It’s usually a good evening when we end up at Look No Mum Hands at the end of the day. It was extra special this Tuesday night as the bright and talented Doug and Lucy Bairner, founders of LUMO, were there too. They were lighting up Old Street with a Kickstarter campaign as they launch three new products to their line.
Doug and Lucy, LUMO's founders
For those of you that don’t know, LUMO have been around for over a year now, designing and manufacturing some very special urban cycling wear. Their ‘pub test’ (would I wear this down the boozer?) has resulted in some great looking practical clothes that look cool, work well on the bike and are visible at night time. They achieve this by hiding strips of LED lights within the seams that are invisible unless switched on via a hidden rechargeable USB battery pack.
The inspiration behind LUMO came when Doug was knocked off his bike for the second time but “still found himself too vain to wear hi-viz clothing.” As Lucy says, nobody wants to go out “looking like a radio active lemon!” Their products have been designed with the help of Rob Freeman, formerly of Nigel Cabourn and now working for Farah. The result of the collaboration is a collection of some lovely jackets and bags that are really practical for riding around town. They’re stylish and beautifully made with great attention to detail. And they all light up if you want them to: apparently you’ll be visible from up to 400m!
LUMO at LMNH on Tuesday night
In June we reviewed the Regents parka and last month, the Bermondsey backpack. We love them so much that both have become staples of the Ride Velo household’s daily wear. Even without the innovative illuminated LED strips they’re great products in their own right.
They’ve now released three new products via a Kickstarter campaign. The Clissold Bomber Jacket is inspired by the military issue MA-1 flight jacket. It’s water resistant, lights up and, like all of LUMO’s stuff, looks great.
I’ve got my eyes on the Brixton Messenger Bag. It’s made from British cotton canvas with Italian leather trims and waterproof inner lining. There’s a padded inner laptop compartment and a stabilizing waist strap. Really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these.
Lastly, they’ve come up with the Holloway Gilet, designed to offer protection from the unpredictable British weather. This has a quilted water resistant fabric and mesh lining to keep you warm and dry. It’s lightweight and easily packable.
They’ve managed to bring these products in at a lower price than their previous collections but you can get them even cheaper if you pledge to the Kickstarter campaign. The bag and gilet are up for grabs for £99 each and the jacket for £125. Looks like a steal - so you’d best get on their Kickstarter page and order yourself some quality clobber.
