Diaries of a disorganised cycler: February 2015

Photography - Copyright - Emma Tunbridge

My team, MuleBar Girl - Sigma Sport, are going into it's fifth season. To celebrate we wanted to create a kit that really dazzled. To be honest, we have always striven to create a kit that dazzles!

We are lucky enough to have a blank canvas but we like to retain our signature pink, gold and blue stripes and have a loyalty to a white base.

I was handed the task of creating the general look of the kit, as I have done from the beginning, but it is not a task done in isolation. I spent a day or so creating moodboards and looking for inspiration and then narrowed down my findings into three favourites. At this stage I already knew the direction I was heading but wanted to keep options open. From here I got sketching, I had so many ideas and needed to communicate them in the best way knew how to the rest of the girls - I ended up using felt tips, crayons and water colours!

I posted a few designs in a group email to the rest of the team and immediately started getting feedback "I like this, but not this" or "Can we move the print from option A but with the positioning of option B" and so-on.

The over-riding feeling is that, whatever we create, has to be flattering. I think, that whatever you think of the print, it is undeniable that the colours and lines all contribute to making the girls look great!

It is a tough gig in some ways, trying to make every member of the team happy - 9 strong minded, independent and uniquely- stylish women who aren't afraid of being assertive!! But the results are always worth it, if we get something we all agree on then I know we have something that appeals to a huge cross-section of sporty women!

Eventually we decided on what we liked and now it was a case of working with the talented graphic designer, Steve Salter, to create the perfect print that incorporated our signature colours within a cosmic background! Next up, we had to work out the positioning of the sponsor logos and make sure that they worked with the aesthetic as well as providing enough exposure.

Once it was all signed off and good to go it was over to Wildoo to use specialist printing technology to create the depth of the print on the fabric of our kit. We have worked with Wildoo for a few years now and their women's kit has gone from strength to strength, as we have not only handed over designs but also fedback on a season's worth of racing for the quality and fit. I think it is safe to say that Wildoo must offer one of the best custom kits for women of all shapes and sizes.

I am really proud of this kit because I feel like we have come up with something that fits our brand and once again, pushes the boundaries of kit design. We have realised from season's of riding together that good things come from working as a team. Love it or hate it, I hope you enjoy taking a look at our 2015 season kit!!!