Case Study: Chic à Vélo
Tell us about your brand and what drove you to set it up?
Chic à Vélo is a leisure cycling clothing brand for women aged 40+. My aim is to create a brand of leisure wear which looks as stylish off the bike as on it. It’s been inspired by my life in France and the type of cycling I enjoy ie. to a coffee or lunch stop, relaxed cycling with friends and visiting vineyards and chateaux!
I set it up during the Covid pandemic as my existing business of running cycling holidays in the Loire Valley, France was so badly affected.
What was your background prior to launching in the fashion industry?
I’ve been running a cycling holiday business in the Loire Valley for the past fifteen years and prior to that I worked in finance and IT in various industries in the UK.
What was your starting point and where has your experience with Xandra Jane Design taken you?
My starting point was lots of ideas in my head and nothing on paper! So a consultancy call with Alexandra was the first task, to chat through my ideas and requirements. From there we worked on a range of design options for various products, which we gradually refined and finalised to create a six piece capsule collection.
How did you find the process working together?
For a complete newbie to the fashion industry the process was brilliant! Alexandra is really professional and brings a wealth of experience to the table. She clearly outlined the process from beginning to end, with timescales and responsibilities.
Do you feel confident in your gained knowledge and experience to repeat the process in the future either independently or together?
Definitely! I have many more ideas for Chic à Vélo going forwards and wouldn’t hesitate to call on Alexandra again in the future.
What’s been the most unexpected outcome of working with Xandra Jane Design?
I’ve been really impressed with how Alexandra interpreted my ideas and requirements for the products. To be honest the outcome so exceeded my (already high) expectations! In particular, the use of the logo in the scarf design has now become a theme used throughout my brand.
Which Xandra Jane Design service helped you the most and why?
So hard to pick just one service, all of it has been so useful and helpful.
What plans do you have for the future of your brand?
I’m always jotting down ideas for new products in the future, changes in colours for existing products and possibly helping more people to look Chic à Vélo, not just women!
A note from me…
Alison approached me in the midst of lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. With tourism badly affected at the time, Alison took entrepreneurial action to branch out her cycling holiday business and develop a timeless range for her ideal customer.
It was a joyous experience working alongside her as she brought so much target market research and knowledge to our process, which ultimately resulted in a refined collection that her audience loved from the offset.
I provided design, tech pack and consultation services whilst having a lot of fun playing around with Alison’s logo! She also benefitted from my Working with a Factory bundle and is now confidently working through production.