This month, Highway Cycles launched GOFLUO’s wonderfully aesthetic women’s cycling attire in store, which provided the perfect opportunity to delve down memory lane..
In the 1890’s, cycling had begun to grow in popularity for women in Victorian England, and many women suffered with socially acceptable, yet cumbersome, ankle length skirts which tangled in the spokes, causing injury and, in some instances, even death.
Despite facing adversity and critics labelling women’s cycling “obscene,” long skirts were replaced by more practical, wider pants, known as “bloomers.” Increased demand in female cycling attire meant the manufacturing of lighter, more sweat resistant materials.
Women weren’t deterred by the societal labels that cycling created for their gender and instead, inventors such as Alice Bygrave, created patents for improvements in lady’s cycling skirts in 1895, which included a pulley system on the seams, to adjust to the wearer’s needs.
Fast forward to 2024, and thankfully, Highway Cycles is not currently stocking any spoke-tangling, death defying ankle length skirts, or bloomers, but instead, the wonderful GOFLUO range.
GOFLUO owner, Julie Vets, first set up the company when she noticed that there were no trendy high-vis options for the school run, and decided to design her own complementary range, which was the ideal blend between safety and fashion forward. Julie extended her brand to the whole family, with a range of stylish safety vests, to ensure that children were also clearly visible, too.
Julie said: “I launched GOFLUO because of a glaring gap and need in the market. At the time of GOFLUO’s implementation, I thought to myself: why do safety items have to make you look like a construction worker? It made no sense. I used the branding to show that safety can be fun and cool, and I particularly feel that ethos shows in our ‘Bodyglowers’. GOFLUO combines the best of both worlds- visibility and style. I want to make people comfortable on their bikes, by increasing their visibility, especially as the winter months approach. It means people will be able to bike more even, when it is dark outside.”
She adds: “I feel women’s cycling attire has (thankfully) come a long way, and I love showing this through our GOFLUO community- you can be visible on your commute or the school run, without having to compromise with unattractive safety gear.”
To find out more about our GOFLUO range, pop into one of our stores, or visit: Gofluo Claire Bodywarmer – Beige Reflective – Highway Cycles
