Most projects start with a technical brief. This one started with a jumble sale in the Tailfin workshop. Did you catch the finished result at Bespoked London this year? Here’s the story of how it actually got made – we sat down with Molly, our Head Prototyper, to talk through the process from first phone doodle to seventeen jersey pockets.
How did this project come about – whose idea was it originally, and what was the brief?
The idea was cooked up by James Bracey. We have R&D riders in common with Albion, and also our gear travels to the same kind of places, same adventures, same conditions, so he asked Albion for any unrepairable garments and gave us a brief to make them all into a set of bike bags.
When you first heard the idea, what was your reaction?
We were pretty excited to hear his idea. We all love Albion gear, they have a great colour palette and we instantly imagined a really fun looking set. We got excited about being a bit less sensible than usual. One thing that Albion’s garments have of course is a lot of pockets, jersey pockets, jacket pockets, hidden pockets , so we got excited about how many pockets we could possibly include.
Walk us through the process – what did the early ideas look like compared to the finished thing?
We didn’t do any planning until everything had arrived, basically we chucked it all out on the table like a jumble sale, and played with all the colour combinations. Once we’ve made our choices, I made a crappy first draft on my phone as a starting point then Theo made some proper digital mock up images, and changed the Cad patterns to make it all work with the new fabrics.
Some of the fabrics we wanted to use were very very light so it was a more delicate operation than our usual thing. They couldn’t take the same processes as we would normally use. We couldn’t use the same kind of heat on them so getting the logos on was tricky.
Is there a detail on the finished bags that you’re particularly proud of or excited by?
I think if I was to pick out a detail that I particularly liked it would be the hidden pockets, and the use of the jersey pockets, there are I think 17 jersey pockets, I loved going over the top on that. Overall, I love how the colours work together and how much the fabrics still have the unmistakable look of coats and jerseys. We put lots of tiny touches in like little extra pops of colour and the covered zip garages, I find those very satisfying.
What did you enjoy most about this project compared to day to day work?
It was really nice to be given creative freedom on this project, I found it fun and energising working with colour, and it was nice to have to do a bit of fresh problem-solving when it came to using the different fabrics. Mostly I think we really enjoyed being allowed to play.
What would be your dream project brief?
Oh, there are so many things that we would love to make! Personally, I love the fun playful projects, anything that gives me the opportunity to be a bit of a maximalist, use colour and novelty, and a bit of silliness. I’d like to do a margarita bike, or a foraging bike with a little cooking set up. And whatever project it is, lots of pockets.
The bags made their debut at Bespoked London 2026 as part of a custom build with Sturdy Cycles. If you missed them in person, now you know the story behind every stitch.
