As China becomes increasingly industrialized and motorized, Vancouver is making swift moves to become the greenest city in the world, and three young local businessmen are seeking to offer their own creative dimension to it.
First introduced to China in 1950, Flying Pigeons became the vehicle for billions of citizens, a small but important icon of wealth for the country, and an signifier of peace and prosperity that stood at the forefront of the bicycle phenomenon endorsed by Mao DeZong’s government. Along with a sewing machine and a watch, bicycles were a must-have during bleak economic times.
Entrepreneurs Bayan Ferzandi, Fraser McKeen, and Patrick Conn launched their concept brand last night at a pop-up shop at 8 East Cordova, a collaboration with 01 Magazine and, as of August 2nd, the bikes will available in limited release for purchase at Roden Gray.
Not only is the bicycle a meaningful emblem of the egalitarian movement in China, the aesthetic of the Flying Pigeon, with its inherent nostalgia and simplistic beauty, is causing a swell of interest among creative scenes, capturing a niche that is especially present in Vancouver, where people embrace a strong tie with the Eastern World.
Two models will be available: the traditional complete bike and the women’s complete bike, which have the same silhouette of the bicycle first manufactured over 60 years ago in Tianjin, China. Details have been necessarily updated. These new models now have leather seats, Dutch-style parallel handlebars, modern tires, as well as a label that honestly and proudly declares itself “Made in China’’.
CONTACT RODEN GRAY
8 Water Street
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WORDS BY KATE BROWN
