Jason Kenny CBE Signed Bra for Walk the Walk
Background
Meccanica Clothing are proud to support Walk the Walk taking place at midnight May 12th 2018 and are honoured to be chosen to design the bra signed by Jason Kenny CBE.
Born out of a cycle heritage our clothing is inspired by individuality, speed, style and beauty of anything with two wheels. We fuse a passion for British engineering with Italian style; our aim is to celebrate both nations’ rich cycling heritages.
Jason Kenny and this great British charity have inspired us to reflect Jason’s Gold Medal and World Champion wins in the design. There are elements of his achievements as part of Team GB and as an individual who always flies the flag.
Walk the Walk inspires everyone to get out there and walk… We hope our design inspires more ladies to get out and cycle!
Bra Design
The bra reflects elements of Jason’s track cycling achievements and cycling sport heritage.
The gold medal and six gold studs recognise Jason as the joint holder of the highest number of Olympic Golds for a British athlete alongside fellow track cyclist Chris Hoy in the Beijing (2008) London (2012) and Rio (2016) Olympics. Studs are used to reflect his down to earth mechanical bent and love of motorcycling.
The World Champion rainbow ribbon recognises his World Champion success in 2012, and the 2013 – 14 season.
The embroidery on the left is Jason in the London Olympics sprint event where he won Gold. On the right is the 2016 Team GB Olympic Lion motif as Jason is a great team player.
The two Union Jack flags remember another British cycling great, Tom Simpson who was remembered this year, 50 years after passing away in the Tour de France. He often proudly sported the patches on his jersey’s shoulders. As well as being a track cyclist, Jason trains extensively on the road and attends cycle sportives.
Finally, whenever Jason celebrates a win of his, or his wife Laura Kenny’s, they are seen holding the Union Jack aloft with pride, always ‘flying the flag’ for Great Britain.
The bras were launched last October in Woking.
Local dignitaries, including The Mayor and Mayoress of Woking, Councillor Graham Cundy and Mrs Sarah Cundy, as well as Jonathan Lord, MP for Woking, were amongst the guests showing their support for Woking-based breast cancer charity Walk the Walk Tuesday 3rd October.
Guests were treated to a private viewing of the ‘Bust Up!’ bra exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking, where they had a sneak-preview of one-of-a-kind bras created by celebrities, artists, designers and local companies. The collection includes a Jason Kenny OBE bra by Meccanica, a McLaren bra signed by Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, and an HG Wells’ War of the Worlds bra sculpted by Michael Condron. An Alan Carr bra created by Julien Macdonald added a touch of celebrity sparkle, and aspiring fashion designers from Woking College, students Téa Breeze Harwood and Sophie Milne, gave everyone a taste of what to expect in the future. Local lingerie company, HanesBrands, showed their support with a Wonderbra creation, and a Rock n’ Roll bra by Jeff Banks, completed the collection.
The ‘Bust Up!’ bra exhibition, which is open until Sunday 15th October, coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as well as celebrating Walk the Walk’s 21st birthday.
Talking about his HG Wells’ War of the Worlds bra, Sculptor Michael Condron said:
“The Woking Martian was my first public artwork, and it’s been intriguing and delighting to revisit it nearly twenty years on, only this time in bra form.
Walk the Walk is a fantastic charity, and I’ve been inspired by the organisers and participants to try and create a fittingly energetic and exotic contribution to help raise awareness.”
Nina Barough, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk added:
“It was a huge honour and very proud moment for Walk the Walk to be able to hold an exhibition in its home town of Woking and to present the incredible work we do raising money and awareness.
The evening was a huge success and a fantastic mix of designers, supporters, sponsors, local Walk the Walk volunteers and walkers. We also had representatives from McLaren, HanesBrands, Woking College, as well as Michael Condron, sculptor of the Woking Martian, who had all created amazing bras. It really was a celebration of coming together for a common cause.
The bra is the trademark of Walk the Walk, and thanks to the thousands of Walkers wearing decorated bras as they take part in the charity’s MoonWalks, and other events, more than £121 million has been raised for breast cancer causes.
Since 1996, Walk the Walk has made grants to charities including; Breast Cancer Now, Penny Brohn UK, Helen Rollason Cancer Charity, Tenovus, The Haven, and The Christie Hospital. The charity also has its own special project, providing funding to hospitals across the UK to purchase Scalp Cooling systems, special machines which help many people undergoing chemotherapy to retain their hair.