Creative, resourceful and optimistic, meet a graphic designer who uses the cycling cap as a pretext for creation.
Still as many kilometers separate us from Céline from Vera Cycling↗ but still the same desire to create things together and to continue to tell a common story with our accessories.
Here's a chat with Celine from Vera Cycling.
Hi Céline, for those who don't know yet, how would you like to introduce yourself?
To change from my classic presentation, I would say that I am a graphic designer who uses the cycling cap a bit as a pretext for creation. After 7 years with VERA this is what is revealed ;) .
Céline is also synonymous with Vera. How did you come to create Vera? Has it always been your passion, perhaps inspired by the immense textile history of Roubaix? Did you have any formative experiences that led you to your current project?
I was absolutely not destined to become a gapette designer ... at the same time who is, it's so incongruous! I have basic training as a web designer then after 10 years I got tired of the web. In 2013 I discovered urban rides in Paris and all the codes and accessories... including the famous cycling cap. I had an instant crush!
As a graphic designer, I quickly had ideas for designs and messages in my head. But it wasn't until the end of 2015 that it started to take shape when I left Paris for Lille. I have no training in textiles or hat making, but I am creative, resourceful and optimistic, and with that, you can do quite a lot. And along the way, I went from my living room in my studio in Lille to a boutique office in Roubaix . Because in the meantime, I discovered all the textile and cycling heritage of the city, and I couldn't imagine any other city in the world to settle down with my gapettes.
How would you describe your style and creative process?
So I discovered the cycling cap in 2013, at the time, for the group I was riding with we had decided to have caps made. And big disappointment at delivery in terms of quality, color, rendering between my beautiful model and reality... So when at the end of 2015 I decided to embark on this crazy project, I wanted to do something qualitative and not disappointing, because a gapette you still have it on your head! I went on a mission to do better!
How did the idea for gapettes come about?
I couldn't describe my style, but what matters to me is to create creations that have meaning, that tell a story, that inspire, that motivate, that make people react, that make them smile (not necessarily all at once), but creations with an extra touch of soul, as I like to say.
Because with digital textile printing, we have so few constraints and limits... that we can do anything... But he who can do more can do less. So for me, it's important not to do just for the sake of doing. I draw inspiration from current trends, whether in sports or fashion in general. In design too. And most importantly, I draw inspiration from my community, their needs, their feedback.
Let's talk about our latest collaboration. The theme of this new collaboration is Off-Path. Where did the initial idea come from?
I think that Hors Sentiers is a great continuation of our first collaboration, Récréation. A collaboration where we invited people to go out and have fun. Now that they've gone out and had fun, we invite them to get lost in new terrain. It could also have been called Hors Pistes, but not being a fan of skiing but more of gravel, I played on the words ;)
How do you prepare for a project like this, and how do you stimulate your creativity?
I don't really prepare; it's probably a combination of things I've seen before that suddenly materialize in my head. Between trends on Instagram and hours of scrolling on Pinterest...
A mix of trends, tie-dye for example, mixed with very natural shades. It created an effect like footsteps in the sand. Ricardo suggested a range of fabrics to accompany it, and I fell in love with the purple canvas, and from there, the purple flowed into the rest of the graphic elements. It's a bit like small accidents that make a creation emerge.
Can you walk us through the steps from start to finish of a Hors Sentiers pack? From printing to sewing all the elements?
The pack consists of three accessories : a gapette, a food pouch, and a bandana. Each of these products has different fabric characteristics. A breathable canvas for the gapette, a waterproof canvas for the food pouch, and an ultra-lightweight canvas for the bandana.
The pattern was therefore adapted to three different types of fabric. For the assembly of the gapette and the bandana, I had it made for VERA in an ESAT near Arras. The Desman food pouch was assembled by Ricardo in his workshop in Mirepoix.
To get to know you a little better, what could you tell us about yourself that we won't find on veracycling.fr?
I love making wildflower bouquets. I like to pick them along the Roubaix canal or near some wasteland. And I have a little secret in this same theme...I'm a bit of a kleptomaniac when it comes to plant cuttings... I love growing things from scratch!
Thank you so much !
Thanks again for the good energy throughout the creation of Hors Sentiers! Looking forward to the next one.
Velocidade is the feeling of freedom given by speed, the wind that makes your eyes water, the sound of the air blowing near your ears, a little taste of adrenaline that makes you feel good.
At Velocidade, we believe in cycling as the future of transportation! We've created a set of responsible bike and backpack luggage, designed and handcrafted in our workshop in Mirepoix, Ariège. To learn more about our commitments, click here .
MADE IN FRANCE
We wanted to create our bags with a waterproof and UV-resistant canvas certified Oeko-Tex made in France.
DESIGN
Products designed to last a long time with savings on raw materials and that can be repaired, a sustainable design.
REPARABLE
If it breaks, don't worry, we'll repair your bag!
COMMITMENT
As a committed brand, we donate 1% of our turnover to help preserve the environment.
RICARDO VIEIRA - FOUNDER/DESIGNER/COUTURIER
Ricardo has long been thinking about reducing his environmental impact, whether through his sporting practice of cycling, running, or in his everyday life, having decided to be vegetarian more than 20 years ago. Curious and passionate, he started creating and manufacturing his first objects when his grandfather gave him a sewing machine for his 17th birthday, and since then, he has worked to create, repair, and manufacture with the same energy and in the same direction, that of sobriety and localism. Convinced that the bicycle is the ultimate low-carbon solution for everyday travel, Ricardo decided to create Velocidade, and began designing and creating handmade bags, in a completely artisanal way.
