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Donata Schörkmaier and Katharina Stelzer, two Styrian women, make road cycling pants made especially for women from recycled PET bottles. The two were moved by the fact that the (unisex) pants on the market hardly fit women on the bike.
09.08.2022 13.44
Online since yesterday at 1:44 pm
Styrian women spent a year working on the right cut, sewing and, above all, upholstery. They even tested the pants on bike rides together. A particular challenge was finding a production facility. The pants are made in Italy, and there’s a very specific reason for that: “Made in Italy is a quality feature for cycling apparel, because road cycling comes from Italy,” says Stelzer.
APA/JOHANNES SOMMER The designers themselves tested the pants on their bike trips.
The two Styrian women found a small production site near Lake Garda, “which is also run by women”, as they emphasize. The exact place of production is a trade secret. The padded pants, shirts, long sleeves and base layers are made from recycled PET bottles and old fabrics: “They are shredded and made into plastic flakes, which are melted down to make new yarns”, reveals Schörkmaier.
Crowdfunding campaign funds the collections
The two started in 2021 with a crowdfunding campaign. 25,000 euros entered. This financed the first collection for the summer 2022. While the winter collection is being prepared, the two are already working on the collection for the summer 2023 season: .”
APA/JOHANNES SOMMER The pants are produced in Italy by women for women.
There will be more new products in the range in the near future. Separate pants and shirts for women’s gravel riders and “pee-friendly” shorts are to come. The price is in the competitive range, although there are few companies that produce just for women.