearby surroundings and are powered trough the embroidery.

Just imagine this application on cycling apparel - LEDs pulsating based on the air conditions as you bike alongside city traffic. The more harmful, the faster the pulse...

via Tuned Into Cycling

warm, fuzzy and reflective

LFLECT Reflective Legwarmers

LFLECT Reflective Woolly Hat

Reflective wool is starting to pop up more and more. Last month I posted about Dashing Tweeds' Lumatwills line and now...

Lost Values' new "LFLECT" - reflective fashion accessories for the urban cyclist!

The product line is handcrafted in the Scottish Highlands and is the first spin off from Distance Lab. LFLECT debuted last September at 100% Design in London and was awarded "Best Use of Material' by Blueprint + when opening their studio last month they invited guests to bering items of clothing to be customized with LFLECT.

Dashing Tweeds - indeed!

More then what you expect... Dashing Tweeds was recently launched by weaver Kirsty McDougall and photographer Guy Hills. Everything about this British company's offerings are enticing - from cut to colour to materials. Their current collection includes hats, capes, jackets, knitwear, suits, bags and waistcoats woven with the EXCITING retroflective LumatwillsTM

"A unique weave of wool worsted and reflective yarn, LumatwillsTM appear by day only in their smart combination of colours. By night, under illumination, hidden reflective lines shine out, offering an inventive and stylish solution to attire for the pedestrian, cyclist or scooter rider."

Their selection of tweeds are exquisite. Above is the a swatch from The Specials collection which "will change each season and is inspired by the zeitgeist. The present collection drew from modernist weaves of the Bauhaus school."

All images via Dashing Tweeds

the new DayGlo?!

If all-out safety/DayGlo/fluorescent is not your thing...

this 'acid' softshell by Nau should keep you plenty visible riding around the city.

3M reflective love

3M reflective self adhesive vinyl for your bike -- in all types of shapes including that great heart cog.

via Team Estrogen

take it easy

Slow movements have spread to all corners of our lives - as part of a cultural shift to slowing down and enjoying the many simple pleasures in life. It started with the slow food movement, as a reaction to fast food industry in the late 80's, then helped propel slow cities, slow homes, and ♥ slow design ♥.

Launched in 2008, in Denmark, there is a slow movement that I didn't know I was already a member of...

The Slow Bicycle Movement is a celebration of the bicycle. Not as a speed machine or a tool for tribal membership but merely as an enjoyable way to get around.

It's about the journey, not the destination. The destination is, invariably, a fixed geographical point which isn't going anywhere... [okay, sure, the tectonic plates are in constant movement but they are thankfully even slower than us]... so you're going to get there eventually and anyway.

It's about riding your bicycle. To work, to play. Casually, in a relaxed manner. With time to enjoy the self-propelled movement that you and you alone generate. And, of course, to look around and see the landscape - urban or not - that you pass by at your leisurely pace.

Kind of made my day!

london calling

London's Cycle Chic will soon be carrying the 'ankle spats' above by London-based designer Karta Healey's new collection of cycling gear, TWO n FRO. Healey says his range is 'designed for the silent confidence of a city cyclists everywhere'.

His collection is part of a wider project, AgotoB, encouraging sustainable transportation. Here is a cute little excerpt from the site:

Everyone wants to be more mobile.
Seemingly, everybody needs to be somewhere else in a hurry.
The common side effect to our hypermobility is universal traffic and pollution.
What is being done to ease this global problem?

London 1909: average speed of horse and cart 7mph
London 1999: average speed of motorists 6mph

Progress? The common car does not serve our needs in the increasingly urban environment. Single occupancy of four-wheeled full-sized cars is an obvious waste. We all need options. A vehicle specific to our needs. It is time we encouraged the market place to provide better designs for modern commuters.

... I'm wondering where those white reflective lace-ups will be sold?

via London Cycle Chic

so nice - so bright

Fluorescence is magical + safe. FixedGearLondon makes these 'Flouro Bikes' which can be custom ordered.

P.S. Andy Spade owns one.

Photos via FixedGearLondon and WeHeartStuff

in case of rain

Uhh, looks like another rainy day... but these accessories from Bobbin the self proclaimed "most beautiful bicycle shop in Britain" brighten my day...




Rainhood, Polka Saddle Cover, and Coloured Cape

rain + shine

While in Copenhagen last summer, the sight of cyclists in the rain with umbrellas was a novelty.

But how about THIS umbrella with 64 individual LEDs via Intructables Imagine, a car would be able to spot you from at least a mile away. Magical + safe.

And it's dimmer adjustable so you can set how bright you want to be - anywhere from dim ambient light for strolling in the dark to carrying your own portable supernova beacon of light

Top pic via Copenhagenc Cycle Chic

safety chic: French style

Recently came across the French company DOYOUvelo? which makes appeal and accessories addressing safety and style. Using reflective material (REFLECT’LINE®), zipper linings and reversible options.