Not too long ago we shared (in one of our most popular blogs) that the Italian fashion house Missoni had created a line of custom home goods for Target including the boldly patterned comfort bike for women. Today Jerry Hirsch reports in the Los Angeles Times in the article “Fashion Designers Put Their Marque on Bicycles” that the Missoni bike nearly sold out when it debuted in September. Other designers and design houses have also been inspired to create “fashion” bikes of late including Kate Spade, and a bevy of other top designers. For New York’s recent fashion week the “Fashion Center Business Improvement District” created the innovative idea of  “Tour de Fashion” borrow-a-bicycle program with thirty fashion designers putting their unique stamp on a customized bike. At the end of the fashion week the bikes were auctioned off.

So now that top creative minds like Ralph Lauren are being inspired by the popularity of Tweed rides to create not only a designer bike but an entire line of “bicycle inspired clothing” how do we harness this energy to help us actually increase the number of people riding bikes?

Can fashion help us out? We think so. We here at Bikeable Communities think we have a powerful new approach. That’s why we’re collaborating with Long Beach Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal, Andrea White-Kjoss CEO & President of Bikestation, as well as local and regional advocates, electeds, city staffs, business leaders and talented creatives for the “Women on Bikes SoCal” program that we’ll be launching in November. Our vision is to encourage, engage and empower women and girls of all ages, races and walks of life in the Southern California region in the beauty and benefits of bicycling, and to double the number of women and girls actively riding bikes.

Why are we focusing on Women? Women are the indicator species. If women feel safe and comfortable riding bikes the whole family will ride. But though we women absolutely have safety and comfort concerns that are paramount and need to be addressed, we are also moved and motivated greatly by beauty and style. Fashion has real power. Of course the Missoni bike almost selling out is one indicator, but so are the fast rise in popularity of the sleek new European inspired bikes by Public, Linus and Electra bikes – all California based companies. I have posted on one of my vision boards the “Last Look” page from Vogue Magazine in June 2009 featuring a designer bike by Fendi. The Cycle Chic world wide phenomenon from Denmark began in 2006.

We here at Bikeable Communities feel if we can engage the female focused lifestyle media in an active and ongoing conversation on the benefits of bike riding we can accomplish a one-two punch. By getting the story out in a variety of interesting, engaging female friendly ways we can not only invite a broad new audience to consider the bike as a perfect urban transit tool but then also invite them to the education that helps make it very safe too. Intrigued? Want to know more of what we have planned? Send me an email to .