At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics when I won my first Paralympic medal I also had the privilage of meeting the designer of the medal. I remember sitting there listening in awe of her stories and the detail behind how the medals came about. I was the first athlete she had met with one of her medals and it’s safe to say we were both crying at how beautiful the moment together was. It added so much depth, inspiration and pride in what I had achieved. It’s really important to me that people can coonect with my cycling kits and know just how much their support means to me so I wanted to share how the designs came about in the hope that you can enjoy the special reasons behind what you see and wear.
Having never really considered myself a creative person, taking on the task of designing a custom women’s and men’s cycling kit was quite daunting! Cyclists are incredibly passionate about what they wear when riding, it is an extension of their personality and I became very aware of how different people felt when asking my mates about what they liked and didn’t like- and they were ALL completely different! I began realising that whilst it was important to ensure I took everything into consideration that I needed to ensure the design truly reflected me.
I was blessed to have 2XU’s teamwear graphic designer Devney to help bring out my ideas and stories and go from a blank page to something I’m so very proud of and I can’t thank her enough.
We have created both a custom women’s and men’s cycling kit (I found that everything the girls loved the guys didn’t and vice versa so 2 specific kits was a MUST!). I love the bright and bold blue colours interconnecting with the patterns to really ensure that this kit had the wow factor (blue is also my favourite colour!). Whilst the men’s and women’s kits align in many ways they also have distinct colour schemes and patterns.
The topographic pattern on the women’s kit represents not only the many roads I’ve ridden, the mountains that I’ve skied down in the Winter Paralympics, but also my personal journey through many sports and marries perfectly with my favourite quote “Why follow paths left by others when you can create your own path.”
The geometric pattern on the men’s kit represents the strength and bond I must have with my Tandem pilot Maddie as we conquer each race together. The trust required to allow someone else to steer you down a mountain or your bike is like no other relationship in sport. The connection you have with one another is the most critical element in our ability to succeed.
The 5 llnes/ stripes represents the 5 Paralympic teams that I have been fortunate enough to be involved with throughout my career across both summer and winter sports.
The words ‘Bold Brave Believe’ are 3 motivational words that represent what I aspire to be in my life and as an athlete and continue to inspire my preparations as I build towards Rio and beyond. I find inspiration in the smallest of things and these 3 words will always stand strong in my life.
I’m so porud of these garments and I hope you all get as much enjoyment out of these custom, limited edition 2XU Jess Gallagher kits as I have.
If you’d like to buy a kit you can find the online store here: https://clubs.2xuteamwear.com/JGTW16C
Please note- the online store closes midnight Sunday 14/8/2016
Jess 🙂
