BRANDS
out from the crowd and develop an already strong following. “I have 20 years’ experience as a technical garment designer, spending most of my time working on patterns and fitting garments. I use my skills to ensure our garments are fit for women, on and off the trails. Secondly, they must be fit for purpose, so they move with your body using stretch fabrics wherever possible and elastic waistbands (I hate the Velcro contraptions on most MTB shorts and trousers). “Our shorts and trousers are elasticated; this also helps to accommodate the fluctuations in your waist for whatever time of the month it is. We also fit and test all our clothes before they are approved, we trial garments on different shape and sized models, we want everyone to feel comfortable on the trails, whatever their size so this process is important to us. “Finally, our style is very feminine, we look
to sportswear trends, so our prints are more fashion forward than most on the market, we hope that women enjoy wearing MTB specific gear that looks more feminine and colourful.”
As more and more women look to begin their mountain biking journey, women- led brands like Trail Bloom are key for tapping into those markets. Not just from a commercial aspect, but from a social standpoint, too. If women can see options for more feminine, stylish clothes that are also technical and perform for the intended purpose, they’re more likely to continue riding. It may be cliché, but you are more likely to feel good if you look good and feel confident in what you’re wearing.
www.bikebiz.com
‘TRAIL BLOOM WAS STARTED OUT OF TOTAL FRUSTRATION, NOT JUST BY MYSELF BUT BY OTHER WOMEN I WAS RIDING WITH.’
Ambitious plans For now, Trail Bloom offers a direct-to-consumer approach via the brand’s website. But in the future, that’s something Hughes wants to change. “We would love to work with stockists. As a new business this is in our plan for 2025 – if you’re a stockist reading this, feel free to contact us. We really want to work with shops that align with our values and be able to offer the core range plus some extras in stores or online.
“We only received our first MTB stock at the end of January 2024 and feel like this year has been a whirlwind. It’s been amazing meeting so many cool women, attending events and making loads of new friends in the MTB world. We are so grateful for all the support; it’s blown us away!” Even though Trail Bloom is less than a year old, the brand’s 2025 plans are ambitious, although Hughes is keen to stick to her guns on keeping the environmental impact of her kit to a minimum. “We plan to build on our current range and increase our offering into other outdoor sports. The impact fashion has on the environment really bothers me, so we are working towards using recycled fibres where we can, especially on our core products such as shorts and jerseys.
“Reducing our plastic use, you will never find us using plastic packaging for our parcels. We really want to get our stuff into shops, to give women the opportunity to try our gear before buying.” If potential stockists want to get in touch with Hughes, drop her a line on hello@
trailbloom.com
January 2025 | 31
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