Bikes & Bloomers: Victorian women inventors and their extra-ordinary cycle wear

METHODS LAB supported the launch of Kat’s new book called Bikes and Bloomers: Victorian Women Inventors and their Extraordinary Cycle Wear

The bicycle in Victorian Britain is often celebrated as a vehicle of women’s liberation. But much less is known about another critical technology with which women forged new and mobile public lives – cycle wear.

Underpinned by three years of in-depth archival research and inventive practice, this new book brings to life in rich detail the lesser-known stories of six inventors and their unique contributions to cycling’s past, which continue to shape urban life for contemporary mobile women.

The launch event included a panel discussion led by Kat with Dr Bruce Bennett (Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, Lancaster University), Emily Chappell (Founding member of The Aventure Syndicate and fastest woman in the 2016 Transcontinental Race) and Laura Laker (Journalist for The Guardian, Total Women’s Cycling and Road.cc and more).

A drinks reception followed.