I had the amazing good fortune to have been able to meet Legendary London bag designer Ally Capellino back in 2017 when I was a bicycle courier .
I arrived at her Shoreditch shop and atelier , with a delivery for her , and gave it directly to her.
A very nice Lady , who generously gave me time for a chat .
I said I had been to her Soho shop back in the late ‘80’s / early ‘90’s , bought a jersey top and admired her fine bags . We spoke about her doing some stylish bike bags , as I felt they would be brilliant , given her attention to detail and use of high quality materials in manufacture .
I said I had a few creative projects I’m trying to get off the ground , and we kept in contact on social media .
Fast forward to this year , and Ally dropped me a line , saying she has another cycle orientated bag range , and would I like one to test.
Naturally , I said yes , and a few days later , the wonderful Pendle unisex shoulder bag arrived ….
Made with a waterproof Cordura outter , it is robust enough to use daily as a commuter / town bag .
I can fit a D Lock , water bottle , keys , wallet and energy snacks in with ample room ….
The bag has a zipped front pocket with seals , a rear with velcro fastening , a zipped inner pocket and a mesh wall with two pockets . The interior material is rip stop , which is great as it stops any unforeseen tears spreading .
The shoulder strap is made from Duck Cotton , so is soft and non abrasive against thinner material jerseys or skin , and splits in two with a robust clasp
The strap is attached at a 45 degree angle on the bag , so has a pretty much ergonomic fit to the torso .
Ally has named each bag in the Travel and Cycle range after cyclists significant to her. The unisex Pendle shoulder bag is named after British Olympic Hero , Victoria Pendleton .
Ally Capellino has very , very generously given you lucky readers a chance to win your very own Pendle bag , click the link below and enter .
Move as quickly as Victoria , as the competition closes on July 5th.
https://www.allycapellino.co.uk/pages/competition-ally-capellino-x-julian-saarf
In the Travel and Cycle collection is a fabulous ‘tote’ bag , the Saarf , one can only imagine what this Saarf character is like ….
Saarf London 